Employee Engagement: What do your employees really want?
By: Jeff Baietto
Tags: Workplace, Company Culture, Employee Engagement, Employees, Workplace Culture

Would you agree with the following statement?

Establishing a truly values-led company which defines the culture of your organization is the key to creating and maintaining a strong public image which builds a strong client base leading to advocacy.

But what are the factors which help establish a positive and productive organizational culture?

Employee engagement has been a highly researched topic within corporate America for years and the data continues to show the same thing. And that is that engagement and positive company culture is inseparable.

But how could there possibly be universal elements to employee engagement when every company can have a very different culture. The answer is simply because people are people. And it doesn’t matter what industry you are in, what size your company is, or how long an employee has worked with you, people are people. And there are core elements that we all need for us to fully engage.

Here they are:

Feeling Valued

The most common managerial approach is to point out what’s wrong, or to find the errors or mistakes, while all the small wins and daily successes employees achieve are viewed as common and expected.

This creates a disconnect between managers and employees in the long term if every job well done ends up being expected and not appreciated.

The key can be very simple. Just paying someone a sincere compliment or pointing out a small thing that someone did well will go a very long way. Even just saying please and thank you can make a big difference.

Feeling Connected

Connection is the most essential human need and it will make the main difference when creating a sense of belonging for your employees.

With technology becoming a facilitator when considering remote or isolated working environments, employees need to develop a sense of connection with each other to maintain motivation.

From simple one on one interactions to team building activities, there are a variety of options which managers can choose from to strengthen employee bonds.

Feeling a Sense of Contribution

Working towards a common cause is one of the most powerful motivators due to the sheer sense of accomplishment once the particular goals have been achieved.

While progressing towards any goal, employees need to be reminded of how they add value and why they are a key contributor towards achieving the specific goal. This will leave employees feeling empowered and motivated while creating a strong interdependency link between them.

Feeling of Growth both Personally and Professionally

With self-actualization standing tall on Maslow’s hierarchy of employee needs it is crucial to offer a professional and provide room for personal growth.

Managers need to understand that aspirations and ‘’the desire the become the most that one can be’’ are crucial factors which determine if an employee sees his future self within the company.

Providing the opportunity for employees to achieve and strive towards their personal goals as well as company goals is a key motivator which will ensure loyalty and productivity.

Bottom line: While your employees are unique in thousands of ways, they all have the above four things in common when it comes to being engaged. Focus on these four things and watch your employee engagement skyrocket.