Employee engagement is a crucial concern for businesses because it improves productivity and employee retention, ultimately leading to higher profits. If your workforce is disengaged, the overall health of your business suffers.

Most business owners already know this, but they don’t know how to improve engagement when it is at a low level. Every employee is different, but there are several factors that are important to most people. Salary is the obvious one and we all know that paying people badly leads to disengagement, so this article will focus on other areas. So, which factors are most important in improving employee engagement?

Employee Benefits

Employee benefits can include anything from health insurance, pensions, and childcare vouchers to free meals at work. Some businesses give employees paid days off to volunteer in the local community. The more you can do for your employees, the greater their level of engagement will be. Good health insurance for business, in particular, is one of the best benefits to offer. For most people, benefits are second only to salary where engagement is concerned.

Company Culture

Your company culture is how people behave, think, and interact with each other, as well as your overall values. It can make or break your business, not least because it affects employee engagement. 

It starts with the hiring process. You want to hire people who fit in well with the existing culture of your company. When personal values are not in line with those of the company, this can lead to disengagement. So, make this a priority during the hiring process.

You also need to consider your own culture and whether there may be toxic elements. If you don’t do enough to combat workplace bullying and harassment, for example, this can cause huge problems with engagement. It’s vital that you take action against these things right away. 

Good Management Style

Managers are the most important people in any company because they provide direction and guidance to employees. A good manager can make or break an employee’s engagement with their company. The best managers tend to be those who remember that every employee has value and deserves to be treated well. These managers set clear objectives for their subordinates; give them regular feedback; communicate well, both internally and externally; empower them through delegation; praise them when appropriate; help solve problems before giving up on them; support diversity within the office environment; promote cooperation between employees rather than competition; deal with poor performers quickly and fairly, etc.

When managers fail to do these things, it is likely to result in low engagement among employees. When managers simply delegate all of the work and put their feet up, it leads to resentment and disengagement. The same is true of managers that are unable to take responsibility for their own errors and always put the blame on their employees. If you want your employees to be engaged, start by hiring the best managers and training them properly and you’ll see a big difference. 

Employee engagement is crucial to your success and these are the 3 biggest factors that affect it, so make sure you pay attention to them.