‘What is Employee Engagement? How to Increase Employee Engagement?’
For companies to survive in today's competitive conditions, service and product quality alone is no longer sufficient; They also need to ensure the loyalty and satisfaction of their employees. Because the most important resource for companies to achieve their strategic goals and realize their vision is the human factor. Therefore, it is important for companies to focus on employee engagement in order not to lose qualified human resources and increase productivity.
What is Employee Engagement?
There is a big change in the business world due to the pandemic and other factors. This change makes it critical for companies to develop new strategies to ensure employee engagement. Employee engagement means that employees are emotionally attached to the company and its mission, identify their own goals and interests with the company's goals and interests, are satisfied with the company they work for, and show high performance for the success of the company. With employee engagement, employees believe that they find an environment in the company where they can improve themselves and add value, and thus their earnings increase.
How to Measure Employee Engagement?
Employee engagement means that employees are emotionally attached to the company and its mission, identify their own goals and interests with the company's goals and interests, are satisfied with the company they work for, and show high performance for the success of the company. Measuring employee commitment is an important tool to understand how committed employees are to the organization, what physical and psychological conditions they need to be more productive in business life, and what they expect from the work environment. However, measuring alone is not enough; The important thing is to take the necessary actions according to measurement results and make continuous improvements to increase employee loyalty.
It would be sufficient to define employee loyalty as a phenomenon that can only be achieved through certain activities or fringe benefits; Employee engagement should be a part of the company culture and should be embraced and maintained by all employees. Therefore, employee participation and opinions are important in determining and implementing employee engagement strategies.
Listening to employees' needs, expectations and suggestions is an effective method to make them feel valued and increase their motivation. Additionally, employee engagement is the responsibility of all managers, not just the human resources department. It is recommended that all managers, starting from the top management of the company, be role models and exhibit leadership behaviors to support employee loyalty.
How to Increase Employee Engagement?
Employee engagement stands out as a critical factor for the success and competitiveness of companies. Professional human resources support alone may not be enough to ensure employee loyalty; At the same time, many elements such as the company's vision, mission, values, culture, leadership, communication, reward and recognition systems are also important. In order to manage these elements harmoniously and effectively, there is a need to cooperate with the human resources department. Professional human resources support can guide companies in identifying, implementing and measuring employee engagement strategies; However, to increase employee loyalty, not only human resources support but also the participation and responsibility of all managers and employees is critical.
Recommendations to Increase Employee Loyalty
Employee engagement is not a feeling that can occur in one day or with one event. On the contrary, employee engagement is the result of a process in which companies and employees mutually add value to each other, grow and develop. It is recommended that companies embrace employee engagement as a culture, not just a goal, and support this culture with communication. Thus, it is stated that company success will increase along with employee loyalty.
1. Value your employees.
Don't forget to appreciate and thank your employees to make them feel valued. Emphasize the quality and importance of their work; Recognize and reward the projects they put forward with their competencies. State that you value their work and that they are indispensable to your company. Sometimes, tell your employees how successful they are in their jobs and do not hesitate to express your trust in them.
2. Improve work environments and ways of working.
In business, communication is a critical factor for employee engagement. Employees are in most contact with their managers in their relations with the company. For this reason, behaviors such as managers' empathy towards employees' feelings and thoughts, meeting their professional needs and expectations, creating development plans, giving them a voice by including them in business plans, and allowing them to express their ideas freely are vital for employee satisfaction and loyalty.