Valentine's Day is just around the corner and what could be a better time to rekindle your employees' passion for their work than now? Not unlike romantic relationships, an employee's relationship with work begins with a honeymoon phase, and often has peaks, valleys and plateaus. And much like personal relationships, inevitably the honeymoon ends, and the employee’s fiery passion fades to embers that require stoking to reignite. When managers neglect to add extra kindling to the fire, they risk having their employees become overwhelmed, exhausted and bored, and ultimately invite turnover into their organization—and turnover is expensive.
Considering these facts, it’s in a manager’s best interest to invest in engaging their employees and keep the "romance" alive. If this scenario sounds like your company, don't despair. Deep down, employees are begging to gain a sense of hope and enthusiasm again, but they need your help. If you make a genuine effort to follow these tips, taken from the Bayt.com "Passion for Work in the Middle East and North Africa" poll, February 2016, you will not only notice attitude shifts, but real changes in behavior among your employees. Give it a shot, and watch the fun return!
1. Get to know each other. Employees are keen to work harder for a manager who takes a personal interest in them and engages with them on a personal level.
2. Provide opportunities for innovation and reward participation. The leading barrier to employee engagement is often a lack of strategy and competing priorities. You can circumvent this when you present the challenge with a structure for participation and a system for rewards and recognition.
3. Celebrate together. Whether it’s a company lunch or a commitment to celebrating employee birthdays or engagements, these events provide employees with the opportunity to interact on a personal level with each other. They also serve as a great opportunity for boosting engagement levels in your workplace.
4. Make it count. Do your employees know how their work contributes to the organization’s goals? Are KPIs understood and celebrated when targets are hit? How will their hard work will be rewarded? Employees want to feel as though their work is meaningful - so let them know.
5. Listen. Asking employees for feedback and implementing their ideas may well be the easiest way to engage your workforce. If your employees feel they contribute to decision making, they’ll feel more entrenched in the team and committed to working toward organizational success.
6. Give praise where praise is due. It’s no surprise that people appreciate being recognized for a job well done. By complimenting deserving employees, your team members will be motivated to repeat their positive behaviors and overall morale will be improved.
7. Build supportive teams. Build teams within departments, and throughout the entire company, to allow an open discussion of goals and obstacles. There are many exercises that can help teams to find their strengths and weaknesses. These exercises can remove barriers and blind spots and move the team forward.
