Are Your Employees Excited to Get to Work?

The relationship between an employee and their leader directly impacts employee satisfaction. For 93% of employees, trust in their direct leader is essential to staying satisfied at work and over 50% of employees surveyed say if they aren’t satisfied at work, they can’t put forth their best effort.  

It’s the leader’s responsibility to create a work environment where people choose to engage in their work and with others. Intentional connections with employees demonstrate genuine concern and care for their well-being. When people feel cared about, and are treated as valuable members of the organization, they’re motivated to do their best. For most of us, meaning comes from feeling useful and being recognized when we do something well.  

People want to feel good about the work that they do. Recognizing employees is proven to increase morale, engagement, productivity, sales, profitability, and improve customer service. The same Globoforce Study  also reports the more recently someone has been recognized, the more likely they are to be connected to the purpose of their work. The more people receive recognition for their meaningful work, the more motivated they are to continue to perform at high levels.  

Connect & Listen 

Employees want conversations with their leaders to include feedback about their performance in real-time. Waiting for a yearly performance review does little to help an employee improve or understand if they are on the right track. Feedback should be actionable, frequent, and focused around providing a clear direction for the employee. Conversations with employees about their needs and feedback don’t have to be formal and lengthy. Quick check-ins provide time to ask questions, share opinions, and clarify priorities. Gallup research indicates that engagement is highest among employees who meet with their manager at least once per week. 

Feedback conversations aren’t the only type of connection employees seek to have with their leaders. People want to know how to grow and advance in their careers and personally. Developing employees shows we care about them and they are valuable to the organization. People are more likely to be engaged when they have opportunities to grow, and when they have someone who supports their goals and aspirations. High performers are often aspiring leaders and desire to be developed as such.  

During these various employee connections, it’s vital to spend time listening. Employees who feel their voice is heard are 4.6 times more likely to feel empowered to perform their best work according to a Salesforce report. Employees want input on decisions that affect their jobs, and they want to know their leaders are listening. If an employee expresses a need or a barrier to their work during your connections with them, as a leader its important to do everything you can to remove the barrier, provide the needed resource, or explain why you can’t. Intently listening and taking action on employee feedback strengthens the leader-employee relationship by increasing trust.  

Ultimately, employees don’t want a “boss”, they want a coach, someone who cares about them as a person, their development and career goals, and who wants to help them achieve. Engagement increases when leaders align individuals to the mission. Connecting people to their purpose through worthwhile work and rewarding a job well done are keys to engaging your team.