Employee engagement refers to an employee's level of interest, zeal enthusiasm and dedication toward his job. Employee engagement centres around how passionate or committed an employee is to his job. It goes beyond an employee showing up for work; it involves the sacrifices an employee put in to show up for work and to what extent he would go to see that the goals and objectives of his job are reached.

Importance of Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is the force behind the success of every organisation. When employees are highly engaged they go over and above to increase their productivity and bring wins to the organisation. Engaged employees do not focus on the discomfort that comes with the job. They only have eyes for the goals to be accomplished. When employees are engaged it is no longer about beating deadlines or pleasing their employers. It becomes personal to them. They want to see their plans work and their efforts fruitful. And we all know too well the feeling of satisfaction on the job. At the end of the day, the organisation is getting the best out of its staff. Productivity levels would soar and growth will be rapid.

How to Drive Employee Engagement

Employee engagement can be driven in several ways, namely;

1. Hire only the right people for the job- only people who are passionate about the kind of services or products your firm offers should be the ones who you employ.

2. Train and retrain your employees: to keep employees engaged you need to give them adequate training. It should not be a one-time thing, it should be periodic and tailored to the specific needs of your employees.

3. Have a good remuneration structure; pay your staff well. This goes without saying. When your salary structure is nothing compared to those of your competitors it reduces or lessens the level of your employee engagement and before you know it, you are recording high turnover rates.

4. Communicate effectively: Let your employees hear and understand you. You should also be willing to listen to their opinions and where possible act on what they say. Practice effective communication habits

5. Be sure to motivate your employees and you can do this with or without money

6. Create an enabling environment for employees to grow and improve. No one wants to stay in an organization that does not give room for personal development.

7. As a business owner, you should lead by example. Consciously or otherwise, your employees model after you. If they see your dedication to your firm, they are likely to also be dedicated. As an employer, you should make efforts to sharpen your leadership skills. 

How to Measure Employee Engagement

Employee engagement can be measured using several criteria;

• Employee Turnover: How many of your staff or employees are resigning? How often? If your employees are leaving the organization in large numbers, then your employees are most likely disengaged from their jobs. There are things you can do to reduce the turnover rate. ( How to reduce employee turnover)

• Willingness to Sacrifice: Are your employees willing to put in a little extra time occasionally or do they just want to go home?

• Attitude to Work; Are they enthusiastic about their jobs? You can measure an employee's engagement level by closely monitoring their attitude to their work. For example, how many complaints do they have? Do little things such as a malfunctioning stapler or a jammed printer mark the end of their work for the rest of the day? You can try to maintain a positive attitude at work. 

• Turnover Rate: Compare employee retention rate and turnover rate. If your turnover rate is higher than your retention, then there is a problem and it's up to you to identify what that is.

• Surveys: Use surveys and questionnaires to get a true picture of what and how your employees view your organization. Prepare questionnaires in such a way that allows for anonymity. This would make employees completely honest while completing the questionnaire.

All of the points mentioned above when implemented go a long way to inform you how much your employees are engaged or not. It also helps you to get to know your employees as individuals, you get to know their strengths and weaknesses. You must measure your employee's level of engagement at regular intervals. Doing this would help you know how you are performing as a boss and improve when necessary.

SmartSMSSolutions offers your premium bulk SMS service. You can carry out excellent business campaigns using bulk SMS. Visit our webpage to create a free bulk SMS account with us.