Johnny Knatt

Employee engagement can best be described as a connection with the employee’s hand, head and heart and is required to sustain a highly productive workforce. As we look at the ever-changing behavioral characteristics of employees in the current and future workforce, the concept becomes increasingly important.

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Employee engagement sub strategies should flow from business strategies aimed at achieving key results. The workplace must have embedded action plans and tactics that create and maintain an environment that challenge the employee to provide discretionary effort.

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Our twenty first century employees thrive on engagement in the business at every level. That engagement must come regularly from line supervision and include opportunities for business input, as well as performance feedback. This will require the supervisor to possess a more in-depth knowledge of employee personalities and behaviors. Interpersonal skill development should be considered as essential in their growth and development of supervisor capabilities. The ability to handle difficult situations well, while minimizing risk, is a must in today’s workplace.

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The workplace should provide information about the company in several formats that are viewed as accessible by employees. This information should include subjects like purpose, mission, values, training, flexibility, medical benefits, career, employee expectations, etc. While this information is important, it should not replace opportunities for face-to-face dialogue.

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We regularly hear the old cliché that “employees are our most valuable resources.”  However, it is most important to remember that “employees are people,” who must feel a connection, see their purpose, be recognized, have voice in the work they do, see a clear career path and be provided and opportunity for development, in the workplace. These valued resources, the employees, can consistently deliver improved business results when attention to the workplace environment is well managed.