Why is employee engagement important to businesses? It’s simple: Businesses with more engaged employees perform better – companies with highly sustainable engagement have higher operating margin of their less-engaged peers.
Philosopher John Dewey once said that the biggest urge that all humans feel is the “desire to be important.” Therefore, recognizing your employee makes them feel valued–and engaged. Expressing your gratitude goes a long way to get employees to go the extra mile. You might not think it means much, but not saying quick, genuine thank you says a lot more than you realize.
There are actually very specific ways in which to maximize your reinforcement effort to improve employee engagement:
- Be precise – Thank the person specifically for their exceptional actions: Tell them what they’re doing awesome.
- Acknowledge the effort - Note the personal cost of their getting it done. If they work through the weekend, appreciate the social and family costs.
- Share your stakeholdership – Make a point of how their great work helps your work, show how you’re in this together.
Developing a sense of how to show gratitude is a leadership key! If the person you’re thanking looks shocked or even a little misty-eyed, don’t be surprised. It just means that your gratitude has been a tad overdue.
Employee engagement isn’t something to merely focus on at a year-end conference or even at monthly meetings. Building a motivated and dedicated team takes good managing and staff development on a daily basis.
Recognition is key to employee morale – So take action now!
About the Author
Torben Rick is an experienced senior executive, both at a strategic and operational level, with strong track record in developing, driving and managing business improvement and development, change management and turn-around. He has international experience from management positions in Denmark, Germany and Switzerland.
