Keeping your team engaged

We are passionate at Pro- Development about the benefits of having an engaged team, but unfortunately there isn’t just a magic wand we can wave to make it happen. Employee Engagement isn’t just about employee happiness or satisfaction; it refers to the level of emotional commitment an employee has to their employer; in other words, how much do they care about their employer and their work?

We are passionate at Pro- Development about the benefits of having an engaged team, but unfortunately there isn’t just a magic wand we can wave to make it happen. Employee Engagement isn’t just about employee happiness or satisfaction; it refers to the level of emotional commitment an employee has to their employer; in other words, how much do they care about their employer and their work?

Engagement is not something you can demand; it’s about creating the right work environment in which people feel supported, trusted, empowered, and want to give their best each day, an environment where people want to shine.  It’s not just a tick box exercise it has to be integral to the way you operate and its needs to be something both you and your teams must continuously work towards. But when you get it right the benefits of a highly engaged team are real and tangible:

• Reduced sickness
• Increased retention
• Greater customer satisfaction
• Higher levels of creativity and innovation
• Improved productivity
• Optimum business performance

There will always be some employees more disengaged than others. But for the most part, employee engagement is largely under your control, as the manager or business owner. It starts with good leadership. If your leaders are not showing the right behaviours and working within your company values, your teams won’t either.

As a leader where do you start?

• Practice what you preach – be the change you want to see. Engaged teams do not happen without an engaged leader!
• Provide strong direction and an inspiring vison that is understood by all and helps people to feel excited about the future.
• Understand your team, what motivates them, how they tick, and what support they need. Do you know what they need to feel valued and appreciated?  If not, ask!
• Recruit to your values – getting the right person in the right role from the start. People always start engaged so make sure your induction continues to support that.
• Communicate constantly and effectively and make sure it is two-way – do your people have a voice?
• Be approachable, honest and transparent. We know when our leaders aren’t been authentic and open with us so why not be completely honest with them so everyone knows where they stand.
• Reward appropriately – when you know your team well you know the best way to thank them. The more individual the reward, the better.
• Take a genuine interest in your team. Care about them as people. Be compassionate and empathetic towards their personal lives – show you care.
• Manage poor performance! There is nothing more disengaging to people who work than people who are not performing and nothing gets done about it.  And, as the saying goes one bad apple can spoil the barrel!
• Make work enjoyable and fun – people get a lot more done when they are enjoying themselves.
• Promote learning and development within the team. Learning can be and should be fun so you can combined the both.  It’s also a great way to bring the team together and help them bond if you combine learning with a team event too.

When you can lead a team that you have an excellent understanding of, from a place of heart-felt connection and trust, you create an positive environment for high performing teams to develop and grow where everyone contributes and plays an active role and wants to achieve their full potential and shine!

And if you are interested in either some team learning to support your people and help them grow and have fun together, then get in touch because we have lots of great ideas and if you are based in York, North Yorkshire or the East Riding, you might also be eligible for funding.

If you are interested in understanding more about how to engage people, come along to one of our workshops next year.

Wednesday 16th February 2022 – Click here for more information and to book.

Thursday 17th March 2022 – Click here for more information and to book.