Employee engagement is more than simply keeping your team happy – it’s a crucial part of any successful business plan. According to Gallup research, organizations with engaged employees see decreased turnover and increased profitability, making it essential for leaders to develop strategies that encourage employee engagement.
Here are ways you can leverage performance management strategies to boost employee engagement.
Offer Regular Recognition and Praise
It may go without saying, but whenever a team member performs well, recognize that individual and their achievement. Positive affirmation can go a long way toward making employees feel valued and encouraging continued excellence.
Outside of privately recognizing employee strengths, leadership should regularly recognize exceptional performances––of both individuals and teams––in larger group settings. Not only will this help the designated individuals feel valued, but also build team camaraderie and engagement as the group celebrates each other’s accomplishments.
Public recognition can also provide models that allow other employees to draw from. For example, if the member of a sales team far exceeds her monthly quotas, then she likely has developed a strategy that can help her teammates. Leadership can encourage her to share her skills, making her feel like a respected and valued voice on the team.
Rethink Performance Evaluations
While many employees have come to dread the traditional, formal annual review process, this time offers several opportunities to engage with employees. Rather than think of performance evaluations as a time to read through a laundry list of an employee’s pros and cons, we can use each evaluative criterion as an opportunity for growth.
Positive and negative feedback both provide fertile ground for growth. For example, if a team member has difficulty accomplishing cross-functional tasks, then their manager can provide opportunities to improve this skill through training and support. Rather than blame an employee for shortcomings, managers should dedicate this time to figuring out what caused a person to struggle and offering assistance.
Additionally, leadership can take time to understand the situation with nuance. In some cases, there could be a logistical roadblock––faulty software, for example––that caused a team member to underperform. Fixing issues like these can also go far in terms of engaging team members.
Set Goals Together
Setting goals and milestones is another area where performance management and employee engagement go hand in hand. Imposing company goals on your team members can lead to reluctance and a lack of passion. On the other hand, exploring what challenges and excites your team leads to engagement and increases performance.
Giving employees a say in their own goals is a powerful opportunity to increase buy-in and engage your team. Rather than prescribe quarterly goals to employees, collaborate with your team to create performance benchmarks together.
Encourage Career Development
Beyond productivity goals, leadership should also work with employees to set career growth goals, like acquiring and developing new skills. One survey finds that 94% of workers say they would stay at a company if leadership invested in their careers, making it essential for managers to develop career paths for each team member.
Employees who aren’t engaged are much more likely to seek work elsewhere, and employee turnover is costly. One study finds that replacing a trained employee costs roughly twice their annual salary. To retain your employees, leadership should encourage career development.
Rather than think of employees as fixed entities, view them as individuals with untapped potential. Most employees wish to grow their careers, and if leadership can help them build out new skill sets and take on new responsibilities, then they’ll be more engaged.
Level Up Your Company Culture Today
Across the board, the key to engaging your employees is investing in their success. When employees are engaged, they’ll perform better, continue to refine and augment their skill sets, and contribute more to your organization. Particularly when it comes to leadership skills, one effective way to instill these in your top performers is through third-party trainings and courses.
At People AK, our team offers a variety of trainings that help team members at all stages level up their skills. Through a strengths-based approach, our team can help your employees better understand their abilities and how they fit into your larger organization.
Through continued development opportunities with People AK, you can successfully engage your employees, spurring optimal performance and ensuring they’ll stick with you for the long haul. Get in touch today to get started!
