Five ways to engage employees

The Gallup Management Journal reports that only 29 per cent of employees are truly ‘engaged’ in their work. This refers to employees being passionate about their work and feeling a connection to the company.

Unfortunately, the majority (54 per cent) of the workforce fits into the ‘not engaged’ category, meaning they put the time but not the energy or passion into their work. To use the words of Gallup: They are sleepwalking through their workday.

The remaining 17 per cent are ‘actively disengaged’. These employees act out their unhappiness by undermining their colleagues work. According to Gallup, this group of workers costs the U.S. economy $300 billion every year.

Article Date : 15/12/2004

So, how can you keep employees engaged? Here are five tips, based on the findings from the study.

1. Encourage close friendships – 82 per cent of engaged employees said their managers encouraged close friendships between workers.
2. Create high job satisfaction – Happy workers are more likely to be passionate about their work.
3. Encourage success – Engaged employees strongly agree with the statement that “This person sets me up for success”.
4. Show understanding – Employees who were engaged said that their manager and colleagues understood when they made mistakes.
5. Be trusting and supportive – If employees develop a close relationship with you they are more likely to be innovative.