Look closely at every successful organization and you’re sure to find a team of talented, engaged employees working behind the scenes. But before an organization can have a thriving workforce, it must first hire leaders who know how to motivate teams.
Eastern Washington University’s (EWU) online Master of Science – Organizational Leadership program equips emerging leaders with in-demand skills so they can effectively hire, train and develop employees. Graduates complete the program qualified for upper management roles in a wide range of industries.
What Is Employee Engagement?
Employee engagement is a human resources concept that describes the level of enthusiasm an employee feels toward their role. An unengaged employee is comfortable doing the minimum as they wait for the workday to end. An engaged employee is invested in the organization’s success as well as their own. There are three primary behaviors associated with an engaged employee:
- Say: The employee speaks positively about their employer, work environment and coworkers.
- Stay: The employee is loyal to their company and will likely stay with it even if another opportunity is available.
- Strive: The employee looks beyond their immediate responsibilities and makes a greater effort to contribute to the organization’s success.
Experts consider employees who meet all three of these criteria to be “engaged employees.” While the goal is to have an entire workforce of engaged employees, even a handful can make a major difference in the workplace.
Why is Employee Engagement Important?
Employee engagement dramatically impacts all aspects of an organization and can be the difference between success and dysfunction. Empowered employees make a positive contribution in the following areas:
- Productivity: Engaged employees take pride in their role and the organization’s success, making them more likely to work harder, be more detail-oriented and collaborate more closely with teammates.
- Innovation and creativity: Engaged employees are more likely to go above and beyond in their roles, seeking to improve processes and creatively solve problems without being asked.
- Retention rates: Satisfied employees are less likely to search for new opportunities, reducing hiring, training and severance costs for employers.
- Talent attraction: A company with satisfied employees will be able to attract other talented workers, which further strengthens the organization.
- Profitability: A workforce made up of more productive employees combined with lower turnover often leads to improved profitability for the organization.
Strategies For Improving Engagement
Fostering a culture of engagement is a difficult, time-consuming process that will vary depending on the organization. This is why many aspiring leaders choose to pursue an advanced degree to gain both career-relevant expertise and the most up-to-date skills for driving organizational success. Forbes recommends three general strategies that can help improve engagement:
- Make employees feel heard and respected: Nobody wants to feel like a cog in a machine. Employees who receive recognition for their hard work, professional advancement opportunities and work-life flexibility are more likely to feel valued and, thus, be more engaged.
- Create a culture that prioritizes health, not results: Employees who are stressed, overworked and tired cannot perform to their highest ability. By prioritizing employees’ physical and mental health, organizations can empower them to do higher-quality work.
- Ensure all employees know the value of their work: Emphasizing why an employee’s work is important to the larger goals of the organization can motivate them to take greater pride in their day-to-day responsibilities. That said, fostering a culture of employee engagement is much easier said than done.
Online Organizational Leadership Degree
A leader’s ability to successfully engage employees is highly valued in every organization. The benefits range from positively impacting the bottom line to attracting and retaining best-in-class talent.
EWU’s online Master of Science – Organizational Leadership program is foundational for professionals looking to gain in-demand skills and advance to management roles in any industry. Students can complete the program in as few as ten months prepared to successfully lead in their chosen field.
Learn more about the Eastern Washington University‘s online Master of Science – Organizational Leadership program.
