70% of variance in employee engagement is driven by the direct manager. Leadership makes a difference.

Employees need to know what is expected of them at work. This goes far beyond simply telling them what to do. The best leaders paint a clear picture of what success looks like. For example, if you're servicing a distribution center, where are the priority areas? When do employees arrive for work, and how do they enter the building? The more details you clarify, the more clearly you show your team what good service looks like.

Having what you need to do the job starts with ensuring each employee has the right equipment and technology. Use a checklist for each employee so everything is ready to go for the first day.

Employees also need the right information at the right time to do the job. As an example, if your sales team sold an account and the client added specific requests, such as treated salt, your operations team needs to know this when planning for the season. If the information affects how others do their jobs, they need to know, too.

Culture builders

Leaders set the tone for building a preferred work culture. Gallup research shows that up to 70% of the variance in employee engagement is driven by the direct manager. This should encourage you that you have a chance to make a difference. To start today, here are a few things you can do to move the needle:

Conduct regular one-on-one meetings with direct reports.
One-on-one meetings provide each employee with a forum to update you on their work as well as raise any concerns or questions they might have. These meetings allow employees to connect with you and the company. If you take nothing else from this article, start or continue having at least bi-weekly one-on-one meetings with each of your direct reports.

Recognition.
The best recognition is consistent, timely, sincere and purposeful. When recognizing employees for good work, highlight what they did well and how it made an impact on the business. Provide this recognition in a timely manner. Some employees are more open to public recognition than others; therefore, it's best practice to ask your direct reports how they prefer to be recognized (i.e., public vs. private). A great way to build a habit of recognizing others for good work is to put a calendar reminder in your email/task list about it.

Encourage development.
Employees want to learn and grow at work. Ask your direct reports to name one thing they want to learn or one area where they want to grow in this quarter, and then make the effort to help them get there. That effort can be job shadowing, sending them to training, attending a conference, reading industry publications, earning certifications and more. Adults learn best in small bites, by discussing learnings with others and by applying what they learned on the job. Follow up with your employee to discuss what they learned and how they'll apply it at work.
 
Listen to their feedback. 
Feedback is like playing the game with a cheat code. Your one-on-one meetings should allow time for employee feedback and questions. Company-wide surveys, where feedback is reviewed and acted upon, are also great ways to drive engagement. Gallup research shows that if employees feel their opinions count at work, they are more likely to be engaged. This doesn't mean you need to do whatever they suggest. However, if you can't act on their feedback, let them know why. This shows them their feedback was accounted for and builds trust between them and you as their leader. 

Evan Tachoir is the founder of Jack of All People Trades, HR/People Consulting to help snow companies recruit, develop and retain the best employees. He leads the monthly networking/teaching series NET Gain. Email him at evan@jackofallpeopletrades.com.