The Truth About Employee Engagement summary

Picture a plant. If the roots are rotten, no nutrients can be absorbed, the rot spreads to the rest of the plant and the whole thing soon withers and dies. Well, it’s much the same for humans in bad jobs. Three different rotten roots can potentially cause good jobs to wither into dismal ones.

The first of these roots is anonymity. People need to have their efforts recognized to feel valued. It’s crucial that somebody – ideally their employer – takes the time to understand their potential and appreciate their abilities. When people feel invisible, and that their presence wouldn’t be missed, they become despondent.

Say you’re running a business. It’s not making enough profit – what do you do? Look for cheaper suppliers? Use more efficient production methods? Maybe you should take a look at your staff first – increasing employee engagement can solve many problems.

The most obvious benefit of employee engagement is higher productivity. When people feel that their job has meaning, they’re much more willing to take responsibility to get things done. This may involve working longer hours or being more diligent, which will mean more accurate, higher-quality results.

What do you have in common with megastars like Madonna? More than you’d think. In spite of wealth and success, many actors and movie stars find themselves dissatisfied – under constant pressure to reinvent themselves because of a deep fear of becoming irrelevant. This fear affects office workers just as much as Grammy Award winners.

Employers can do a lot to help their employees feel needed. Firstly, by making sure each employee knows what their contribution is. For example, employers might encourage their employees to ask “Who am I helping?” In the hospitality industry, the answer is straightforward: the customer. But even though it’s clear who they’re helping, it’s important to remind employees that their work is having an impact by making sure to relay customer feedback to them.

“Great job!” That’s the sort of thing you might hear from a manager trying to keep you motivated. It’s nice, but it’s not enough. Employers need to be a lot more specific in their praise. Why? Because employees need to know exactly what their contribution is to feel their work is worthwhile.

This often involves playing on the human element of any job. Take a worker at an airport hotel. It may be their job to deliver breakfast trays to guests’ rooms. If they only see their job as delivering food, they won’t find much satisfaction in the task. But if they understand that the guests receiving the breakfast have likely been traveling for hours, are very tired, and that having breakfast outside their door will make a huge difference to their day, the job suddenly becomes much more meaningful.

You’ve already heard why a glamorous job isn’t necessarily a happy one, just as a menial job isn’t always miserable. If you need convincing further, here are some more examples of how to make any job more meaningful.

What about a box boy? The boy in this example is called Josh. He works at the supermarket packing customers’ bags and carrying them to the car. Josh may be at the bottom of the hierarchy, but the boss would be unwise to treat him anonymously. The boss might start a conversation, find something the two have in common and by doing so increase Josh’s interest in and loyalty to the store. Josh could also make the work more interesting for himself by giving the customers extra benefits, such as a weather report or an inspiring quote while he’s doing his job.

What do you think of when you think of service? An underpaid waiter serving a rich diner? An ordinary worker serving a more powerful manager? Actually, service should go both ways, and managers should aim to serve their employees.

When you’re a manager in a corporate organization, it’s easy to feel you’re not as generous or caring as a nurse or a doctor. But don’t forget that managers are in a position to give a great deal to their employees. To do this, they have to make an effort to improve the well-being of their employees – physically and mentally – to ensure they have the best possible working conditions. The great news is that everybody benefits in this situation; the employees feel valued and motivated, while the manager enjoys the satisfaction of having improved the well-being of many people and their families.