When you imagine your Dream Team of employees, what comes to mind? With some slight variations, managers usually dream of a team of employees who basically manage themselves. Who are self-motivated to go above and beyond to meet the company’s objectives? And of course, employees who do this cheerfully, energetically, and consistently, day in and day out.
Most managers don’t have a Dream Team of employees, because they hire human beings and not robots. And employees come with their own set of unique personalities, motivations, values, attitudes, and expectations. But you can work with your human employees to help mold them into something closer to your Dream Team. You just need to give them the feels!
The employee experience bottom line is all about how employees feel. According to research by Globoforce, there are five important feelings that differentiation engaged employees from disengaged employees:
- Belonging — feeling part of a team, group or organization
- Purpose — understanding why one’s work matters
- Achievement — a sense of accomplishment in the work that one does
- Happiness— a pleasant feeling in and around work
- Vigor — energy, enthusiasm, and excitement at work
Clearly, this is not for those managers who still adhere to the “they should consider themselves lucky to get a paycheck” school of thought!
However, if you’re still reading this blog, that probably means that you are interested in more effectively managing your employees. Here are four factors to leverage better engage employees through positive emotions:
Leadership
As always, it starts at the top. For employees to feel engaged at an emotional level, leadership has to truly and passionately believe the employees matter in the future of the business. Provide a clear vision of the business. Make sure employees know where the business is headed. Help employees make the connection between their jobs and the company goals, so they can understand where they fit in the big picture. Provide the right training, job design, and instruction, compensation, and let employees know you support them in their total lives, not just at work.
Culture
Employees want to work in organizations that show integrity, authenticity, and transparency in all their dealings, whether with other vendors, with employees, or with customers. And that means walking the walk because employees know when leaders are not sincere. Additionally, nurture supportive relationships between employees by encouraging cooperation and collaboration. Create opportunities on and off the job for employees to build relationships with each other.
Work
Employees want their work to be meaningful and to use their skills to the best of their abilities. Give feedback frequently, recognize performance, and create opportunities for professional development. Often reinforce the value of employees’ work to the success of the organization and assure them they are making a difference. Regular, ongoing and sincere feedback and recognition will enhance the employee experience.
Individuals
Employees want to be treated as individual people, with opinions and lives that are important outside of work. Giving employees input into deciding how to do their work yields happier employees. Giving employees the independence to make decisions about how to accomplish their work lets them balance work with their personal lives. Respecting the individual results in a happier, more productive employee.
Today’s workforce is different from previous generations. They want more than a paycheck. By providing the conditions they need to feel happier, you simultaneously create more business success. While not every manager is comfortable talking about workers’ feelings, it can certainly be worth your while to give employees the feels!
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