Employee engagement is crucial for workplace productivity, customer satisfaction, and overall business success. However, a vast majority of the global workforce is quiet quitting. In fact, a whopping 85% of employees are psychologically disengaged at work.
Employee engagement isn’t just about taking time to interact with your workers. It’s a management approach to understanding employee needs and implementing strategies aligning with them.
What better way to boost your engagement levels than to identify different employee types and personalize engagement activities? Read on to learn how.
There are different types of employees based on the following categories:
Employee status: Some employees work full-time, while others do part-time jobs. Some are freelancers or contractors working on a per-hour or per-project basis.
Work location: Some employees work in the office, while some are remote. A few others are in a hybrid work setup. Thanks to the pandemic, it has paved the way for the rise of remote work.
Employee level: Most rank-and-file employees are in an entry-level, mid-level, or senior-level position. A few others are at the management level as managers or business executives.
Specific role: Most workers are on the front line as customer service representatives (CSRs) or technical support specialists (TSRs), striving to achieve customer service goals. Some handle back-end functions as data entry specialists, order processors, and more. Others specialize in specific areas, such as IT, finance, legal, sales, and marketing.
Personality traits: Think of employees who are introverts versus extroverts. Consider those who are analytical versus those who are creative. It’s best to have workers take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), indicating the 16 personality types.
Each category represents a distinct group of employees with specific roles, responsibilities, and characteristics. As such, each group requires tailored engagement strategies and management approaches.
Learn how to customize your interactions with different employee types in the next section.
How To Personalize Employee Engagement
Employee engagement has become a prevailing problem in most companies or organizations. Take it from Gallup’s most recent survey on U.S. employee engagement:
American workers continue to feel more detached from their employers. They have lesser expectations, satisfaction, and connections with their organizations than four years ago. Only 33% felt engaged at work last year, showing a slight decline in engagement levels in recent years.
It’s best to determine different employee groups and personalize your engagement strategies with each. Here’s how:
1. Get to know each and every employee
Every company must set HR communication strategies for employee engagement. Start by getting to know your employees on a professional and personal level. Likewise, maintain regular communication, listen to their thoughts, and learn about their aspirations. Ultimately, understanding each other fosters trust and makes everyone feel appreciated.
2. Sort your employees into groups
Once you get to know your workers, you can categorize them into groups. Divide your staff into smaller units depending on roles, preferences, or working styles. Consider the different types of employees discussed above. Doing so enables you to customize tactics and efforts to match the unique demands of each group.
3. Start getting employee feedback
It’s vital to create an employee feedback loop in the workplace. Start getting insights from your team members regularly. Then, conduct an employee sentiment analysis for workplace satisfaction. By actively listening to their criticisms and acting on their suggestions, you show their opinions are valued and respected.
4. Design the engagement approaches
At this point, you’re done understanding your employees, developing groups, and obtaining feedback. It’s time to create an employee experience roadmap and personalize your engagement strategies with each group. Keep in mind, however, that this step is the most crucial part.
5. Get immediate supervisors involved
Employee engagement isn’t solely HR’s responsibility. As the engagement activities are designed for all workers, you must also involve the supervisors and managers in these initiatives. Empowering them to play an active part creates opportunities for tailored feedback, mentoring, and recognition.
Ian Sells, CEO at Million Dollar Sellers, claims personalized employee engagement requires collaborative efforts.
Sells believes in the value of effective supervisor-employee interactions. “Your supervisors must be hands-on, always providing assistance and direction based on each team member’s needs. These human connections fuel your success and keep your staff truly engaged.”
6. Implement your engagement activities
After designing your employee engagement programs and getting support from leaders, it’s time to implement your engagement activities. The goal is to personalize your approach, improve the digital employee experience, and empower the workplace. Making engagement activities relevant and meaningful to your team members allows them to interact, cooperate, and thrive.
Hogan gives recommendations based on actual experience. “We ensure that our engagement initiatives reflect our team’s varied interests. Whether virtual game evenings or outdoor expeditions, we identify things that appeal to everyone. Personalizing our approach keeps our team engaged, satisfied, and prepared to face new challenges together.”
7. Monitor and measure the performance
Creating an effective employee development plan is best for heightened engagement levels. But once you implement your programs, track your performance and measure staff satisfaction using key metrics, such as employee feedback, retention rates, and productivity outputs. Lastly, use analytics tools for effective performance monitoring and measurement.
Phil Strazzulla, Founder of SelectSoftware Reviews, recommends capitalizing on digital tools and technologies for personalized employee engagement.
Strazzulla explains, “We keep a careful eye on how our engagement activities are progressing. It’s not just about the stats; it’s about how our team feels and works. Staying tuned in allows us to fine-tune our strategy and keep our team running smoothly. The use of an employee engagement platform can definitely help.”
Employee engagement is key to a flourishing workplace. It promotes a culture where all team members feel valued, engaged, and empowered. However, you must be strategic in your approach to engaging every worker.
That said, consider the different types of employees outlined above. More importantly, follow our crucial steps for personalizing your engagement strategies for each group.
With all these, you can boost your engagement level for solid relationships, increased productivity, high customer satisfaction, and overall business success!
