Work will always be, well, work, but when employees feel emotionally invested in what they do each day it makes a real difference to their motivation and overall well-being—not to mention their productivity and performance. Ensuring employees’ emotional engagement in the workplace is therefore something that all employers should pay attention to. We’ll explore the topic of emotional engagement in this week’s blog and offer some suggestions for how you can increase it at your workplace.
What are some examples of emotional engagement in the workplace?
Emotional engagement at work goes beyond the transactional relationship where employees are motivated to do well purely because of financial rewards. Being emotionally engaged at work means the employee feels a deeper connection to the workplace on a more psychological level. It also means the employee’s values and vision are aligned with the organization’s. Employee engagement expert Gallup defines engagement as the “involvement and enthusiasm of employees in their work and workplace” and contrasts an engaged employee with one who is “simply putting in their time.”1
Why does emotional engagement matter?
According to Gallup, “engaged employees produce better business outcomes than other employees—across industry, company size, and nationality, and in good economic times and bad.”2 Organizations with engaged employees are also likely to see less absenteeism and presenteeism, lower turnover, and greater employee well-being.
Engagement is at an 11-year low.
In the U.S., employee engagement has dropped to its lowest level in more than a decade,3 with just 33% of employees said to be engaged. What’s behind these low levels of engagement? Recent data from Gallup suggests that employees increasingly feel:
- Detached from their employers;
- Less role clarity;
- Lower satisfaction with their organizations;
- Disconnected from their company’s mission or purpose; and
- Less confident that someone at work cares about them.4
What can your organization do to increase emotional engagement?
1. Make your employees feel valued.
Create a culture where employees are regularly recognized for good work. Praising people gives them a sense of accomplishment and is a great motivator. Both manager-to-direct-report and peer-to-peer recognition can boost engagement. There are many ways to recognize employees—from formal recognition platforms to simple handwritten notes. The important thing is to make it a regular part of the culture.
2. Train Managers in the importance of leading with empathy.
While being empathetic comes naturally to some managers, it’s not true for all. In today’s stressful world, it’s important to train managers to demonstrate more caring, concern and understanding of the feelings and circumstances of their employees—and get to know them on a more personal level, including hobbies, interests and family dynamics.
It’s also important to encourage managers to practice psychological safety on their teams. A psychologically safe workplace is one where people feel they can be themselves and won’t be embarrassed, rejected, or humiliated for speaking up. Leaders and managers can create psychological safety by showing their own vulnerability, practicing benefit of the doubt, and encouraging open dialogue.
3. Create a culture where communication goes both ways.
To feel engaged and that their work has meaning, employees need to regularly receive business updates and understand how their role contributes to the organization’s success. Managers need to communicate with employees during weekly 1-1s to establish role clarity, give feedback, understand workload and nurture career aspirations.
Organizations also need to listen to employees and allow them to provide feedback. Whether through a formal listening program, like our TINYpulse engagement solution, or more informal surveys or focus groups, it’s critical to check in with employees to see how they are feeling about the workplace and what they need to be engaged and successful in their roles.
4. Help your employees feel included at work and connected to each other.
Today’s employees are looking to employers to provide a sense of belonging and inclusion. The Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) notes that employees want to feel that they can share individual perspectives and ideas, be authentic at work without negative consequences, and develop meaningful relationships with colleagues.5 Organizations can foster belonging and inclusion through Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), by practicing psychological safety on teams (see above), and looking for opportunities to connect employees socially, preferably in-person.
5. Care for employees’ whole lives.
Over the course of their careers employees will experience all sorts of personal challenges— financial difficulties, caregiving concerns, physical illness, and mental health and relationship issues, to name a few. It’s naïve to think that employees can leave these aspects of their personal lives at the door. While employers can’t prevent these concerns, they can provide benefits that care for employees’ total well-being. Examples include flexible schedules, caregiving resources (both for child and elder care), time off and leaves, a well-being program that includes help for managing chronic conditions, and mental health resources. This type of organizational care is essential to how employees experience the workplace and their resulting emotional engagement with the organization.
