Written by The Allemano Group,

Are you struggling to keep your employees interested in and productive at work? If so, your employees’ engagement is a very important consideration because when engaged, employees take “…positive action to further the organization's reputation and interests”[i]. Unfortunately, engagement is not effectively addressed at the majority of Canadian companies. According to a Psychometrics study of HR professionals about engagement, “69% of respondents indicated that engagement was an issue at their company”[ii].

While, at first glance, engagement may not seem like an important factor in a workplace, lack of employee engagement can actually have a significant negative impact on the company’s productivity, efficiency and bottom line. Disengagement can often result in “dysfunctional work relationships (29%), lower productivity (25%), and an unwillingness to go beyond… job description (17%)”[iii]. In contrast, the benefits of employee engagement are huge: “willingness to do more than expected (39%), higher productivity (27%), better working relationships (13%) and more satisfied customers (10%)”[iv].

Engagement is especially important for the retention of Millennial employees, as they are “the largest generation in our workforce” at 36.8%[v] of the total Canadian workforce. As the economy is currently in a weakened state, most Millennials are unlikely to try to find a new job right away, even if they are feeling a lack of engagement with their current role; however, once the economy stabilizes, we may see a mass exit of Millennial employees. Statistics support this conjecture; this year’s Deloitte Millennial Survey found that “two-thirds of Millennials plan to leave their job by 2020”[vi], making engagement a very necessary consideration for employers who want to retain their employees and boost productivity over the long term.

To get your employees more engaged and, as a result, more productive, Implement these six tips:

1. Know Your Vision (of the company) And Communicate It Effectively To Your Team

Each employee at your company should be able to quickly and clearly communicate your company’s elevator pitch. It’s very important for employees to know what they are working to accomplish and feel invested in accomplishing it.

2. Walk The Talk

Because a company’s management is the driving force behind employee engagement, it is imperative that management’s behaviour reinforces the behaviour that you want to see from employees.

3. Trust Is Key

Employees must trust their employers and feel valued in the workplace in order to be as effective as possible. This is especially important for Millennial employees, so ensure that you have a strong relationship with your employees; “check-in” regularly with them at one-on-one meetings to make sure that they are satisfied and that you provide regular feedback on their performance.

4. Communicate Your Expectations Of Employees Clearly And Consistently

Clearly defined expectations make it much more likely that employees will actually implement the changes/actions that you request so make sure that expectations are shared/discussed/evaluated on an ongoing basis.

5. Provide Professional Development Opportunities

When employees are challenged by their job, they are more likely to be engaged and excited. Always offer learning opportunities for employees of all seniority and skill levels; it can provide the boost necessary to make all employees more effective, and therefore, more productive.

6. Customize Your Strategies To Millennials

Because Millennials have very different workplace preferences than prior generations, fostering engagement with this demographic has to be approached strategically. Engagement can be fostered with Millennial employees by allowing for autonomy, encouraging self-expression (and taking action on their thoughts/opinions) and providing ample recognition.

Patrick Cournoyer, Vice President Of People and Training at FlightCar (and an expert at fostering engagement with his largely Millennial team) agreed: “… Millennials are very much centered around immediate action, short-burst communication styles, and very specific, timely, and regular feedback”… “Our biggest success in engaging Millennials has come from providing them with avenues to give their feedback and get their voices heard,” [vii] Cournoyer continued.

Employee engagement can be the difference between your company’s success or failure, profit or loss, and whether you have satisfied or unsatisfied customers. So what are you waiting for? Get your employees excited and engaged today!

[i] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employee_engagement

[ii] https://www.psychometrics.com/knowledge-centre/research/engagement-study/

[iii] Ibid.

[iv] Ibid.

[v] http://www.canadianbusiness.com/innovation/the-millennial-majority-workforce/

[vi] http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/sheryl-boswell/workplace-recognition_b_9369298.html

[vii] https://www.recruiter.com/i/if-you-want-to-engage-millennials-flip-engagement-on-its-head/

The Allemano Group is an executive sales recruiting company that specializes in the recruitment and placement of Industrial and Business-to-Business sales professionals. Sales teams are the most critical component of every organization, and hiring great salespeople is challenging. We help companies save time and money by finding the right sales talent quickly.

To begin your search for the next great sales organization,
Please call 905 361 4902 or visit allemano.ca