You probably know that employee engagement is one of those proven, critical factors for supporting an organization’s immediate and long-term health. But according to a recent Gallup poll of approximately 100 million Americans who hold full-time jobs, only 30% of workers are engaged in their jobs, while 50% are not engaged, and the remaining 20% are actively disengaged, causing detriment to the workplace. In terms of government leaders and their teams, we’ve noticed that it’s not uncommon for employee engagement to suffer in this sector as well. To some degree or another, everything from narrow job regulations to outdated department rules or policies, certain union-imposed limitations, mediocre leadership and hires, a litigious environment, and/or disinterested elected officials or hires can all contribute to a culture of employee disengagement.
When it comes to your team, how do you know if your employees are engaged? The only surefire way is to do your due diligence and find out. Then if, like so many other companies and other organizations, you learn your team’s level of employee engagement needs a lift, be prepared to take corrective action.
As a leader, realize that real results and improvement can only come when there’s alignment between your department’s mission to its vital goals and strategies. Back these and other efforts with inspirational leadership, employee empowerment, and disciplined accountability, and you’ll likely secure stronger employee engagement, retention rates, and morale, not to mention greater productivity and results.
Here’s a bit more on each of these three proven ways for improving employee engagement.
Be an inspirational leader: You’ve got to be excited about your department, what it stands for, and what you want it to achieve. Why? Because if you’re not excited, no one else will be either! That said, sheer enthusiasm only goes so far in terms of building employee engagement. While you need to have charisma when communicating your goals and the strategies for achieving those objectives, clarity and consistency are important, too. Together, all this combines to create the necessary buy-in of your workers and their trust in you. And ultimately, it’s that trust that is essential for getting employees engaged as a team and onboard with your vision, purpose, and strategies for achievement.
Drive decision-making down into the organization: And don’t just delegate to those reporting directly under or to you—empower employees by giving them decision-making responsibilities all the way down to frontline personnel. Find out what they think, feel, and experience. Get them involved in developing answers, particularly as those solutions that relate to planning or their own responsibilities, and you will empower them in a positive way. Ask them to do more of this meaningful type of work—the kind that shows you trust and respect them—and greater employee engagement will result.
Implement an accountability system: It can be tough to implement, but when government leaders are able to adopt a system of accountability, or a way to measure and monitor that organization or a specific department’s health, it can be monumental in terms of results. Such a system alone has the potential to transform the culture by empowering people to take greater ownership of their job and responsibilities, which leads to greater levels of motivation and productivity.
An effective, fair accountability system creates critical transparency, levels the playing field among team members, and provides ways to assess and build employee engagement on an ongoing basis. For example, if you’re establishing the goal to work more effectively with the public, accountability may include measures that are tied to how quickly your employees greet those they help at the department’s counter/front desk, the rate at which applications get processed by staff, how effectively staff members are resolving common complaints, etc. When you use a solid accountability system, it will naturally reveal what is and isn’t working, what and who needs improvement, and, ultimately, who is and who is not engaged. Based on what you find, you then have the facts you need for taking appropriate, corrective action or, perhaps even importantly, expressing well deserved recognition and reward.
