While certain companies are experiencing excellent employee performance, high revenue and great customer ratings, some are having difficulties trying to achieve the same results. 

One of the main reasons why other companies fail to have a high-functioning workforce is that they apply ineffective employee engagement strategies. Having an engaged workforce does wonders for a company and successful corporations take this as a priority. 

This is because the quality of a company is equivalent to the quality of its employees. Companies with engaged workers outperform those with disengaged ones. Moreover, they are more resilient to market-induced setbacks and have higher earnings.

In fact, one of the most prevalent issues of organizations today is employee disengagement. According to Gallup, 67% of employees are disengaged. A disengaged workforce is detrimental. More than just being less productive, here are more other disadvantages of having disengaged employees according to Engage & Grow:

1. Increased employee turnover
2. Difficulty attracting new employees
3. Loss of productivity
4. Increased safety risks

Moreover, disengaged employees are costing companies $350 billion each year due to issues with productivity. This is according to decisionwise.  On the other hand, these are the benefits companies can experience when they have an engaged workforce:

• Motivated workers
• Healthier employees
• Lower turnover 
• Improved productivity
• Higher revenue

This is why it’s important to implement the best employee engagement strategies to ensure ideal company results. Here are the 5 best employee engagement strategies: 

Recognize Employee Efforts

One of the best ways to motivate and have employees become engaged is to recognize their efforts. People have the natural need to be appreciated. When employees are not appreciated or recognized for their hard work, it will condition them to lower their standards.

According to Achievers, over 65% of US employees felt that they were not being recognized at work. Recognition impacts employee engagement. According to Terryberry, here are the benefits of employee recognition:

• Increased employee productivity
• Increased profitability
• Improves employee retention
• Builds a positive company culture
• Promotes team collaboration
• Improves employee motivation

Here are ways on how you can practice recognizing your employees:

1. Compliment them for their hard work.
2. Take them to lunch.
3. Give non-cash rewards.
4. Encourage peer-to-peer recognition.
5. Thank your employees.

Recognizing the efforts of your employees goes a long way. Understand that this is a crucial step in making your employees more engaged. Without recognition, you will lose the commitment of the workforce.

A study conducted by Gallup even found that one of the main reasons why employees leave their jobs is because of lack of recognition. Moreover, even the simple gesture of saying thank you to your employees can mean a lot. 

According to Cicero Group, 50% of employees believe that being thanked by their employers will improve their trust and relationship with them. If you don’t often recognize the efforts of your employees or give them compliments and thanks, strive to make a change.

Listen to the Employees

One of the importance of good leadership is to demonstrate empathy to the employees. Listening to the employees is one way of showing empathy and genuineness to them. 

Employees can become better engaged if they know that you actively listen to them and care about their individualities. But that’s not the only benefit of listening to your employees. You can also gain valuable information while hearing their inputs.

This allows you to learn their challenges and understand what motivates them. Shows that you are genuinely interested in their individualities is crucial to every management relationship.

When employees know that you listen to them, they’ll also be more motivated to contribute with innovative ideas and make an impact. Through listening, you can maintain a good reputation with your employees and this helps them to stay committed to the company. 

Conflicts can also be avoided through listening. You can gain understanding and it also shows emotional intelligence. You can also manage difficult but talented employees through listening to know how you can help them. 

Provide Career Advancement Opportunities

Career advancement is important to employees. According to Linkedin, “94% of employees would stay at a company longer if it invested in their career”. Understand that employees don’t just want to work for a salary but they also want to expand their skill set. 

If you invest in your employees, this shows them that you value them. That instead of hiring new employees with the talents that you need, you choose to develop the employees that you have. 

This doesn’t just provide them with opportunities for growth but it’s also a way to challenge them. According to Udemy, 43% of employees are bored. Boredom doesn’t promote engagement. Moreover, boredom is one of the reasons why employees leave.

Providing career advancement opportunities also helps with attracting and keeping top talents. One of the top challenges employers are facing now is retaining talented employees. By providing career advancement opportunities, you challenge employees, expand their skillset and make them more engaged. 

Restructure Workspace

Workspace design matters a lot. When you look at top companies such as Microsoft and Google, they pay a huge deal of attention to office designs. A good workspace design doesn’t just improve employee productivity but it also improves their overall satisfaction and health.

It helps boost team collaboration, improve cost-efficiency and it also reflects company culture. With a bad office design, employees can become stressed and this lowers their productivity and motivation to work.

Understand that a third of a person’s life will be spent at the office. By giving employees a working area conducive for work, you help make their job easier. This helps them perform better and become better engaged.

Follows these 4 best employee engagement strategies to have a more productive, creative and more engaged workforce. Begin to create the transformation today to experience having a highly engaged workforce.