The Value of Employee Engagement: Motivation 101

By Andrea Unser

It probably won’t surprise you to hear that I am very passionate about the efficacy of workplace environments.  As the Director of Strategy and Transformation at EER, one of my major priorities was to identify areas in which I could help us become even more efficient and productive.  One of the key ways in which EER has been able to maintain such a strong standard of performance is through their comprehensive employee engagement strategy.  It reminded me how many companies still continue to overlook this vital tool and foster environments that are filled with under appreciated and demotivated employees.  If you think this might be your company, here are some tips you might want to consider……

Demotivation Outcomes

The truth is that when your employees are under motivated, it can be hugely detrimental to your business, in small and large ways.  If employees feel a lack of support, appreciation and engagement, they are more likely to feel less connected to the goals of the organisation.  When this happens, the following, highly costly, results can occur:

• Higher sick days
• Increased staff turnover
• Reduced productivity
• Slower operational effectiveness
• Less innovation and creativity
• Lack of workplace harmony
• Performance and revenue reduction

Employee Engagement

To avoid the pitfalls that could cost your business time and money, you need to ensure you have an effective employee engagement strategy, and one that can be consistently maintained so that its efficacy can be long-term.  Although the concept of employee engagement is far more wide spread than it used to be, many companies still don’t understand how to do it properly and why it is so valuable to their business.  The first step is to look at your organisation and its specific attributes and tailor an appropriate approach.  Employee engagement may look different at one company than another, albeit with certain essentials.  Your team might benefits from streamlined HR functionality, better mental health provisions, improved communication, team building initiatives or a transparent organisational chart that is paired with clear KPIs.  You have to choose the elements that will be most effective in your workplace, and involve your employees in that decision-making process.

Involvement = Connection = Motivation

One of the most important elements to effective employee engagement is ensuring they feel involved in the processes of the business and connected to its overall mission.  When we communicate more openly in the workplace, it can have multiple benefits.  This is especially important for managers and leaders.  They need to make sure that the entire team is included in both the day to day and the strategic goals of their department or the company.  Leaders who think they can ‘get the job done faster by themselves’ are creating much larger, long-term issues.  Good leaders know delegate to their team, to ask for feedback and input, to share goals and to encourage accountability.  When the team feel connected to their work and outcomes, they are more engaged with the unit’s productivity and are far more likely to go the extra mile when it comes to suggesting improvements, meeting deadlines and generating new ideas.

Diverse Workplaces

In the UAE we have some of the world’s most diverse workplaces.  Teams are made up of individuals from all over the globe, with varying backgrounds, experiences, languages and customs.  Not only does this make engagement even more important for smooth operations, it means that leaders need to go further to understand how best to connect with their employees.  Throughout my career, one of my strengths has been how to connect with people from different cultures.  I have found that relating to them on a personal level and encouraging them to speak about their cultural heritage goes a long way, not only in helping to forge a relationship, but also highlighting important knowledge for the future such as how they like to be managed, what type of working styles they are used to and more.  The other key point for leaders when it comes to employee engagement in diverse workplaces is to see that variety as a plus point.  A team with a wealth of different experiences can provide a wider range of perspectives and ideas.  They will be a natural focus group, with vital insider knowledge, that can help you devise new strategies and initiatives that will drive the business forward.  Just make sure to always credit the team with ideas and suggestion they put forward, the more encourage and heard they feel, the more they will speak up.