Do you have disengaged employees?

Well, if you said yes you are not alone. About 70% of U.S. workers are disengaged.

Why should you care about employee engagement?

These disengaged employees are costing your company money. Did you know disengaged employees cost the U.S. economy up to $350 billion per year due to lost productivity. A study by Gallup found companies who increased employee engagement experienced the following:

What can you do to engage your employees?

Here are a few tips and examples from Weber’s own Keith Parks, Distribution Center Manager, to help boost your employee’s engagement, improve productivity and ultimately lower costs:

1. Motivate by Example: Actions speak louder than words. Employees have been seen to produce more for a manager they felt was working with them than above them. Leading the way by example can produce greater results than simply telling them what they should be doing.

2. Create a Strong Team: Many employees remain at jobs because they like their coworkers. Creating a team environment allows for accountability. Employees are willing go above and beyond to carry each other when they have a strong bond. This will create overall synergy and reduce turnover. Keith comments, “Take action to eliminate ‘unhealthy’ staff members.  It is difficult to ask staff members to ‘go above and beyond’ when they see other employees not performing their job functions.  These ‘slackers’ can be the preverbal plague on your workforce and undermine your ability to motivate your staff.  Failure to address these staff members – using the appropriate HR write up procedures – will ultimately cost you much more than staff disengagement it will cost you customers.”

3. Establish Clarity and Purpose: What are you doing and why are you doing it?  This is a simple question your staff should be able to answer. Employees who are able to see where they fit into the overall picture tend to be more engaged.  Employees want to have a clear understanding of what needs to be done and the ultimate goal or reason they are doing it.

4. Communicate: As a manager it is your duty to create an environment where your staff can be comfortable communicating with fellow co-workers and management. Creating non-threatening environments for your team to communicate will allow new ideas to flow and flourish. An employee with years of experience may have tips and tricks to achieve tasks more efficiently than others. Keith says, “Use small groups to address reoccurring problems or failures.   Sitting in an office and making decision may not be the best approach to address reoccurring problems.  Go to the floor, engage the staff that perform the task and get feedback.  Incorporate some suggestions from the floor and make changes to the SOP that will help eliminate the problems going forward.  Discuss the changes with the entire staff and publically thank the participants for their suggestions.”  

5. Acknowledge and Appreciate Staff: Many employees are looking for more than just a paycheck, but self-worth in the workplace. A good employee will take pride in their work. When staff is acknowledged for its good work they will continue to work hard and produce those results. People want to feel needed. Without acknowledgement or appreciation, workers will not take ownership and have pride in their work. Keith says, “A simple handshake at the end of the day or after a task has been performed – is a great way to say thanks for today’s work and a great motivator in preparation for next day’s activities and challenges.”

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