Staff engagement is critical for the success of any business. You are only as good as your people and customers will never love your business until your employees love it first.
William Kahn, professor of organisational behaviour at Boston University in the 1990s looked at engagement and came up with two key points that need to be in place in your business for staff to be engaged:
People need to feel their work is worthwhile and makes a difference
Be valued, accepted and respected and able to perform in a positive work environment
These points have stuck with me over the years. So how can Business Owners achieve the above two points without it costing much money:
1.Regular Performance Reviews – employees want to know how they’re performing. If they know how you rate their performance, they can develop and grow with your support. It will make them accountable and responsible.
2.Saying thank you or well done. Catch your people doing something right. It is very powerful and means a lot. It’s easy to focus on the mistakes. How much praise do you give?
3. Have a session with your staff to agree values and standards for your business. Why involve them? Well, they will take ownership and ensure what has been agreed is enforced
4.Share the plan for the business. When the staff can see the part they play in helping the business grow, they feel part of the bigger picture.
5.Hold weekly team meetings. Communication is essential so that everyone knows what the priorities are and what they need to do. Review the previous week’s performance and agree the goals for the coming week.
6.Listen and identify your staff needs and have a training/development programme for each one. This could include online courses, reading specific books or training from another member of staff
7.Ask individuals that are performing well to buddy up with others that are inexperienced or struggling. It will help the Team’s performance and your staff will feel valued.
“Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers.” Stephen Covey
Result driven and dynamic professional with extensive experience in business relationship management. Proven track record of success in customer satisfaction/retention, business development and…
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