How To Keep Employees Engaged

This week, once again, my e-mail inbox contained the disappointing results of a Gallup study that indicated that the Work Environment Index dropped to a new low in February.

The Work Environment Index measures job satisfaction, the ability to use one's strengths at work, trust, and openness in the workplace, and how one's supervisor treats him or her. The Work Environment score was 51.6 in February 2008; 48.7 in February 2009; and is now at 48.0 in February 2010.

Why are these results so concerning? Among other things, these scores say two things:

Quality of life is negatively impacted, and
Workforce effectiveness and workplace productivity aren't nearly where they could be.

As a leader, do you want to make sure that these numbers don't apply to you? Do you want a productive workplace with highly engaged employees and a culture of ownership? If so, consider these actions:

Take a hard look at your organization's culture. What's the level of employee engagement? Do your managers know how to manage and lead? Do you sense a positive energetic organization or one that reflects fear and/or boredom?
If you think there is an opportunity for improvement, get serious about it. Start with doing an employee survey to better understand where you are doing things right and where you could improve. If you are going to be serious about improving your workplace culture, don't guess. Get the facts – directly from your team.
Once you have the facts, do something about them. This is where the work gets hard. Changing a culture, which means changing the way people behave, isn't easy. Get outside help if you have to. Be clear about your "end goal"; if you do this work successfully, what will your workplace culture look like in a couple years? Develop a plan to get from where you are today to your end goal. What are the key steps? How will you measure your success? How will you engage employees along the way? How will you build trust, a foundational component of a great workplace?

The workplace studies are yielding consistent results: there is a growing problem with job satisfaction and, in turn, productivity. As a leader, do you want to be part of the solution or part of the problem?