Wirral transformational mind coach and therapist Alison Blackler of 2minds has worked with many businesses including Sainsbury’s and says employee engagement is crucial to success

People are key to the success and growth of any business and organisation and it is the best leaders that recognise the value in engaging with its employees.

Companies with an unhealthy culture who don’t value their people are easy to spot – they have a high staff turnover. People will leave at the first opportunity.

Employee engagement is fundamental to organisational success and as such employers should aspire to deepen their understanding of the topic and know how to measure it.

How people tick

It’s crucial that leaders and managers know something about what makes people tick and what drives human performance. If they do, they can start to better understand what motivates people and what as employers they can do to better engage employees in the process of work.

In my experience employers are not fully aware of neuroscience and the great research out there that gives valuable insights into human behaviour and performance. Those (businesses) who are tapping into the research and applying it, quickly see the benefits and become much more effective at communicating and building stronger working relationships between colleagues.

Business success

Recognising the importance of employee engagement is critical for business success.

When working with organisations that are trying to understand and unravel blockages in performance, I urge senior managers to seriously consider before all else if they truly know how engaged their people are.

It is so important to have a clear strategic narrative and for organisations to recruit and develop truly engaging managers with outstanding people skills. Ones who listen to employees and act with integrity.

Businesses are so often, and quite naturally focused on targets, outputs and bottom line yet its people that make things happen. Some people are naturally engaged in their work but not all.

Sense of purpose

As humans we need a sense of purpose and to have a sense of control over where we are going, why we are going there and ‘what’s in it for us?’. A clear organisational strategic pathway – that is well communicated – can help address this.

Engaging managers know the importance of communication how to interact with their colleagues. Some instinctively know how and when to have a quiet word, where and when to coach and what information to share.

They welcome thoughts, ideas and feedback from their teams – without becoming defensive – and as a result develop their people. However not all managers naturally have these skills and this is where me and my colleagues have been able to help.

Boost productivity

Employee actions and behaviours positively impact productivity, financial performance, customer satisfaction and can drive innovation. Such employees rarely take sick days. These are the type of employees organisations want to keep hold of.

Organisations that I come into contact with have high performing senior managers who regularly take time to listen to employees and where possible implement ideas and suggestions.

In my experience successful employers have the mechanisms in place to measure engagement, identify what’s working and what isn’t, identify the gaps and address them.