5 Ways To Engaging Managers With The Wider Company

Employees who feel undervalued underperform. There’s no secret in that, and we’ve all been in that position at some point in our careers. Generally it’s a by-product of careless if not poor management. It’s certainly a result of managers who are disengaged from the very people they’ve been employed to look after and nurture.

When a company truly understands their staff and what they care about, they boost employee engagement and in turn boost productivity and profitability. Managers who are themselves engaged, who appreciate the skills and opportunity their staff bring to the organisation, create a workplace culture in which everyone thrives.

There are no big secrets when it comes to improving engagement. Here are five ideas to get you started. 

Find out what staff think about you. It can be scary but just as you advise your team about their performance, it’s important to know how people feel about yours. Could it be improved? They’ll let you know either way, and it’s better you hear about it sooner and put that feedback to good use before any problems develop.

Collaboration is the key for engaging managers. When you involve employees in shaping their own role, it helps validate their position, generate investment in their work, and they’ll prove more productive than those who are simply given tasks to complete. It has a huge effect on well-being, commitment and performance of staff, and demonstrates your commitment to them. Compelling objectives linked to business goals assists employees understand how their work and performance directly contribute to company strategy.

Show your gratitude for the effort your staff put into their work. A simple ‘thank you’ clearly demonstrates how much you appreciate their contribution. It’s a nice thing to do but it’s also a smart thing to do. A little recognition goes a long way toward motivating people to work harder and be more productive. Proactive encouragement is important to the team’s overall success.

Training and mentoring programmes show your commitment to helping staff do their job better and reach their own goals. Personal development plans enable people expand their skillset and try new areas of work. It’s a direct boost to your company, and helps employees understand their ambitions are aligned with the business.

Engaging managers understand the value of trust building. Invite your staff to participate in operational and strategic planning sessions. Use these occasions to foster trust and ownership, and bring all of the organisation’s experience to the table. Team members benefit by feeding their experience into developmental planning; managers benefit from knowledge sharing.

In the end, it starts at the beginning. Managers who go out of their way and really get to know new staff, professionally and personally, are setting the scene to improve workplace culture. We all appreciate the personal touch and the more an employee feels appreciated, the more they’ll participate. Make yourself accessible. This is Engagement 101.

As we said at the start, there’s no big secret. So if any of the above isn’t already happening in your company, it’s time to implement some changes and become a more engaging manager.