There is a problem in the workplace. Employee engagement is, for the most part, sadly lacking in most work environments. Consider these sobering statistics compiled by OfficeVibe:

  • 88 percent of employees do not have passion for their work.
  • Employee disengagement costs more than $500 billion per year to the U.S. economy.
  • 79 percent of businesses and HR leaders feel they have a significant retention and engagement problem.
  • 36 percent of employees would give up $5,000 per year in salary to be happier at work.

Clearly, employee engagement strategies as they currently exist are not working out for the vast majority of companies. And yet, engaged employees are happy employees. Happy employees, in turn, are more likely to stay with your company for the long term, which will lead to lower hiring costs and better team productivity.

What can you do to raise your employee engagement rates to acceptable levels? How can you ensure that your employees are engaged, happy, and prepared to stay with your company for the long term? Here are some tips to help you boost employee engagement right now.

1) Model appropriate engagement by listening to your employees.

HBR’s “Managing Yourself: How to Cultivate Engaged Employees” advises managers to pay attention to the way they listen to their employees, suggesting: “Communication is multifaceted. People tune in to your body language, where you look, what you do with your hands. It can be hard to remember this when you’re in a meeting, but managing such signals is essential. (Whatever you do, don’t look at your watch or check the time on your mobile device while someone else is talking.)”

If you expect your employees to be engaged at work, you must model the appropriate level of engagement in your own work. Be an attentive, active listener as you speak with employees. Making a human connection with your employees in this way will go far toward engaging them fully.

2) Share the spotlight with your employees.

Draw employees into your recruiting strategies by encouraging them to share their work stories with potential candidates. Including testimonials from current employees or spotlighting employees who are strong advocates for your employer brand will help you in two major ways. First, you will score big points with potential candidates. Second, you will provide added incentive for your employees to become and remain engaged with your employer brand.

3) Encourage interaction on social media.

Jibe notes: “Social networks provide candidates and employees an avenue to interact directly with one another, something that was not possible just a decade ago. Participating in Twitter Chats or joining group discussions on LinkedIn and Facebook can have lasting impacts on job seekers and greatly improve the employer brand. Social media also provides employees another way to build their personal brand.”

eBook: Using Social Media for Executive Search – Learn how to leverage social media in your executive search process more effectively.

4) Provide opportunities for employee engagement from the start.

Realistically, your employee engagement strategies need to start from the first interaction you have with a candidate forward. Create a company culture that invites active engagement by designing and deploying a strong onboarding process that emphasizes cultural fit.

Use your talent management system to facilitate more robust onboarding and training. The more your employees understand their job responsibilities and how they fit into your corporate culture, the more engaged those employees will become.

ThriveTRM Enables Employee Engagement

If you are looking for a talent management system that will help you attract and retain top talent in your field, look no further than Thrive TRM. The Thrive TRM platform facilitates better sourcing, recruiting, and onboarding of top candidates. With Thrive TRM, you can begin using best practices for employee engagement from the very first interaction you have with a candidate to onboarding and beyond. Schedule a demo to see what Thrive TRM can do for your company today!