How to Keep Your Employees Engaged

By Karen Axelton

Do your employees see their jobs as a dead-end street? A new study from Accenture that focused on executive-level professionals found more than half of employees were dissatisfied at work. Despite this, the majority (69 percent) had no immediate plans to look for a new job. But with the economy picking up steam, these plans could change if employees feel there is more opportunity for them elsewhere.

Smart companies will use this time while employees are not job-hunting to increase employee engagement, advised Adrian Lajtha, Accenture’s chief leadership officer, in announcing the results. “Companies must capitalize on this moment in time to equip their people with clearly defined career paths that include innovative training, leadership development and opportunities for advancement.”

The study, “The Path Forward,” found the biggest reason employees were dissatisfied at their jobs was the lack of opportunity for advancement. Forty-two percent cited this issue, compared to just 20 percent who cited a clash between job and family responsibilities.

Even though they may perceive no immediate room for advancement at their current companies, the study found employees are taking steps to help themselves advance in the future, including taking on new roles or responsibilities at work (58 percent), getting additional training and education (46 percent) and working more hours (36 percent).

How can you ensure your employees aren’t dissatisfied at work?

• Start by talking to them. The recession has hampered many employees from moving forward in their careers. Just taking the time to meet with your employees and see what their goals for their careers are can go a long way toward making them feel understood and more engaged.
• Work with employees to identify opportunities. Even if you don’t have the budget for salary increases or aren’t able to offer promotions, consider steps such as cross-training employees in new roles or giving them added responsibility and autonomy.
• Encourage development of new skills. Paying for employees to take training courses or get advanced degrees may be out of your budget, but look into free or low-cost options offered by industry associations or community colleges. If you can pay for part of the costs, that’s great. If not, you can still show your support by giving employees flexible hours that will help them attend classes and study for their continuing education.

Image by Flickr user iTopher (Creative Commons)

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 20th, 2012 at 6:00 am and is filed under Small Business, small business, Uncategorized, Workforce. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.


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