The Tribune

By Ian Ferguson

What every company wants from its staff is Employee Engagement. This is an individual sense of purpose and focused energy, evident to others in a person’s display of initiative, effort and persistence directed towards company goals.

Many employees pretend to be busy all day long, sometimes working long hours or moving fast around the office, but having little to no effect on their levels of output and productivity. The engaged employee has a clear focus on the company’s objectives, and is constantly pursuing the achievement of those objectives. Everyone understands that higher employee engagement means higher work performance and company loyalty.

While we understand that the goal is to maintain high work performance standards, and to create a greater sense of company loyalty, this question lingers: How best do we foster this? There is no short or easy answer to this question, and for many years companies (public and private) have failed in motivating employees to expend their energy towards this common business purpose.

Our discussion today, then, provides relevant solutions to keeping employees engaged and productive. We provide five answers to this sometimes complex issue:

• Training must play a major role in promoting more engaged employees. An orientation programme and soft skills training serves a vital role in reminding employees of their purpose in the vompany.

A strong emphasis on the vision, mission, values, objectives and soft skills required is crucial to on-boarding new employees and encouraging existing ones to remain focused on the goals.

• A dynamic and progressive work environment, where objectives are being achieved and the company is making positive strides, also keeps employees engaged and productive. When employees sense there are no levels of accountability or that they have no opportunities for advancement, they will check out and become less productive.

• Ownership: Employers need always to keep in mind the employees’ ‘what’s in it for me’ perspective, and provide answers. When an employee sees the major stake they have in the business, and that their levels of productivity and engagement affect the bottom line and, in turn, their ability to earn, it becomes a less challenging task to keep them focused.

• The environment that employees are expected to work in determines the level of interest and employee engagement. If leaders strive to build a relaxed family environment, where there is mutual respect and open communication, employees tend to remain engaged. When lines are crossed and trust is broken, people remain for the salary and benefits, making as little contribution as possible.

• Research has long indicated that incentives matter. What rewards and recognition programmes have you implemented that work in motivating your employees to produce their best? If your employees receive the same salary or wage despite their levels of work and responsibilities, chances are you will get less value from them.

Tangible and intangible tokens help to prod employees to deliver more. Evaluate positive reinforcement versus reprimands. If you have more letters of warning than those of commendation, perhaps your system or mindset needs some readjustment.

• NB: Ian R. Ferguson is a talent management and organisational development consultant, having completed graduate studies with regional and international universities. He has served organsations, both locally and globally, providing relevant solutions to their business growth and development issues. He may be contacted at tcconsultants@coralwave.com.