16
Nov 2021
Overcoming Barrier to Employee Engagement
Picture this, it’s early in the morning when you walk into your office, you are greeted by smiling and cheerful employees. You know they have a lot to accomplish, yet they are eager and committed to working. In their smiles, you see a reflection of how they are inspired and motivated by their jobs. Welcome to the ideal world of employee engagement!
MISSING EMPLOYEE’S PERSPECTIVE
Employee engagement is a powerful asset for any company. When used effectively within an organization, it can provide significant long-term benefits, such as greater motivation, increased customer satisfaction, company reputation, stakeholder value, and overall workforce integration.
However, in today’s business world that is rarely the case. According to a recent Gallup poll, only 36% of employees in the United States are currently engaged in their jobs. Although every leader wants to involve their employees, many companies are still struggling to engage and motivate their workforce. This is because there is a misalignment between what business leaders say about employee engagement and what employees say they are experiencing. A majority of business leaders and business owners unfortunately fail to assess and consider the employee’s perspective. As a result, barriers exist in their organization that prevent their employees from participating in and embracing their roles and responsibilities.
BARRIERS TO EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT AND HOW TO OVERCOME THEM
Any leader’s first task is to identify barriers to employee engagement so that he or she can develop a new employee engagement strategy to improve employees’ motivation and commitment to their company.
There are many common barriers to employee engagement. Listed below are a few of those barriers as well as suggestions of how to overcome them.
UNDERAPPRECIATED EFFORTS
Feeling underappreciated is a key employee engagement issue that needs to be addressed in every organization. The adage “people don’t leave jobs, they leave bosses” holds a lot of reality. It’s usually not because they’re underpaid or overworked, but because they feel underappreciated and neglected. Everyone wants to feel they are valued for their exceptional work.
What does this imply for executives? This means that employers must openly and consistently recognize outstanding performance. Leaders should validate the value of their employees by rewarding them for a good job done as frequently as possible. Which will in turn compel employees to be loyal to their employer and reinforce their efforts to increase productivity. Employers can implement effective value recognition programs in which they reward employees for their accomplishments, new behaviors, and milestones.
UNCLEAR ROLES / ROLE CLARITY
Employees can be left feeling confused and unable to accomplish tasks to their full potential when roles and responsibilities are not clearly outlined. Furthermore, many employees perceive executives as unapproachable when seeking guidance. A combination of an unapproachable employer and an employee without clarity of communication, results in a stressed, confused, and discouraged employee scenario. Therefore, employers must ensure that everyone on their team understands their duties and responsibilities, as well be on the same page. This will help employees be more productive, feel more valuable, and be more motivated.
To resolve this issue of unclarified roles or position, job description and the employer’s expectations of employees should be clear from the beginning of the hiring process. Not just on paper, but in the overall organization. Also, assign a pleasant mentor who will ensure that the employee understands exactly what the company expects of them.
WORK-LIFE BALANCE
This subject is currently the “hot-button” issue in today’s business world. On this topic employers have been known to demand their employees put their personal lives on hold to put the company goals first. At the heart of this demand is employees working long hours with little to show for all their efforts. The frequent oversight of business leaders to overlook work-life balance and other employee priorities will definitely not only impact the mental health but the productivity of employees. Executives need to keep in mind that important aspects of an employee’s life, such as family and friends, health, and life aspirations, is what motivates and encourages employee to set and yield high gains in productivity.
Business leaders and executives can overcome this barrier by managing work time fairly so that employees don’t feel compelled to work excessive amounts of overtime hours. Employees should be encouraged in productivity, not hours spent working on tasks. Employers could prove the worth of their employees by considering the employees’ life and what is most important to them by planning the best employee benefits packages to adequately compensate their efforts. A note to employers, start building or promoting a workplace environment that values employees work life balance and you will create a Mecca for high productivity and gains for your organization.
INEFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP
Leaders have an immense influence on organizational culture. When leaders cannot provide direction, mentoring, and motivation for staff, organizational culture and engagement often suffer. Poor leadership is the root cause of loss of productivity and high employee turnover.
A good leader listens to their people, considers other points of view, and makes fair decisions. “There is nothing more motivating than a genuine leader you can trust, and that trusts you.” Also, as a leader, minimize micromanaging and gatekeeping. Instead, advocate for your people and empower them to do great work. You should value your employees, provide them opportunities, and share their achievements.
CLARITY OF DEFINITE PURPOSE
Does your team understand why your company exists? Many companies make the mistake of failing to communicate their company’s goals, vision, and values to their employees. Employees can’t and won’t support you if they don’t know what you’re aiming to achieve. Having a definite purpose for why your firm exists and what it is aiming to achieve is crucial for improving organizational alignment.
To keep a team from going into autopilot mode, employers must clarify the company’s goals regularly, whether they are project-specific or company-wide. They must create and share a roadmap (vision, mission, and values) with employees so that they can see how they can most meaningfully contribute to the company’s success and therefore experience success themselves. This will become their rallying point to find their significant contributions, allowing them to take part more meaningfully.
TAKE ACTION TODAY
It’s difficult to remove all barriers that prevent employees from doing their best at work, especially if there isn’t an actual employee engagement strategy in place.
The time to make a change is now. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it has to be efficient. Overcome barriers, like the ones listed above, by taking the necessary steps to improve employee engagement, boost efficiencies and revenues, expand service opportunities, and grow. Solve the issue one step at a time. The goal is to improve employee engagement which will allow your company sail much smoother to SUCCESS.
For more information about making the necessary changes in your business or advice on other essential areas like your employee benefits planning, get in touch with us at HWA Alliance of CPA Firms
John R Wright CPA