Employee engagement is undoubtedly one of the key management phrases of the moment, with home working becoming more frequent it is important that employees are feeling engaged and motivated during their working hours.
Recent research has found that 65% of employees want more feedback from their employers, the research also found that 4 out of 10 employees that receive no feedback are actively disengaged from their work. Disengaged employees can cause a whole host of problems for employers including performance based and also financial. So how can you ensure that you are effectively providing feedback?
Engagement is not just a ‘nice to have’ it’s now a commercial imperative, as disengaged employees can and will sabotage an organisation’s bottom line. It is has also been found that companies that regularly invest in employee feedback have around a 15% lower staff turnover rate than those that don’t.
Far more effective than an ‘Annual Employee Engagement Survey’ is an old fashioned one to one. With email and efficient meeting agendas restricting so much of our communication to specific subject headings, it’s more important than ever to take time to talk to team members without a set agenda.
Here are five suggestion for giving better feedback:
1. Give praise in person – even if you are just saying thank you for a small contribution do so face to face rather than by text or email.
2. Ask for advice and opinion – Employees should also be encouraged to give feedback or suggestions to make improvements within the business, after all feedback is a two way street. Asking for their input will also help them to feel more valued.
3. Talk about the future – ask the other person what they hope to achieve the long term, taking an interest in an employee’s potential builds loyalty and gives an insight the motives that drive behaviour.
4. Discuss recent highs and lows – What went well? What can be improved? How can you improve? Is it clear? When discussing areas for improvement be sure to finish with a dose of sincere praise. This way the other person leaves knowing you are on their side, reflecting on how they can improve and not angry with you for finding fault in their work.
5. Set goals together – all too often targets are presented without discussion with the person whose job it is to achieve the goal. By talking through objectives not only will your colleague feel engaged but they may well tell you that their target could be exceeded. Set aside monthly catch ups to ensure there is enough time to thoroughly discuss their recent performance.
