Employee engagement is the approach of a business to keep its employees focused and motivated as well as helps retain them. Motivated employees deliver better performance. Hence, employee engagement is a strategic process which can help improve long-term performance of the business.

As per a study carried out by Gallup, it was found that there were three levels of engagement among American employees:

• Engaged: 30% employees who were actively involved in the company’s activities and looking to move things forward.
• Disengaged: 52% employees who lacked enthusiasm and energy to participate in company activities.
• Actively disengaged: 18% employees who had stopped producing good quality work.

With a staggering 52% disengaged and 18% actively disengaged employees, the severity of the situation can be gauged. Though the figures may not necessarily be extrapolated to global statistics, employee engagement as a whole is a worldwide business issue. Companies must actively work towards creating a robust employee engagement plan to keep their employees motivated and performing well.

It has been observed through industry analysis that companies with great employee engagement plans see the following benefits:

• Loyal employees: Employees appreciate such companies and tend to stay around for longer periods. Thus, the attrition rates decrease.
• Enhanced productivity: Motivated employees also work harder and smarter. They tend to deliver much better results.
• Inspire innovation: When the employees are engaged, they are listened to and given importance. This inculcates the innovation culture. Employees tend to think out of the box.

How to improve employee engagement?

There are certain techniques that are used by most of the leading companies. These are:

• Define goals: The goals of the organization must be clearly defined and communicated to all employees. The goals of the employees must be aligned to the organizational goals.
• Communicate expectations: The performance parameters of the employees must be predetermined and clearly communicated to the employees. Employees must know what is expected of them.
• Provide tools: Employees must have access to everything they need to perform at their peak. They may require specific training, software or even equipment. The organization and the HR managers must make sure that the relevant needs are fulfilled.
• Listen to the employees: Having an open or flat office structure helps in promoting seamless conversation. Employees may have important concerns or they may have brilliant ideas. Listening to employees creates an innovation culture.
• Acknowledge and praise employees: This is an extremely important part of the employee engagement process. Employees must be acknowledged for a job well done. If this is done publicly in front of other employees, it not only provides a morale boost to the employee being praised, it also motivates others to perform similarly.

Great employees are an asset to the company and all HR managers must strive hard to retain their talent pool. By using the above mentioned employee engagement tactics, managers can improve employee retention and loyalty.