5 Ways to Make Sure Your Employees Are Both Engaged and Thriving:
Post-pandemic attrition rates are up so much that business and finance professionals have coined it the “2021 Turnover Tsunami” — and that has most business leaders thinking hard about employee engagement. It continues to be one of the most impactful predictors of an organization’s productivity, performance and wellbeing – and its attrition rate.
This April 4 million workers quit their jobs, a record for any single month in more than a century. After dipping slightly in May, that figure rose again in June, when another 3.9 million people quit their jobs, according to the latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey.
Respondents of a recent Microsoft survey gave a variety of reasons for wanting to move on, including disengagement and burnout, as well as wanting a raise or promotion. The study also found that 46 percent of respondents feel less connected to their company, and 42 percent say company culture has diminished since the start of the pandemic.
Just 21 percent said they are very engaged at work.
Engagement Is Not A Soft Skill. It Impacts the Bottom Line.
According to Gallup, the #1 worldwide analytics and advisory company known for its global public opinion polls, engaged employees act differently, give incredible commitment and incremental effort to success — going above and beyond to surpass expectations, and that gives their organizations a competitive advantage.
Gallup’s engagement measures have proven through 10 meta-analyses that employee engagement correlates strongly with positive performance outcomes, such as profitability, productivity, sales, safety and retention.
Engagement Alone Isn’t Enough. Engagement + Thriving Is.
But, especially in the wake of the challenges we’ve collectively faced over the past two years, even the most engaged employees can struggle to thrive.
And Gallup’s newest research shows employees who are engaged at work but not thriving in life are 61% more likely to often or always experience burnout at work. They are also 48% more likely to experience daily stress, 66% more likely to experience daily worry and twice as likely to experience daily sadness and anger.
Some leaders believe that they shouldn’t concern themselves with their employees’ non-work-related life experiences. This should no longer be the case.
To be competitive and maximize business performance in today’s workplaces, leaders are responsible for cultivating the whole person at work and fostering well being.
You have the power to do so, by showing authentic interest in your employees, their growth and their lives.
Thriving Employees = A Thriving Business
To measure and foster both engagement and wellbeing, here are 5 questions to ask during your next 1:1:
- How are you doing – really? (It is important to bring the whole person and what matters to them into your leadership. And if things aren’t going well – be sure to show empathy and follow up with resources.)
- When are you happiest at work and in your personal life? What are you doing when things are going really well? (Ask for some detail so you can determine how you can sculpt the work to bring more happiness and fulfillment to your team members.)
- What do you think your superpower strengths are? What do you think you’re really good at? Where are you the best? (Add your insights saying, “Here’s what I see…”)
- What skills or knowledge or expertise would you like to develop? And what would you see yourself doing with these newly acquired skills? (Research shows that mapping out a development plan and investing in your team’s learning and career growth leads to engagement.)
- If we were to go out 5-10 years in the future, where do you see yourself in your career and in your “best possible life?” (Let’s work together to map back from where you want to be.)
These questions come with one important caveat.
Research shows that responding to employees’ answers with genuine offers of support is as critical as asking the question in the first place. Better not to ask, than to ask and do nothing.
