In today's hot job market, getting great talent in the door can be a challenge. According to a recent article on LinkedIn, 53% of employees are thinking of leaving their current position in 2024, and 77% of employers are worried about attracting and retaining top talent. For some organizations, creating a great culture where employees want to work (and remain working) happens naturally. For others, especially as the business grows, it requires intention and focus.
So how do great places to work keep employees engaged? The first rule of employee engagement – we don't talk about employee engagement. Not because it's a secret, but because it's become somewhat of a corporate buzzword. Don't get me wrong, engaged employees are the driving force behind increased business productivity, satisfied customers and an enjoyable work culture. Studies consistently show that companies with high engagement outperform their competitors, are more profitable, have lower turnover, lower theft and lower rates of accidents and injuries. Simply put, these employees care more and are willing to go the extra mile.
When the team is strong and people know their roles, they communicate better, trust each other and remain focused on their goals. In this environment, work becomes exciting and even fun. Instead of talking about engagement, challenge yourself to focus on factors that result in the feelings of loyalty and commitment that you wish to create.
Start by talking about the basics: job fit, manager fit and team fit. Hiring for job fit requires an understanding of the work to be done and occurs when a person is hired into a role that matches their natural strengths. These employees tend to be productive, happy team members who stick around.
Job fit is amplified when the employee has a great boss. Most employees are hired to do a different job than their manager, yet many managers were promoted without being developed for their people skills, self-awareness and values required to become a great-place-to-work type of boss. Take time to develop your managers and teach them how to manage their employees the way they like to be managed.
Once you've mastered job fit and manager fit, consider team dynamics. Often where there are teams, there is the potential for conflict about priorities, goals, ideas and values. At best, this creates friction that slows productivity; at worst, good employees leave.
Great places to work foster positive team relationships by helping teams to understand and appreciate each other's strengths and each other's differences. Feeling valued and respected on a team is critical and represents the difference between healthy debate and dysfunctional conflict. Great places to work develop a shared vocabulary for team values and talk about them often. They help employees understand their roles and help people to get along with one another.
Feelings of engagement are also created when people feel a sense of accomplishment. While it's rewarding when an employee feels they belong to a team, it's absolutely electric when they can say, "I belong here, I make a difference. I built that, I helped a customer and I contributed to society." Great organizations communicate their purpose and mission, and then act upon it consistently. They help employees see how their job makes a difference.
Another way to foster engagement without saying the word engagement is to show appreciation for employee contributions. While gifts, rewards, bonuses or pay increases don't hurt, a simple thank you can go a long way to boost morale and motivation.
Providing opportunities for growth and learning, such as opportunities for training, mentorship or career advancement, shows employees that you are invested in their success.
And finally, employees want flexibility. This term has come to be associated with remote work; however, it also can mean schedule flexibility and autonomy in selecting shifts. It can also mean understanding when an employee needs time off for personal reasons.
If your organization naturally experiences the frictionless, joyful work that arises when jobs, managers, teams and culture are aligned, keep it up. If you aspire to reach best-places status in the future, take the time to assess your culture, then shape it by hiring, managing and developing teams with intention. It feels like magic, but I can assure you it's powered by action, not corporate buzzwords.