Five Ways You’re Stifling Employee Engagement

Organizations know how important it is to have motivated, engaged employees, but most fail to hold managers accountable for making it happen. Most managers don’t demotivate their employees on purpose. They act improperly without thinking about what damage they are doing to the enthusiasm and motivation of their employees.

Few things are as costly and disruptive to a business as managers who kill morale. Demotivated employees underperform, and then jump ship at the first opportunity.

Not Seeking Employee Input

In neglecting the importance of employee involvement and making the decision-making process exclusively to senior management, primarily when certain decisions directly affect the team, employee morale will inevitably plummet as they lose any sense of ownership.

For leadership to ensure their employees are invested in working towards the achievement of the company’s goals, it is essential to avoid making decisions behind closed doors. Instead, bring together the entire team, hear them out, and brainstorm to come up with the best solutions and decisions that will benefit the organization as a whole.

Not Acting on Employee Ideas

Your employees are full of great ideas. Not every employee idea is going to light your flame of enthusiasm. But, all employee ideas have merit. If nothing else the initiative and motivation that inspired the employee to seek to solve a problem or please a customer, is worth noting. Regularly solicit them — and act on the best ones. Otherwise, your staff will feel ignored and undervalued.

Hoarding Information

When management keeps employees in the dark about information that directly affects them, such as their performance and output, it can kill morale. Open communication is vital in any organization; By building walls that shut out employees from senior management, you are tearing down trust and allowing employee engagement to suffer.

Lack of Follow Through

Making promises to people places you on the fine line that lies between making them very happy and watching them walk out the door. When you uphold a commitment, you grow in the eyes of your employees because you prove yourself to be trustworthy and honorable (two very important qualities in a boss). But when you disregard your commitment, you come across as slimy, uncaring, and disrespectful. After all, if the boss doesn’t honor his or her commitments, why should everyone else?

Letting Accomplishments Go Unrecognized.

It’s easy to underestimate the power of a pat on the back, especially with top performers who are intrinsically motivated. Everyone likes kudos, none more so than those who work hard and give their all. Rewarding individual accomplishments shows that you’re paying attention. Managers need to communicate with their people to find out what makes them feel good (for some, it’s a raise; for others, it’s public recognition) and then to reward them for a job well done. With top performers, this will happen often if you’re doing it right.

These are some of the top reasons why employees are not motivated to contribute their best efforts at work. Sure, a lot of the responsibility lies with the choices that each employee makes, but even more is traceable to the environment that employers create for employees. Eliminate these ways to destroy motivation at work.

A highly motivated workforce feels empowered by their work and valued by the organization. When it comes to keeping your employees motivated, there are a number of factors to keep in mind—from communicating goals and expectations to showing interest in your employees’ professional aspirations. The right approach paves the way to a well-balanced workplace and ensures the future success of your business.