What does an engaged employee look like?

Employee Engagement is a concept that describes the level of enthusiasm and dedication a worker feels toward their job. Engaged employees care about their work and about the performance of the company, and feel that their efforts make a difference. An engaged employee is in it for more than a paycheck and may consider their well-being linked to their performance, and thus instrumental to their company’s success.

But what does an engaged employee really look like?

• Believes in the organization
• Has a desire to work to make things better
• Understands business context and the ‘bigger picture’
• Is respectful of, and helpful to, colleagues
• Has a willingness to ‘go the extra mile’
• Keeps up to date with developments in the field

Driving factors for employee engagement include:

• Meaning and a sense of purpose
• Psychological safety
• Goal support and employee feedback
• Company culture
• Autonomy
• Shared values
• Relationships with supervisors and coworkers
• Trust and integrity with your leadership team
• Career growth opportunities
• Compensation and benefits

Here are 10 strategies to keep your employees engaged from the get-go.

1. Start with onboarding. First impressions matter, so make it count. Make sure you encourage new employees to engage with your company’s initiatives.
2. Promote and uphold your core values. Don’t just talk about them, uphold them! Make sure everyone knows the organization’s core values by posting them in common areas online and in-person.
3. Be transparent. How do you engage with something you can’t see or understand? When employees understand the why of what they’re doing, and understand the organization’s vision for the future, they’re more likely to be engaged. This also builds trust within the organization.
4. Organize team-building activities. This is a great way to foster trust among coworkers. Team building fosters communication, leadership and bonding, which contributes to reduced absenteeism and a better employee experience.
5. Prioritize well-being. Show your employees you care about their mental and physical health by making personal well-being a priority. Encourage taking paid time off and introduce policies that make it easier to care for your mental and physical health. Give employees the opportunity to report any comments or concerns without feeling any pressure. It is extremely important to keep an open line of communication between employees, managers, and leadership.
6. Recognize accomplishments. Don’t just award a job well-done at the end of the year. Management can easily miss things on the daily. Implement a peer-to-peer recognition program to celebrate daily wins.
7. Support continuing education. Offer educational reimbursement for company-approved training and courses. A learning and development initiative can help employees understand how you value them as individuals and choose to invest in them, rather than replacing them with other candidates.
8. Provide extra employee perks. As competition for top talent has skyrocketed over the last decade, it’s important to retain the employees you do have. Offer things like:
   1. Gym memberships
   2. Commuter benefits
   3. Continuing education coverage
   4. Home office stipends
   5. Equity packages
9. Create A Diverse And Inclusive Workplace. Diversity is an essential part of a healthy workforce. More than just adding employees from different backgrounds, your workplace must be inclusive to ensure those diverse employees feel welcome. Invest in things like employee pay equity and employee resource groups.
10. Provide Flexible Scheduling And Office Location Options. Hybrid work is here to stay. Ask your employees what they need in order to be successful. Flexible work looks different in every industry, but you might find some folks are more willing to come to the office than you think.

How BlueStone Services Can Help
If you’re facing difficulties in keeping your employees engaged, here’s where BlueStone Services HR team comes in! We can work with you on a case-by-case basis to create a custom employee engagement strategy that suits your needs to a T. Contact us today to get started!

Article by: Karen Warthen, SPHR, SHRM-SCP

Karen has over 20 years of experience in the HR outsourcing and consulting space. She has led over 500 organizations confidently through the complex world of Human Resources. Karen provides knowledge to drive business goals through HR efficiency, compliance, and talent management. She partners well with small to mid-sized organization’s management teams by delivering a balance of strategic and tactical support, allowing maximization of an organization’s HR budget. Her depth of experience and knowledge of the HR process brings a much-needed level of structure to an organization so teams can focus on what they do best.