Have you ever had a bad day at the office with your team? The answer is almost certainly yes if you spent a day in an office. It happens to the best of us. But what if you’re hitting roadblock after roadblock with your team? How can you get your team back on track? After all, learning how to engage employees is key to a successful nonprofit organization.
The fact of the matter is that leadership is vital to success. And the fundamental knowledge of how to engage employees is essential. The truth is that people change, and dynamics change, especially when resolving conflict. In other words, as circumstances evolve at your nonprofit, things shift. As a result, leadership and team engagement must continually recalibrate. So, it’s a good idea to understand how employee engagement impacts your organization.
What is employee engagement?
Employee engagement is the level of emotional commitment that teams feel toward their work and organization. It’s different from employee satisfaction, which focuses on the employee’s feelings about their job. Moreover, it’s critical to realize that engaged employees are more likely to be productive, loyal, and creative. And isn’t that what your nonprofit wants to achieve?
Also, when your team is engaged in your work, it earns more than its less-engaged coworkers. And at a time when nonprofit groups rightly want fair compensation and pay equity, creating a positive workspace is vital for every organization. Employee engagement is not something that you can start by issuing a decree. Instead, it’s something that you build over time through strategic management practices.
Why is it important?
When employees feel engaged, it leads to better nonprofit outcomes. Try to think of a successful organization that’s found great success with uninspired, disengaged employees. Go ahead; I’ll wait. The chances are you can’t come up with many—or any. In reality, engaged employees are likelier to stay with the organization, work smarter, and be more innovative. Conversely, when employees are disengaged, they tend to be unhappy with their work and the organization.
Disengaged workers are more likely to leave their job, costing your nonprofit money and time as you go through the hiring process. As a manager, you have the power to impact your employees’ engagement levels significantly, such as by becoming a better listener. As captain of the ship, it’s up to you to steer the boat in the right direction. By implementing smart strategies, you can increase employee engagement. So how do you do it?
One simple hack
Management assumes that employees are happy and engaged because they’re not complaining. The truth is that disengaged employees are often too afraid to speak up. It’s especially common in larger organizations. And it’s acute in organizations that have a high turnover rate. To solve this problem, you must first recognize the signs of disengagement. The simplest hack for employee engagement is communication.
Ask your employees how they’re feeling about the organization and the work. I do it regularly in my social enterprise, and I’ll tell you it works. It’s not easy to surface engagement-related issues; as a leader, listening to critiques is not always easy. But, it’s vital for engagement for leaders to communicate with teams directly and allow them to share their thoughts. Holding roundtable meetings, inviting employees to share their ideas, and listening to what they have to say are all vital for engagement. Why? You’re empowering your team.
How to measure engagement
There are a variety of ways to measure employee engagement. The best way to do this is to survey your team regularly. You can also look at the number of sick days your team members take. A high number of sick days indicates your employees aren’t engaged. Another way to gauge engagement is to look at performance. If you see performance dropping, it could signal a lack of motivation.
Of course, a flashing red sign is your turnover rate. A high turnover rate could indicate that your team isn’t engaged and members want to leave their jobs. Ultimately, it’s not the responsibility of the employees to keep themselves engaged. It’s vital that you provide incentives to stick around. What do you have to offer as a leader and organization?
Your team are people first
In sum, people want to do a good job and be part of a winning team. Moreover, when they work at a nonprofit, they want to make a social impact. As a result, employee engagement is vital for organizations of all sizes. When employees are engaged, it leads to better outcomes, like increased productivity and creativity.
You can help your employees feel more involved by creating a space where they feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and communicating with them directly. If you want your team to be passionate about what they do, it’s important to remember that they are human beings first. So, talk to them and listen to their needs.
© 2022 Not Your Father’s Charity & Wayne Elsey. All Rights Reserved.
