Major disruptions to business operations continues as COVID lingers. Business owners and employees are unsettled and uncertain as both work and life balance has been hit of course.
Some employees are not only feeling stressed, exhausted and disconnected, they also juggle looking after children and other family and health issues while clearly demonstrating commitment to their employers. It is difficult for anyone to know what the future holds especially in the midst of a recession.
Despite the changes, many are finding a positive side. Many members have taken this opportunity to innovate and refresh their business strategy. Staff engagement has emerged as being one critical factor to maintaining a positive and productive team of employees.
So, what does Staff engagement mean?
Employee engagement represents the levels of enthusiasm and connection employees have with your business. It’s a measure of how motivated people are to put in extra effort for their organisation, and a sign of how committed they are to staying there. Importantly, employee engagement is an outcome that depends on the actions of a company, particularly the actions driven by leadership, managers, and people teams.
It’s not just essential, but actually understanding employee engagement is top priority for today’s HR and People leaders.
After speaking with some members about this topic they enthusiastically shared their strategies for maintaining and strengthening staff engagement.
One member suggested, firstly ask yourself:
- Are your employees committed and understand your vision?
- Do your staff feel empowered, valued and positive about working every day?
- Do your staff have a clear understanding of the purpose and objectives of your company?
- Can different functional teams (or individuals) work together as one to solve business challenges?
If you are unable to answer any of these questions confidently, or you are concerned about the impact of COVID on your team, then it’s timely to address your staff engagement. Having a focus on what drives your team is vital as your team’s individual needs are motivated by different drivers.
When an employee feels connected to their colleagues, their responsibilities and to what the company is aiming to achieve, job performance can be improved.
Another member mentioned that they found a staff engagement survey provided insights to better understand their team’s individual needs.
If any members are interested in staff engagement surveys suited to your individual business give IPA a call (M) 0452 590 255 or email info@interiorplantscape.asn.au