Engaged employees deliver on performance goals and are willing to go the extra mile for their employer. However, all the research tells us that many employers struggle with levels of employee engagement within their business. This is especially true among younger generations. If your organisation is in need of cultural change when it comes to engagement, these are some of the key drivers.

1. Pay and rewards

Unsurprisingly, what employees take home in compensation has a big impact on whether employees are engaged. However, it's often not a salary increase or bonus that will make an employee engaged - rather it's a lack of the right compensation that will cause them to disengage. Rewards feature just as much in employee mindset as take-home pay - particularly as they often come with the public recognition that drives pride and motivation.

2. Opportunities to grow

An employee with nowhere to grow to is unlikely to make much effort to develop and bring something more to the organisation they work for. So a clear structure for training and career progress can make a big difference to whether employees are engaged with the business that employs them.

3. Day-to-day working experience

Engagement is also determined by what employees are given to tackle each day at work. Challenging work that is varied and creative is much more likely to produce higher levels of engagement than repetitive and mundane tasks. Work that involves using existing skills, as well as learning and employing new ones, achieves optimum levels of engagement in your employees.

4. The impact of firm culture

Where a business has clearly defined its goals and objectives, as well as the value systems around which it has built its culture, employees find it much easier to engage. The key is that this kind of clarity provides employees with an unambiguous overview of what the organisation is, where it's going, what it stands for and, crucially, how the individual employee fits within that broader picture.

5. The importance of individual value

On a more micro level, this same degree of clarity increases engagement when applied to an individual's specific role. Where the purpose and meaning of the work has been made clear then employees find it easier to engage with what they're doing. Where there is a clear connection between the individual's role and the functioning of the wider organisation, then employees feel that what they are doing is important and are more engaged in the overall success of the business.

6. Peer-to-peer relationships

Given the amount of time people spend at work, it should come as no surprise that an individual's relationship with their team and immediate peers has a huge impact on that individual's happiness, engagement and work satisfaction.

The more a person feels they are valued by their team, that they share common goals, and receive recognition and thanks, the happier they are, the more engaged they are and the harder they work.

7. Working relationship with managers

There's a common saying that people quit their bosses not the company and it's very true. You need to make sure your managers understand that over and above doing the job they need to be 'inspirational' and 'approachable'. Managers that give plenty of praise, communicate directions and expectations clearly and are motivational mentors have a huge impact on engagement levels.

8. Reward and Recognition

Reward and recognition is one of the key drivers in any practical approach that is designed to improve employee engagement. From encouraging peer-to-peer thank yous to providing the tools to allow managers to formally thank and recognise their teams, the power of recognition to drive many aspects of employee engagement cannot be underestimated.

Reward and recognition is recognised as one of the key drivers in improving employee engagement. So if you are ready to commit to dishing out praise, thanking employees, recognising people for a job well done and leveraging peer-to-peer recognition tools, then contact us today to find out more.

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Other articles in this series

What is employee engagement and what can it achieve?

How demographic factors affect employee engagement

How to measure employee engagement

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