Lacking an Engaged Team? Implement These 7 Strategies

How much is a poorly engaged team costing your business?  Every year, companies lose £350-400 billion due to disengaged workers. Shocking!

A poorly engaged team breaks trust within organisations, lowers morale and increases workplace stress. Many business owners do not realise that increasing engagement within a team takes a few simple steps and common sense.

So, what is the key to seeing productivity skyrocket within your team? Luckily, I will share are a few simple practices you can take to help your team feel valued to create a more productive and happier workplace.

However, before I get started, please take this free short Employee Engagement Assessment (EEA) to assess the engagement of your team in the present moment so you know where to start.

Practice team-building exercises

Team building can improve work ethic and innovation up to 10 times – this is because these team building exercises develop a sense of trust, build bonds, boost morale and relieve stress in the workplace. Some exercises you may wish to try with your team include stepping forward, human typewriter and creating shapes.

Get to know your team on a personal level

This may be harder to achieve when you work with a company which has thousands of employees as part of the team, but it is worth the effort. You should get to know your employees on a personal level, this will, in time result in an engaged team.

Employees connecting with their business leaders create a stronger and more effective team and work environment. Ways you could improve your relationships with your employees could include having lunch with them and working alongside them.

Invest in the right tools and resources for your team

Do you need to make participating, sharing and learning super easy for your employees? There are many tools out there to make it easier for employees to share the appropriate content on your company’s social accounts. I would recommend considering using an employee advocacy platform, which will help your team have all the content they need to share in one central location.

In terms of increasing the engagement of your team, there are plenty of resources out there such as Dell and Genesys which will help you create a more engaged team.

Communicate clearly and consistently

An employee will appreciate it if they give you feedback and you implement it, as that makes them feel more responsible and connected to the company. Therefore, encourage employees to speak up with their ideas, questions and concerns. Effective communication for your team also entails regular feedback and will lead to an engaged team.

This is an opportunity for you to check in on your team’s performance. For effective communication and efficiency in meetings, ActionCOACH uses an effective technique called the LION meeting. This stands for:

  • Last week: e.g. “Last week I said I’d…what happened was…”
  • Improvements: e.g. “This week… went well”
  • Obstacles: “I could use some help or advice with…”
  • Next week: e.g. “The main thing I am going to do next week is…”

For more information on how to stop creating pointless meetings in your team and make them more effective and worthwhile, watch this webinar.

Offer rewards and incentives

69% of employees report that they’d work harder if they felt more appreciated at work. If you would like to create an engaged team, offering your team rewards and incentives is a great way to appreciate what your employees do to grow your company. Consider incorporating a range of career development programmes and learning opportunities, for instance, a coaching scheme or time management programs.

Foster a positive company culture

What makes a good company culture? How can you foster it in your company? At ActionCOACH we foster a great company culture which is why we have such an engaged team and high productivity. For example, our 14 points of culture encourage abundance, a work-life balance and effectively using systems in our company. You can check out ActionCOACH’s full points of culture for inspiration here.So what could you implement in your business to help foster a positive company culture? For example, remember that an engaged team is a healthy team. Why not provide your employees resources, tools and on-site healthcare opportunities they need to live their healthiest life.

But what about attracting engaging teams to your company?

One of the biggest complaints of business owners is that they cannot find qualified, competent help when they hire. The thing you must realise is that you get the people you deserve.

So how can you become the ideal entrepreneur who will attract great teams and highly engaged teams? If building a dream team is or has been an issue for you in the past, download this free resource.

A fully engaged workforce delivers outstanding results in your business and generates twice the revenue – therefore you need to incorporate the tips mentioned above to create a happier, more engaged and productive team.