6 ways to make your workforce shine

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In HR, it's easy to talk about employee engagement and its link with productivity. A committed and energetic worker is a productive and valuable worker, right? But that's superficial. Do you actually understand the intricate web of interconnected factors that promote employee engagement?

A new research paper from Oracle, based on a series of surveys and consultations, uncovers what really motivates employees. "From Theory to Action a Practical Look at What Really Drives Employee Engagement" identifies six ways to make employees more enthusiastic and engaged.

1. Better leadership

Employees are influenced by their colleagues and perhaps most of all by their superiors. Leaders set the tone. The way they behave, their interactions with others, and their feedback all add up to a workplace's culture.

The data clearly shows that an employee's experience is heavily influenced by their perception and trust in the leadership. So it needs to be placed at the heart of a company's employee-engagement strategy. Studies have shown that a closer working relationship with managers means employees are significantly more likely to place their faith in them. Results from the Oracle survey show that the availability of a manager is very closely linked to the workforce's confidence in the leadership.

So managers, get out from behind your desks, make it clear to people why their work is important within the bigger picture of the company, and be accessible.

2. Keep an eye on performance

Engagement leads to motivation, which can only improve performance. But it's also a positive feedback cycle. Performing better makes us more engaged, which means we perform better. There are ways that businesses can catalyze this cycle.

Regular and meaningful feedback is essential — all the better to have data on hand to add weight to those conversations. Saying "You improved your performance by X% in this area of your role" is much more useful to an employee than a simple "You're doing well."

Performance feedback and conversations should be carried out equally to give every worker the same predictable, relevant performance-management experience. This also offers an opportunity to talk about career-development needs. Use this as a chance not to just make employees better at their current job but also know when they're ready to progress into a new role. This will prevent top talent from jumping ship.

Oracle found in a survey that nearly 30% of participants cite a lack of fairness in pay and opportunities to progress as the biggest reasons to leave their employer.

3. Talent management

According to the survey, only 43% of employees say their company actively encourages promotion from inside the business — not exactly the makings of an engaged worker. Key to making employees actively engage with the company is to actively engage with them in turn. Specifically, it's important to focus on their professional development, but make more than a token effort. It needs purpose, which requires checking in with them along the way to achieving the goals set.

4. Role-effectiveness improvement

Employees need to empower employees to be good at their job and to let them realize their effectiveness (or not). This can be done in a very similar way toward — and alongside — performance management. But be aware not every employee seeks to advance. Some are perfectly happy in their role, but they still need to have the same review process so that they can get better at it. It'll make them feel valued and therefore engaged.

5. Rewards

Performance and reward are very closely linked. People need to feel as if their work and loyalty are appreciated and rewarded.

Look to other perks, too, such as flexible work hours, holiday time, and internal awards.

6. A culture of positivity

Employees will be more engaged with their company if its values match their own. The idea of striving toward a goal that feels personally and professionally rewarding makes a person more enthusiastic. It's natural to want to work for something you believe in. Enjoying what you do is often more important than how much you're paid.

All this should be considered in the hiring process; make sure you market vacant positions to applicants with this in mind. But to improve the workplace culture among the current workforce, it's worth considering things such as a corporate volunteering scheme.

Clearly engagement has moved from a transactional relationship  - based on individual roles and commitment -  to a deeper relationship that is based between the organization and the individual, and is founded on opportunity, values, and culture. This engagement can only be strengthened through superior digital experiences.