3 Secrets to Happy and Engaged Employees

I have talked to many people lately who feel very unhappy at their work. They feel used and abused. Consumed and thrown. Disillusioned and empty. Angry and depressed. Why does it have to be so? Why do supervisors not create a better work environment for their people? In many cases, is because people in supervisory roles are too preoccupied with their own upward mobility and with pleasing superiors. Or they take people for granted. I don't understand why it needs to be like this. Here are my 3 secrets to happy and engaged employees...

Help them do what they love
People are really good at something, but that may not be what they are doing right now. Help them see what their strengths are and how they may be able to use them at work. It may be in their same job, but approaching it in a way that plays to their strengths. As a supervisor, the challenge is giving people enough freedom to allow different ways or approaches to get the desired result. They may not do it our way. We all want to use our talents.

Help them love what they do
We all want to add value, to know that what we do matters. Help the employees tie what they do with the rest of the work in the organization, and how that adds value to the community. How is that work eventually helping people live happier, healthier, more relaxed, more secured, more independent, etc. In what ways does what they do matters? We all want to make a difference.

Be grateful for their heart, mind, and hands
We can pay for an employee's time and physical presence. We may be able to pay for enough thinking time/ brain capacity to produce something, but we need to earn their heart, their passion, and their full engagement. It is not so difficult, it begins with saying thank you. A warm, sincere than you, whether face to face or written on a note, means more than a fake celebration or even a bonus at the end of the year. I was recently talking to an executive who earns quite a bit of money, but was sad because she had done something extra and well, and her boss did not even say thanks. We all want to be valued.

There are thousands of books on motivating people. I think it's this simple, for at least 80% of the employees. We can't take people for granted. Help them use their talents, make a difference, and be valued.

Technorati Tags: Leadership

Comments

[HeyJules]

Amen, brother!

[Valerie]

What you have written is so true. I used to work in an agency (community mental health, no less), and the work environment was horrible. Now, I am self-employed - which is great, but I do miss the interactions with co-workers. However, I will never go back to an agency or corporation again, and that's sad.

[Paula]

Some supervisors are simply addicted to power and because of this they treat their employees badly.From my recent experience i can tell that seldom this kind of person changes his/her ways.

[Hector]

Jules, Valerie, and Paula, thanks for sharong. Paula has a good point here. Addiction to power may be behind why some supevisors behave like this. I have seen some do a complete turn around and improve their behavior toward their people, but many always struggle in this area. It seems to be more difficult to correct than other work dimmensions.

[Paula]

Hector i want to add a quote from the prologue of the movie Lord of the Rings : "...and nine rings were given to the race of Men who above else desire POWER".

[Steve Bogner]

Good advice Hector! As a consultant working with HR-related areas of many companies, I am amazed at how *few* of the *HR* people actually follow similar principles. One would think that the HR folks would kind of set the standard in this area, but so often they do not.

Another factor that often comes into play is grudges. I used to be surprised at how supervisors and managers carry grudges and hold them over their staff, but have seen it so many times now that it's no longer suprising, just sad.