Note: This article is part of the series on Management Problems You Can Fix With One on Ones. (Tip: if you’re looking for a good one on one meeting process 3 Steps 2 Easy 1 on 1’s will show you tried and tested technique.)

Do you have employees on your team who:

  • Don’t seem to care about the quality of their work,
  • Only do the bare minimum and never go the extra mile,
  • Are the first ones out the front door at the end of the day?

What you have are employees showing signs of being disengaged with their work.

Engaged employees care about their work, colleagues, customers and they want the company to succeed. They don’t just work for a paycheck, or the next promotion. They work towards the achievement of the organization’s goals. Because there is a close alignment of their goals and company goals. As you can imagine engaged employees are the difference between manager success and manager pain.

Engaged employees produce better work, are easier to manage and are happier in their jobs because they get more job satisfaction.

But the sad reality is that less than a third of the world’s workforce are engaged in their jobs. According to a recent Gallup Employee Engagement Study, 50% of the world’s workforce are “Not Engaged”. And close on 20% are “Actively Disengaged.”

But wait - there’s more. Gallup studies also show that employee engagement issues elements explain 96% of the “attitudes that drive voluntary turnover rates for work units.”

You don't have to have a Harvard MBA to know that this makes a huge impact on bottom-line results. Engaging employees in their jobs is the path to better work and lower staff turnover. As a boss your role is pivotal to employee engagement. If you leave employee engagement up to HR then you lose the ability to make a difference. Engagement is about helping employees find value and meaning in their work. Do this right and you have employees who go the extra mile and they will like and respect you as a manager.

Building a Loyal and Engaged Team

As managers our attention is quickly drawn to the things our employees do wrong. But we tend to forget that:

  • People want to do meaningful work,
  • They want their contribution to be acknowledged,
  • They want their work to be important to others,
  • They want open communications and a good relationship with their immediate supervisor and,
  • They want opportunities to use their skills and abilities in their work.

Secret Ninja Manager Skill to Better Employee Engagement:

A Ninja Manager Skill is a management technique that turns something difficult into something easy. It’s like a judo flip: Instead of fighting against the opponent's strength & weight - use your opponent’s momentum against them. And a Ninja Manager Skill you can do for Employee One-on-Ones is show them how they can have great One-on-Ones with their boss (you).

There are two people in a One-on-One meeting and when your employees know what’s in the meeting for them then they will be more engaged because they will see how to get their needs met.

And all you have to do is share this free, online video course with them.

Regular, High Quality One on One Meetings With Staff Boost Employee Engagement

One on one meetings enable you to make a real connection with each person on your team.  You’ll become a problem solver, a coach, an advisor, an influencer, and even an enabler.  This is one meeting where you can make a real difference to the individuals in your team.

But you also get the chance to give them purpose and direction and make them feel involved and valued. It’s an opportunity to recognize their achievements and boost their confidence. This is the path to employee engagement and job happiness.

Conclusion

Employee engagement is not a happy accident - as a boss you have the power to create it. And weekly one on ones with each of your directs is the best place to start. If you’re not getting the results you should from your one on one practice then I encourage you to try the complementary course: 3 Steps 2 Easy 1 on 1’s. It’s quick to get going and includes a free one on one meeting template. (Can you afford not to?)

Comments:

Do you have any questions, comments or tips for building an engaged and loyal team? Please help the rest of us out by sharing in the comments below.