Employee engagement has been a business priority for several years now. During the lockdown, Gallup research has found expected fluctuations in engagement, as well as an overall increase year over year – the first in over a decade. The truth is that engaged employees believe in their work and their organization’s values because their organization has given them a good reason to. Reports show that employers who go the extra mile to reward contributions, develop a healthy company culture with their employees and create a positive employee experience and have higher levels of employee engagement.
So how can leaders measure their own workforce to ensure their employees remain engaged? Here are five of the key characteristics and habits of engaged employees:
1. Engaged Employees Believe In Their Organization: Engaged employees are true believers in the goals and mission statement of their organization. They are committed and they see the success of the organization as aligned with their own. In this sense, engaged employees are always dialled into the mission at hand.
2. Engaged Employees Are Able To See The Whole Picture: Engaged employees are absorbed in their work, and not just their own. Engaged employees tend to take a personal interest in the work of others and are thrilled when they see their colleagues succeed. They view their own work as just another piece of the puzzle, and are more than happy to step outside their area of expertise to assist those in other departments.
3. Engaged Employees Want To Win Together: In Stephen Covey’s book ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People‘, the author discusses the importance of mutually beneficial relationships. When you win in work, it’s likely because you’ve had tremendous support from those around you. Highly engaged employees show gratitude through small actions, public recognition, or little thank yous to all those that help in their success.
4. Engaged Employees Have an Excellent Attitude: They have a positive, can-do way of approaching their work.
5. Engaged Employees Go The Extra Mile: The most engaged employees are always seeking continuous improvement. Their lifelong learning habits are truly instrumental in adding new tools and knowledge to their metaphorical toolbox- but they don’t just see this as a reason to build their own knowledge. Engaged employees capture key takeaways of improvement and then share their knowledge with their team.
Being engaged at work is partially about developing a team-oriented mindset about your work and organization, it means gaining an understanding of the bigger picture, and then increasing your knowledge and awareness about what’s happening to make your organization’s shared goals come true. Employee engagement is also about how we interact and support each other at work, and with the challenges and difficulties that we all encounter.
