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Employee disengagement is the silent crisis that is destroying corporate profitability. With the staggering costs of worker disengagement and attrition reaching tons of of tens of millions per 12 months For large firms, attracting and retaining the best talent has never been more essential.
It can seem not possible to keep all employees motivated. So focusing on your best employees will be a good place to start to improve overall worker morale. But remember, your best employees are often the hardest to engage because their motivation is based on more complex aspects than simply good pay and a friendly boss.
In my experience, it’s crucial to build a company culture that provides employees a sense of ownership while also stimulating their mental needs. Here are 4 ways to build a company culture that deepens and strengthens the bond your best employees have with their work.
1. Give your employees power and trust
As Sting said, “If you love someone, set them free.” This truth extends beyond the workplace. The best employees thrive on empowerment and agency, not restriction. To cultivate such an environment, leaders must:
- Delegate tasks and grant autonomy while demonstrating unwavering trust,
- Invest in skilled development to equip employees with the tools to excel,
- Recognize and reward contributions to foster a sense of accomplishment and value,
- Create a psychologically secure space that fosters open dialogue, honest feedback and revolutionary ideas.
It could seem counterintuitive, but time-tracking apps are also a good way to create a sense of trust and transparency (if you utilize them as empowerment tools reasonably than surveillance mechanisms). At my company, managers rarely check our time-tracking data—more to support employees’ work-life balance and facilitate flexible work arrangements. I trust them to work 35 hours a week, and how they divide those hours each day is up to them.
2. Recognize and support different needs
Employees are not replaceable cogs; they are individuals who crave recognition and purpose. They want to feel essential to the team and appreciated for their unique contributions. Yet nearly one-third of employees (*4*)I report that I feel invisible at workIf employees feel like their ideas and suggestions don’t matter, it is very difficult for them to feel engaged.
Many workplaces involve employees with various degrees of seniority and work styles. Some long-term employees may turn out to be dissatisfied or discouraged when faced with monotonous tasks and limited opportunities for advancement. Others thrive on routine and may resist additional challenges.
Balancing the needs of those different personalities requires a deep understanding of each worker, their work style and aspirations. The manager’s role is to discover these different situations and re-ignite the motivation of the best employees. Ultimately, the goal is to support employees in a way that maximizes their potential and job satisfaction.
3. Create a rewarding worker profession path
Compensation is key, but my thirteen years of leadership have taught me that it is only one piece of the puzzle to retaining top talent. Top performers, often sought after by competitors, require greater than competitive compensation.
To foster loyalty and ownership, consider equity-based compensation, similar to stock options or profit sharing. If equity isn’t feasible, consider performance-based bonuses or transparent salary increases.
At DeskTime, in addition to our annual performance-based bonus system, we prioritize creating a workplace where employees thrive and feel valued. But even when employees leave, we’re completely satisfied to see some return after gaining helpful experience elsewhere. We welcome worker migration, recognizing that outside experiences can lead to skilled growth and renewed commitment to our company.
4. Support employees with families
Recently, a friend told me that he left a promising startup because the company didn’t respect the personal lives of employees, especially their families. For example, he said that only one coworker admitted to the birth of his daughter, while others, including management, said nothing and remained completely indifferent.
This story made me think that employees’ personal lives and family values are integral to a fulfilling skilled life. While their personal lives are undoubtedly their very own business, a manager’s real interest and empathy demonstrates a commitment to their overall well-being, fostering a more connected and supportive work environment. An absence of concern at all is a sign of detachment and cold professionalism that turns people off—including your best employees.
At our company, we prioritize family well-being by offering comprehensive support. This includes generous parental leave advantages, holiday gifts for employees’ children, and other family-related incentives. While these actions initially gave the impression of the right thing to do, I now see their significant impact in promoting a positive and supportive company culture.
Engaged employees are passionate and dedicated, and they do the whole lot they’ll to contribute to the success of the company. That’s why every manager’s priority needs to be to cultivate a company culture where employees feel valued, challenged, and fulfilled, which leads to increased job satisfaction, loyalty, and productivity.
At the end of the day, the profit for everyone is a friendly, satisfying and productive work environment.