Everyone has the potential to make a difference inside your organization, but some employees can be tough to reach.
Its your responsibility to jump-start their efforts, and get them engaged in their work.
Engaged employees are those that really care about their responsibilities and strive to find new ways to move the company forward. They’re intrapreneurs, taking it upon themselves to find ways to innovate, improve their output, and communicate their ideas for operational improvement too. While these superstars are the dream for any manager, they’re few and far between in today’s workforce.
Varying from industry to industry, it’s tough to maintain a consistent level of engagement among long-standing employees. Even for most new employees, the fresh job might be exciting, but the honeymoon phase tends to wear off quickly and engagement in their work drops too. So when you’re introducing a new project or opportunity, how do you motivate your employees to get involved?
Segment your Workforce
Sure, you’re “one team” but every department, role, and employee brings something different to the table. No matter your intentions, you’ve got to find a way to communicate with individuals on a more personal level and that’s only possible (and effective) by discovering the natural groups that are present within your walls. Depending on the scope of your project, these groups could be large or small, but they should be distinct as to engage those individuals effectively.
Identify their Motivations
Salespeople hold a separate set of motivations in their jobs compared to an Engineer, and it can be tough to energize them without understanding their unique goals. Before offering projects and new responsibilities to your identified groups, make sure are aligned with what people really want or are trying to accomplish. Whether intrinsic or extrinsic, outlining a goal that speaks to an innovator boosts engagement and improves their willingness to reach it.
Get their Attention
When it comes to employee idea management, not every communication channel or message is right for every employee. Once you know who you’re targeting, what you want them to do, and what they can get for it, you’ve got to explain it to them. Selecting the correct communication channel (email, physical memo, in-person meeting), planning the content (introductions, education, deeper explanations), and scheduling your messaging (organization, distribution, feedback) are all crucial to providing applicable opportunities to your innovators, empowering them to do their best, and rewarding them for their hard work.
Discover the easiest way to Engage and Challenge your entire Workforce from one Platform with this free 2-Minute Video!