Explore Strategies for Increasing Employee Engagement and Motivation

As a manager, you know that to get the best results from your team you need to have an engaged and motivated workforce . There are dozens of articles and blogs on employee engagement trends, but which strategies should you adopt?

Learn about the importance of employee engagement and how it impacts your team’s performance. We even cover the top, easy-to-implement ways to increase employee motivation.

What is Employee Engagement?

Global analytics giant, Gallup Inc., defines employee engagement as how involved and enthusiastic people are about their work and place of work. Think of it as how connected employees feel towards their work environment, colleagues, and role.

Traits often exhibited by highly engaged employees include the following:

• They are happy and excited about work
• They are productive
• They are more inclined to innovate and help others
• They share the company’s vision, mission, and short and long-term objectives
• They feel that their work contributes to the organization’s overall goals

Why is Employee Engagement and Motivation Important?

Employee engagement is the emotional commitment that an employee has to their organization and its goals. It is one of the key success factors for organizations. Engaged and motivated employees are more likely to be productive, innovative, and loyal to their company. Motivated and engaged employees often serve as the best brand ambassadors. They can help attract new talent for the firm and are also less likely to leave their jobs.

Engaged and motivated employees also deliver better financial performance, are less likely to have workplace accidents and provide superior customer services. These are all factors that positively impact a company’s bottom line.

How Does Motivation Affect Employee Engagement?

Motivation is what forces people to act. It is what makes us want to do things and achieve our goals. And employee engagement is the degree to which employees are involved in, enthusiastic about, and committed to their work.

Motivation and employee engagement are closely linked. Motivated employees are more engaged. They are also more likely to be productive, creative, and satisfied with their jobs.

There are many different factors that can motivate employees, including

• Intrinsic motivation: This is motivation that comes from within the individual. It is the desire to do something because it is interesting, challenging, or rewarding. There is a lot of personal satisfaction tied to intrinsic motivation.
• Extrinsic motivation: This motivation stems from outside the individual. It is the desire to do something in exchange for external validation, praise, recognition, or monetary gains. A simple example of extrinsic motivation is when a child doesn’t open a gift because they know they will get ice-cream later.

Both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation can be effective in motivating employees. However, intrinsic motivation is generally more sustainable and long-lasting.

How do you Engage and Motivate Employees?

1. Train the Leadership

   Leaders matter when it comes to retaining employees, attracting top talent, and increasing productivity and engagement. Poor leaders are the reason why people quit their jobs. The opposite is true too. People stay for a leader, not just a job. Strong and talented leaders are crucial to engaging employees and therefore you need to invest in them - train them, communicate with them, and help them understand the power they have.

2. Use Technology

   Technology is one of the best ways to drive meaningful engagement and motivation. By using a diverse technology stack that includes project and resource management solutions, like eRS, your company can not only match employees to the best aligned roles, but also ensure they are assigned the optimum level of work.

   Digital solutions can engage resources regardless of their location. Even a remote worker can access the project timeline and see how their work impacts the workflow. This accessibility and visibility also builds accountability and transparency.

   Technology also offers flexibility for the employees, which is a huge trend for the current workforce. By having a robust technology stack, employees can opt to work remotely and have more control over their professional and personal lives.

3. Give Meaningful, Challenging, and Adequate Work

   Employees want to feel like their work is important and impactful and that they are contributing to the end goal. This can be done by giving them challenging and interesting work, and by providing them with opportunities to learn and grow. An employee management tool will again help you engage employees by matching them to the right tasks and roles.

4. Invest in Employee Development

   The workforce can also become engaged when they see the organization is investing in their professional and personal development. Today’s brightest minds seek opportunities to learn and grow in their careers. This can be done by providing training and development opportunities, sponsoring employees to attend conferences, and encouraging them to take on new challenges.

What are Five Ways to Motivate Staff?

There are many things that organizations can do to motivate their employees, such as:

• Set clear goals and expectations: Employees need to know what is expected of them and how their work contributes to the overall success of the organization. This can be done by using SMART goals and having an easily accessible workbook that outlines proper behavior.
• Provide regular feedback: The employees also need to receive regular feedback on their performance, both positive and constructive. Instead of having formal performance reviews done on an annual basis, schedule quarterly sessions where the performance can be evaluated.
• Recognize and reward employees: As a by-product of performance reviews, employees need to feel appreciated for their hard work and successes. Appreciation doesn’t always have to be monetary in nature. It could be an extra day off, a gift card, or a feature as “employee of the week/month” in the company newsletter.
• Provide opportunities for growth and development: Now, everyone is seeking careers that provide room for growth and development. Show the workforce all the ways their career can progress. For instance, in a resource allocation app, employees can list which projects or tasks are appealing to them and managers can take these preferences into consideration during project assignments.
• Create a positive work environment: Employees need to feel like they are part of a team and that they are supported by their managers and colleagues. This culture can be created by having informal “get-to-know-each-other” sessions or an “open door policy.”

By taking steps to motivate their employees, organizations can build a more engaged and dynamic workforce.

Win at Employee Engagement and Motivation

When you pay attention to engagement and motivation trends, you have the ability to turn your employees into your organization’s competitive advantage. Engaged and motivated employees deliver superior customer solutions, reduce costs and attrition expenses, promote the brand, and improve the company’s image.

The right resource management tool will make it easier for you to attract, motivate, engage, and retain employees. You’ll also be able to reap the benefits of a motivated and engaged workforce.

eRS is an employee management performance software that helps businesses track, measure, and improve employee productivity, motivation, and engagement. The software provides various management and financial reports to aid managers in identifying engaged employees and taking action to improve engagement levels.

Start your 14-day free trial and see your engagement levels skyrocket.