Level up your snow company employee engagement

Employee engagement is one of the biggest buzzwords out there nowadays, and for good reason. Engaged employees generate more profit, are more productive and loyal, and miss fewer days of work. It seems like magic, but it isn’t. It’s science and strategy.

At its most fundamental level, employee engagement comes down to how well you support someone’s needs. Driving employee engagement can be complex, but there are 5 fundamental questions to ask to assess what you need to do to improve it:

• Are you compensating employees fairly?
• Do your employees have what they need to fulfill their responsibilities?
• Is communication healthy at your organization? Do people feel appreciated and have positive relationships with one another?
• Do people feel respected and honored?
• Are people recognized for who they are?

At my company, we have a convenient way to break down employee needs. The Employee Hierarchy of Needs takes inspiration from Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. From the bottom of the hierarchy up, the employee needs are:

• Financial
• Physical
• Emotional
• Respect
• Dignity

For an employee to be fully engaged, each level of the pyramid needs to be met. For example, an employee that feels dignified and respected but is underpaid will not be actively engaged. The same goes for someone who is paid fairly, has everything they need to do their job but doesn’t feel appreciated, respected or dignified in their role.

Actively disengaged

An actively disengaged employee makes a conscious and intentional decision to remain disengaged from their work, their workplace and often their co-workers. Here are some examples of what it can look like:

• A negative and unapproachable attitude
• Doesn’t perform to standard, and doesn’t make a true attempt to grow
• Doesn’t collaborate or socialize well with teammates
• Sparks conflict with their peers or leaders
• Does the bare minimum...or less

Not engaged

These employees aren’t quite actively disengaged, but they’re definitely not engaged. They are consciously or unconsciously doing the bare minimum to get by. They don’t express passion for their work and are doing what they need to get to the next paycheck. Although they aren’t as frustrated or as negligent as their fully disengaged colleagues, these employees aren’t performing anywhere near their full potential. Here are some examples of this level of engagement in action:

• Quiet quitting
• Reluctant to take on more responsibilities
• Uninvolved or disconnected from co-workers
• Express a more negative or disinterested attitude
• Less responsive or collaborative
• Lacking will to go above and beyond

A disengaged employee isn’t getting their problems addressed but hasn’t reached a severe enough level of frustration to make it totally obvious. The signs of a disengaged employee are subtle, quiet and often go unnoticed without an attentive approach.

Actively engaged

Actively engaged employees are your rock stars — you know one when you see one. These employees are passionate about what they do, care about the company’s goals and objectives, collaborate very well with teammates and customers, and are constantly looking to go above and beyond.

They express a wide range of different positive behaviors, including but not limited to optimism, enthusiasm and strong commitment. Actively engaged employees drive financial success, keep cultures strong, and set the example for their peers.

Joe Kiedinger is founder and chief executive officer of Dignify. Contact him at joek@dignify.com.