Should Managers Drive Results or Nurture Employee Engagement?
People spend a lot of time wondering which path is the best path: should you rally your employees around results? Or should you take the time to know each and every one of them and celebrate them as the special employee snowflake they are? It’s organizational culture’s chicken or the egg question: which came first, results or employee engagement? Many companies choose just one for their managers to strive for. So, which should managers focus on: performance or employee engagement? The answer is C. Both.
“But wait! of course the answer is both!”
Employees that are engaged achieve better results, but Gallup found that companies with engaged employees were 22% more profitable and 21% more productive than their competition who wasn’t as engaged. By focusing on employee engagement, the results followed.
So, what can you advise managers to do who are working on rallying their team? Here are some tips we’ve found that are a good first step:
Give a damn.
Gallup found that employee engagement can be directly influenced by their manager. The employees who were engaged felt like they could go to their managers, even for personal issues, and felt like they were included in making performance goals. The employees who were the most engaged were, by far, the most productive.
Give props where they’re deserved
One of the easiest ways for a manager to make their employees feel valued is by regularly recognizing them for the good work that they’re doing. If they feel accountable for their work, they’ll strive to do better.
GOOOOALS!
Goals are a huge part of day to day life in any organization. If it’s not goal setting, it’s reacting to them. Great managers include their employees in goal setting conversations. Whether it’s professional, results based, or personal, make choosing your goals a collaborative process. Employee input is a great and easy way to get employees to engage and own their development. Don’t forget to set clear and achievable goals, but make sure that the employees responsible for meeting those goals engaged so that they will actually strive to achieve the results you want!
Employee engagement is incredibly important for increasing productivity, profitability, and for the company as a whole. Organizations with high employee engagement have 61% lower turnover rates – so once they’re engaged, they stick around to continue to achieve their results! Most managers have a thorough background in driving results, but it’s all a flash in the pan without employee engagement.
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