Three Keys to Employee Engagement

Safety, Belonging, Appreciation

I beleive there are three most essential, core things that every employee… every person… deeply craves.

Safety: People want to feel safe and they want to know that you have their back, that they can speak the truth without suffering and consequences, that they work in a safe envirnment, that their job, to the extent that you can control that, and livelihood are safe. Helping your employees feel “safe” is a fundemental element of building the kind of culture that will allow them to be creative and highly engaged.

Belonging: People want to feel like they’re part of a group, part of a team. They want to feel welcomed and that people genuinely care about them and value them as an individual. This is why the motivator of a culture that has a strong “family” feel….. where people are friendly to each other and often times work with their best friends….. is consistently lised as one of the most important factors in creating an organization where employees are loyal, satisfied, and engaged.

Appreciation: Employees want to know that they are appreciated for thew work they do, how they contribute to the success of the company and who they are as an individual. This strikes directly at the motivation of self-esteem. People want to feel that they are doing a good job and that the rest of the team feels like thay are an important contributor and add real value. The goal here is to catch people doing things right and to build a culture of “celebration” into every aspect of your business.

If you stay focused on these three things that your employees need in order to bring everything they have to the work they do, you will have engaged employees and an enironment that leads to success for you and your company.