Five Ways New Leaders Can Inspire Employee Engagement

The overall percentage of engaged workers during 2021 was 39%, up only 3% from 2020, according to data from Gallup. Those who are engaged are more likely to invest in their work, which contributes to the higher quality that’s produced. This, in turn, affects your customer satisfaction — Glassdoor research shows on average a 1-point increase in company rating being associated with a 1.3-point increase in customer satisfaction.

Most companies assume the core issues associated with employee engagement are tied to salary and compensation. Contrarily, recent studies show the real factors are:

1. Employee trust in the company’s leadership
2. Employee relationships with the management team/supervisors
3. Employee pride in being part of the company

These findings point toward leaders as key components in engaging their employees. We have some ways new leaders can help inspire engagement from their employees.

Five Ways New Leaders Can Inspire Employee Engagement

1. Foster employee commitment and dedication. Get to know your team members individually and personally — work-related and not. Give meaning to the work they do and always demonstrate respect and trust in everything you do.
2. Focus on the three rules that successful leaders use. Give to another what you want for yourself. Beingness trumps doingness. Give the gift of your time to those who work for you and report to you — this is the ultimate gift in terms of recognition and appreciation.
3. Set a course to meet your goals. Demonstrate active listening to show you really care about what each member of your team has to say. Help others find their solutions and creative approaches to challenges that come their way in the workplace. Help others plot their course for career growth and development. Hold others to a high standard while remaining fair and consistent in the application of company rules and guidelines.
4. Create an environment in which employees can motivate themselves in light of your organization’s changing needs. Make sure the environment is built on trust so it’s safe to volunteer new ideas — it must be respectful and inclusive, so all workers feel valued regardless of pay grade or title. There must be some kind of critical measurement that’s simple to explain and that all employees can work toward. For this, start by picking a small task and introduce it as a new challenge. Discuss opportunities for including the measurement that’s identified up-front and encourage sharing ideas publicly.
5. Recognize burnout and reengage your employees based on individual needs. When you notice an employee showing signs of burnout, start by figuring out where those feelings are coming from. Remember even a small change can make a difference and you have the power to reshape people’s work lives. You can help turn around lackluster performers who may feel burdened by their workload, understimulated by lack of career progress, or otherwise underappreciated for what they contribute.

Employee engagement is essential for long-term employee retention, higher levels of productivity, and improved quality of work. These employees are happy and committed to their work, which is often reflected in their performance. If you’d like to see these things at your organization, consider investing your efforts to improve engagement across your staff.

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Written by Rachel Strysik