Employee engagement is a buzz term that (hopefully) every business professional is aware of. In successful companies, leadership acknowledges the importance of engaging and retaining top talent.
Why is employee engagement so important?
Employee engagement directly impacts the bottom line. However, according to a poll from Gallup, nearly 70% of U.S. workers weren’t engaged in 2014.
Building a highly engaged workforce is a huge responsibility. It can fall on the shoulders of managers, HR, and internal communicators alike.
Here are some tips to consider when building an internal communications plan that’s meant to engage employees:
Promote transparency and build trust
By openly communicating with your employees on a regular or real-time basis, you are creating a more cohesive and informed workforce. Giving them access to any and all information instills a sense of responsibility, trust, and loyalty. In other words: They appreciate being kept in-the-know.
Reach employees where they are
If you’re still passing around paper memos, there might be a problem. It goes without saying that we live in a digitally driven world. Be mindful of that. Make it easy for employees to connect, collaborate, and access important information from any of their devices (including mobile!), from any location with an internet connection.
Open the passageway for two-way dialogue
Not many people enjoy being spoken at. Those types of “conversations” certainly aren’t engaging. Don’t simply deploy information to your workforce. In order to truly engage employees, you need to cultivate an open and ongoing conversation with them. That’s true communication. So make sure you’re giving them appropriate channels to not only access information, but also provide feedback, engage in dialogue, and collaborate.
