Employee engagement refers to how committed employees are to the business and its success. It is about how motivated they are to complete work, how closely they relate to company values, and their willingness to collaborate and work as a team. Employee engagement can be tricky even when working from the office. It poses a whole new set of challenges when working remotely. Let us help you!
Trust is a two-way street
Most organizational leaders say they fully understand the importance of employee engagement, not only regarding retention rates but also the company’s bottom line. Yet according to a report by the Canada Human Resource Centre , 60 percent of employees feel they are not engaged in the workplace, and the Management Journal’s semi-annual Employee Engagement Index reports a mere 25 percent saying they’re actively engaged.
Why are companies falling behind in one of the most apparent areas of importance for employee and company growth? It may be poor management, poor communication, lack of transparency, or a combination of issues. One common denominator that’s missing is trust – in the process, in management, and most significantly in the company.
Trust is the currency of success. It defines a business’s character. If you lack it, there is no foundation to grow, and credibility is lost. According to an Edelman Trust Barometer survey, one employee in three doesn’t trust their employer. While the survey finds 64 percent of executives trust the company, as you slide down the corporate ladder, the numbers fall to 51 percent for managers and 48 percent for other staff.
Build engagement with empowerment
To build on employee engagement and truly empower staff to take ownership in the company’s success, trust must be the foundation. Seems straightforward, but how do you go about it? First, leaders and managers need to talk with their employees. That’s with them, not just to them. Sharing information, even negative information (perhaps especially negative information), shows integrity on management’s part and extends trust.
A lack of trust only sets off rumour mills that hurt morale and productivity as employees begin filling in the blanks themselves—and rarely in a good way.
But while building trust may need to start with leaders, it must be a two-way street. Trust must be reciprocated. Trust begets trust. Nothing builds a stronger sense of ownership and responsibility than for employees to be empowered to act, make the big decisions, and take ownership of their work. Trust leads to empowerment, which leads to engagement, which leads to one big happy family—the best kind of domino effect.
Trust your instincts by trusting your employees
Employees will still seek guidance from time to time, but by trusting them to become their own leader, which allows mutual respect to flourish across the organization, the gold medal of success awaits at the finish line.
Are you at the starting block now and all psyched up to start the race to building trust and improving employee engagement? On your mark, get set, let’s go! Start by reviewing our six-episode animated training series Mastering Remote HR Management.
With Citation Canada, formerly HRdownloads’, training membership, you get UNLIMITED access to training modules on communication, leadership development, problem-solving, and much more! Contact us today to find the right HR solution and support for you.
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