Have your employees been slacking off more lately than usual? As workers are quitting jobs at record rates across the U.S., employers must make greater efforts to engage their staff and create a collaborative and inviting work environment. If you can’t remember when you last assessed your company’s management practices, it may be time to focus on the impact your managers have on your employees’ attitudes towards their jobs and the workplace. Here are three of the best management practices to motivate your team and encourage employee engagement:
Communicate with transparency.
Open, honest, and transparent communication is the hallmark of effective management. Managers who consistently demonstrate open, two-way communication with their teams are more successful at keeping their employees engaged in organizational developments and making them part of the decision-making process. Effective communication is facilitated in various ways, including regular in-person meetings, departmental debriefings, internal marketing channels, and companywide events. Identifying ways to share updates and developments with your staff on a regular basis is essential for ensuring employees feel connected to what’s occurring within your organization and how it will affect their roles. Strong communication is also predicated on an open-door policy in which employees have an opportunity to share ideas with managers, as well as freely express questions or concerns. Managers who take time to actively listen to what their employees have to say will ultimately drive more meaningful communication among staff, translating to greater productivity and employee-manager relationships over time.
Celebrate your team beyond the workplace.
Sometimes managers become so hyper-focused on their employee’s performance that they forget to celebrate their people’s lives. Managers who are vested in their employees’ personal successes tend to forge positive working relationships with members of their team that go beyond the confines of the workplace. Celebration can go a long way in fostering more connectivity among your team, as well as improving morale within your organizational culture. There are many ways to celebrate your employees, such as congratulating them on a new marriage or baby, or simply engaging them in conversation about aspects of their personal lives, such as a birthday or upcoming family vacation. These types of life events and activities can spark more personal dialogue among your employees, showing you care about them not just as workers, but as people with fulfilling personal lives. Embracing employees’ personal successes, along with their professional accomplishments, creates a well-rounded workplace in which every individual feels welcome and valued.
Promote development and growth opportunities.
It’s not enough to simply offer professional development opportunities to employees in hopes they’ll take advantage of them. Managers must proactively promote professional development initiatives to their employees and communicate their value in terms of career advancement and increased earning potential. Opportunities that involve training of new skills and abilities are essential for keeping employees focused on their career development within the context of your organization in conjunction with the trajectory of their own professional growth. For instance, a manager may provide a training program that allows employees to develop cross-functional skills that can be used in another department of the organization. This can be very valuable to employees with an interest in expanding upon their skillsets and branching into a different area of the company. Another example may involve providing a mentorship program where employees can receive guidance directly under a seasoned worker. Employees given this type of supervision will typically gain more confidence on the job and perform at a higher level. Mentorship can often be a major part of any training or onboarding program, giving new employees the tools and knowledge necessary to achieve long-term success. By identifying the best initiatives for your organization, you can implement professional development offerings that directly align with your employees’ collective learning needs and goals.
By executing the management practices above, you can gradually transform the way in which employees perceive their jobs, resulting in sustainable change that transcends beyond staff and creates an elevated workplace culture. Communication, employee relations, and professional development are all essential for building an organization where people can thrive and feel connected not just to their specific roles, but to your organization at large. This can have a monumental impact on your culture over time, creating an atmosphere that keeps existing employees satisfied while attracting new talent. Remember, your people will always be your greatest asset – making them a top priority is key for building a people-centric workplace in which every individual is motivated to excel.
Is your company seeking new talent? Get in touch with HH Staffing, a leading temp agency with offices throughout Florida, and discover how a staffing partnership with our firm can help you build a top-notch workforce.
Until Next Time,
Your Staffing Partner, Darrin Rohr- President, CEO, and Chief Servant
Current owner of HH Staffing and Former Chief HR Officer for several successful Multinational Fortune 500 Companies. Brings a fresh perspective from decades of experience creating Great Workplace Cultures by building high-performance teams while leading and managing people from all different backgrounds. HH Staffing is headquartered in Sarasota, Florida, and is uniquely positioned to serve both local and national clients.
