Let’s face it, every manager in every organization wishes that all of their employees were engaged employees. The truly engaged employee is the one that arrives early, stays late, and truly gives 100% starting the minute they walk through the door. These employees are happy with their employment environment, compensation and benefits package, and even their management team, and have a genuine desire to excel at their place of employment.
A satisfied employee, on the other hand, simply goes through the motions in order to keep collecting a paycheck and to keep their medical insurance active. They don’t go the extra mile, and have no desire to achieve anything other than that which they already have. Turning these satisfied employees into engaged employees can have an enormous impact on an organizations employee retention, and help the overall bottom line. There are two main methods to turn a satisfied employee into an engaged employee:
Communication of Organizational Goals and Strategies: A 2013 Bless White study found that a whopping 25 percent of employees felt that they would have greater job satisfaction if they simply had a better relationship with their manager. As with any relationship, communication is key, and management communication is a must—both with their team members and with each member individually. This communication goes a long way in providing the individual team members a greater sense of being part of the team, and the organization, and can serve to give a sense of seeing the organizations bigger picture, and thus, a sense of belonging.
Empowerment through Training and Development: Five percent of the employees polled in the same study said that they would feel more engaged if they had more opportunities for training and development. Those satisfied employees may be turned around with the perception of being able to contribute more, and/or to have more responsibilities or varying responsibilities. Training and development does not always have to occur in formal classroom settings either. Mentorship programs, team collaborative efforts, and setting up a rotating team resource can serve to greatly motivate even the most stagnate employee.
Once the lines of communications are opened, it is important to ensure that they remain that way. It would be a wasted effort to engage these previously satisfied employees through greater opportunities for learning new tasks and ideas if things simply go back to the way they were prior to these changes being implemented. An open door policy works wonders for letting these employees express their concerns or any new ideas, and a continuing education and training can help an organization keep their team members engaged and productive.
Michael Klein is a premier writer and speaker on all aspects of human capital. As VP Operations for KDS Staffing, Inc., he has achieved industry-leading success. Michael was awarded, The New York State Small Business Growth Award; presented by Governor George Pataki. Additionally, Michael has successfully grown and sold multiple firms. If you or your organization would like to discuss hiring needs, contact Michael at 646-350-3015 or michael@kdsstaffing.com.
