If you’re like most companies, employee engagement is one of those things that you hope will just happen on its own. But if you want to create an exceptional workplace culture and boost productivity and profitability, then investing in employee engagement is a smart move. In fact, according to Gallup's State of the American Workplace Report (2020), only 30% of American workers are engaged at work. And what does that mean for your company? Employees who aren't engaged at work tend to be less productive, and more likely to make mistakes or leave the organization altogether—not exactly what you want from your employees!

What is employee engagement?

Employee engagement is a measure of how committed employees are to their work. It's not just about how they feel about their jobs, but also how they feel about their company and its leadership, as well as what they think the company stands for.

Engaged employees are more likely to stay with their company and have a positive impact on its bottom line. They're also more productive, creative, and innovative than disengaged workers who may be uninterested or disillusioned by their roles within your organization.

A recipe for employee engagement

Employee engagement is a result of the work environment, the work itself, and your relationship with your manager and coworkers.

A recipe for employee engagement:

• Create an environment where people feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves. This could be done through team building activities or simply making sure that you're not just working in isolation but also collaborating with others to accomplish goals as a group (or even better yet - across multiple teams).
• Make sure that you have clear expectations about what is expected from each person on their team so there are no surprises when it comes time for performance reviews or raises/bonuses because someone wasn't getting enough guidance from their manager at first glance; this leads us to our next point...

Identifying the right metrics

Identifying the right metrics for your business is a critical first step in developing an employee engagement plan. The metrics you choose should be meaningful to employees, easy to track and understand, and easy to act on.

A good rule of thumb is that if you can't measure something well enough with one number (e.g., sales numbers), don't try measuring it at all! Instead focus on things that are more easily quantifiable and actionable such as:

• Attrition rates (how many people leave) vs. retention rates (how many people stay)
• Employee satisfaction scores
• Employee engagement scores

Keep the focus on the employees

Employees are the most important asset of any company. Engaged employees stay with their organizations longer and perform better than those who aren't engaged. They are also more likely to recommend their companies as a good place to work, which in turn leads to increased customer loyalty and revenue growth.

By focusing on employee engagement, you will be able to create an environment where people want to come in every day and do their best work because they care about what they're doing and feel valued by their leaders or peers within the organization--and that makes all the difference!

Engage employees in the culture

Employees are your first line of defense for your company's culture. They interact with customers, and if they're not happy, it will show. Employees must be engaged in the culture so that they know what is expected of them and can act accordingly.

Improve organizational alignment

Improving organizational alignment is about getting everyone on the same page. It's about aligning the goals and objectives of the business with those of your employees, aligning your values and beliefs with theirs, and making sure they understand what's important to you as an employer.

• Make sure everyone understands what success looks like for your organization--and how they can contribute toward achieving it.
• Ensure employees know how their jobs fit into that larger picture by sharing information about how their work contributes to company goals so they don't feel like cogs in a machine; instead, let them know how much value their contributions add every day (or week).

Drive employee engagement with events and activities

Events and activities are a great way to boost morale and drive employee engagement. They're also a long-term commitment, so you need to plan carefully if you want them to be successful.

Events can be used as rewards for employees who have achieved certain milestones in their careers or have been particularly helpful at work. They can also help create an environment where everyone feels like they're part of something special--for example, by celebrating birthdays with cake or organizing team lunches every week. Activities like these can help build stronger relationships between coworkers while increasing camaraderie among teams within your company's walls.

It's worth noting that not all events need to be as elaborate as those mentioned above; sometimes even simple gestures will suffice! For example: holding regular coffee breaks where everyone gets together over a hot drink; posting motivational quotes on bulletin boards throughout the office; organizing themed days where everyone dresses up according to themes such as "Star Wars Day" or "Superheroes Day" (and don't forget about Halloween!).

Use employee feedback to monitor performance

Use employee feedback to monitor performance

Employee feedback can be collected in a number of ways, including surveys and focus groups. These tools are useful for gathering information about how employees feel about their workplace culture or individual managers. This information can be used to improve performance by focusing on areas where employees' needs aren't being met. It can also help you create an exceptional workplace culture by ensuring that everyone feels valued and included in the organization's vision for success.

The steps to crafting an effective employee engagement plan

• Define the problem before starting on a solution.
• Set goals, but be realistic.
• Don't worry about what other people's goals are. They may not be right for you, so don't let them influence your own thinking or decision-making process!
• Be ambitious while staying realistic--you can always adjust as time goes on if something doesn't work out as planned (or even better: exceed expectations!).

A happy and engaged workforce is more productive and generally happier.

An engaged workforce is more productive and generally happier. Engaged employees are more likely to be loyal, stay with the company longer, recommend their employer to others, and even take on additional responsibilities without being asked. Engaged employees also tend to have higher job performance ratings than those who are not engaged in their work or the company culture.

There are many ways you can get your employees excited about their jobs again--here are just a few:

• Make sure they know why they're doing what they do every day at work (this could mean getting them involved in decisions about how things should be done).
• Offer opportunities for growth within the organization so that everyone feels like they're moving forward together as equals rather than just working hard for someone else's benefit alone (this will help build camaraderie among teams).

Conclusion

With the right employee engagement plan, you can create a workplace that your employees will love. But don't forget to make sure it's a good fit for your organization's culture and needs. If you do this, then your employees will be more productive and happy as well - which is what we all want!