The answer to this question varies depending on the employee’s or administrator’s point of view. But first, let’s answer this question: to whom or to what does it bring the greatest benefit if employees are engaged, that is, they provide willing participation in their work and the company? As managers, our approach to such questions should not be about throwing the ball to the nearest one, but about choosing what is best for the result. High employee engagement is a huge advantage for the company. As we often say, enthusiastic employees are the key to high sales, productivity, customer satisfaction and profitability. Decreased employee turnover, decreased work accidents and errors, and decreased absence are other benefits that we can count in the first place.
On the other hand, the employee may or may not choose willing engagement. However, managers do not have the luxury of attributing low rates of employee engagement to employees. The point where we try to attract managers should be that they understand their roles in increasing or decreasing employee engagement and performance. Despite all the efforts, do we have employees who show low engagement even when all the opportunities and approaches are perfect? In that case, we have to review our selection and placement decisions.
According to an article in the Gallup Business Journal, management quality has a 70 per cent impact on team engagement. In this view, engagement is a management issue.
Why are managers critical to employee engagement?
Let’s recall the most important expectations of employees from their managers: open communication and feedback, recognition and appreciation, learning and development.
Communication and feedback: The new generation workforce was born and grew up in the world of communication, and they used every means of communication as naturally as previous generations knew how to eat food. Therefore, communication expectations have increased. They value open communication, timely and accurate feedback they receive from their leaders
Do you have 360-degree feedback meetings held once a year? Sorry, 1 year is a relatively long time for the new generation. If you don’t see feedback as a value for everyone, continue your annual meetings. But you’re in Moodivation now! So you’ve already initiated the change.
Again, the findings of a Gallup research indicate that employees who work in an environment where communication is open, timely and accurate are more engaged and demonstrate greater performance.
Recognition and appreciation: We all want recognition for our efforts and achievements. In fact, it’s not just a desire, it’s an obvious need. That being the case, being underappreciated is the most important reason for employee dissatisfaction, lack of commitment, and ultimately disengagement. According to a study by QuantumWorkPlace, more than 52 per cent of employees say they expect more appreciation and recognition from their managers. On the other hand, 22.1 per cent say that they have almost never experienced appreciation and recognition.
Learning and development: Almost every research on people management shows that continuous improvement environments are one of the powerhouses of employee engagement. Every person wants to progress. They want their jobs to improve them. They naturally want to find the development environment where they work. If they can’t find it, they will look for another place where they can find it. For new employees who have been working for less than a year, learning and development is indisputably top of the line.
Employees who benefit adequately from development programs feel more motivated, more competent and better equipped.
The working environment that provides development opportunities is not only the need of the employees; all companies need the performance that such an environment will provide.
Relationship between happiness and performance
We all need small but constant praise and appreciation.
We also need communicating, getting feedback, learning and developing, and feeling good and being happy.
Remember the science of happiness and the hormones of happiness. Dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin and endorphins. You can also call these your “success hormones” as a happy mood gives you optimism, energy, ability to interact with people and a higher focus. Thus, your work motivation and self-confidence also increase. That’s how your and everyone else’s system works, not just your employees’.