Employee engagement is the biggest threat to our way of life. In the information age when knowledge workers are critical, can you really afford the following drag by your team? Half your team is somewhat focused on their jobs and 20% are actively disengaged, according to the latest Gallup survey[1]. One of their recommendations ties to what so many other consultants point out: Focusing on each employees strengths increases their engagement.
Gallup recommends you consider the following practices that they found among best practice companies:
1) Have employees set weekly goals that focus on their strengths.
2) Encourage employees to notice the strengths of at least five other team members.
3) Make sure supervisors discuss each employee’s strengths and his/her impact on the organization at least quarterly.
4) Make sure every employee feels that building on each person’s strengths is what sets your company apart.
When supervisors focus on serving their teams, people notice. When people know you appreciate their talents, they work that talent even more. Productivity, profitability, and morale grow with that increase in strength.
The key to tapping into the knowledge worker of today lies in the old adage, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how you care.”
[1] State of the American Workplace, Gallup, Inc. 2013