In the modern age of remote work, we’ve begun to head towards a future of hybrid models of in-person and remote work dominating the workforce. As the office environment evolves, leaders must generate new ways to make their employees feel valued and motivated. 

When an employee is engaged and inspired, they are 125% more productive than an employee who is merely satisfied (Bain and Company). Failing to adapt to the demands of this modern workforce can lead to employee dissatisfaction, which will harm productivity and ultimately cause turnover rates to rise. 

Additionally, according to Harvard Business Review, top leaders are able to balance their high standards and results-driven attitude while still building and maintaining an engaged and fun-to-work-with team. In order to lead a motivated and productive team, managers must pay special attention to optimizing employee engagement. The fact that constant and consistent engagement is the key to talent retention seems simple enough, but the real challenge comes in its execution. 

What is employee engagement and what can you do to foster it?

Engagement is the emotional connection and commitment that an employee feels towards the company and its objectives, which greatly influences effort that the employee puts into their work. At their core, people want to feel seen, heard, valued, and recognized. It is the responsibility of leaders and managers to make sure that they provide an environment for employees to feel all of these aspects and flourish in their job. When employees feel that they are valued, this sense of purpose keeps them motivated to work hard and happy to do so. It is what drives productivity. 

  1. Keep employees informed – share information!

An informed workforce is a productive one– plus, your team wants to be in-the-know. By updating employees on the latest company news via a virtual dashboard or digest email, leaders can ensure that their employees are getting all of the information they need to feel energized and engaged. 

2. Stay connected to employees – start/maintain regular check in sessions/one-on-ones

A continuous feedback loop holds your team accountable while also fostering a healthy and approachable relationship between managers and their team. Weekly check-ins in addition to one-on-ones are some ways to connect your team, even in a virtual work environment. 

3. Keep employees clear on their impact on the business  

It is important that your people feel that the work they are doing is valuable. Communicate the positive impact that your employees have on your organization to make sure that they remain happy and productive while doing their best work. 

4. Keep employees motivated by recognizing their success. 

Leaders must celebrate their team’s birthdays, personal milestones, and little wins in any way possible. Recognition builds a sense of community in even the hardest of times and motivates your employees to continue to strive for success. Even though most – if not all – celebrations are virtual due to the pandemic, there are many ways organizations can still make their people feel special. 

How to transform your current employee engagement strategy

Although the workforce has transitioned to primarily remote work over a year ago, we are all still learning how to translate the small but meaningful interactions that took place regularly in an in-person environment to a remote environment. Remote work has depersonalized and isolated the workplace experience for many individuals, complicating feedback and recognition. 

As outlined in our eBook Building and Leading an Engaged Team in the Era of Remote Work and Beyond, feasible solutions to this issue exist. Platforms, such as HelloTeam, help leaders build and maintain engagement by creating a continuous feedback loop through performance management, goal tracking, and surveys. This kind of modern solution is designed to be adaptable to meet the ever-changing and unpredictable needs of a modern workforce. 

If you want to learn more about engagement in general, go here!

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