Getting Your Team Engaged in Their Work

When a company puts employees first, the benefits are endless. Employees need to know they are valued and appreciated in their workplace. While most Americans are actually satisfied with their jobs, according to the Pew Research Center, “30% of Americans view their work as just something to get them by.”  However, how many employers want their employees to view their work as just a job to get by? Especially in a small company, where the impact of one employee is much greater to the whole of the company than it is on a larger company. According to the 2014 Census Bureau, 89.7% of businesses in the United States have 20 or less employees.

How do we get employees to care about the work they are doing? There may be some obvious answers to this question, such as paying well and flexibility. While pay and flexibility are very important factors, there are more things an employer can do to help keep employees engaged and in turn have employees take great care of the work they are doing.

Here are some great resources from Inc. and Forbes to assist in getting employees to act as owners. In my experience, communicating to your employees that their input on a task or project is important and valued, even necessary, for its success is a huge factor in getting employees engaged and willing to own their work. Another key factor is setting the tone for the overall team dynamic, whether you are a team of 3 or 30, if the culture is positive and engaging, more people will be willing to step-up and do what it takes to benefit the group and ultimately the company overall.

Emphasizing successes and using problems as a learning experience, is a great way to keep your team engaged. Our team spends a lot time together, so it is essential to have a positive environment. Gone are the days of being able to leave your work completely at work. We have email on our phones, we text colleagues and call clients on off hours, and we think about that endless task list before and after work. Issues will arise, especially in IT, but highlighting the positives in every situation will elevate your team’s attitude and performance. Implementing a straightforward process for dealing with issues, such as updating a procedure, or increasing training in a specific area, will alleviate the feeling of chaos that often occurs on a team when something “goes wrong.”

Time is limited for everyone, we might as well do what we can to create and foster a great team and work environment, what could be the downside to having a place like that to work?

A.J. Boggs & Company strives to have a fun and rewarding work environment. If you have passion and are motivated to have a social impact through information technology, then check out our career page today.