The role of managers in engaging employees

Employee engagement is important because it means the difference between an outstanding organisation and one that is purely mediocre. It's what keeps valued employees and helps to attract new talent. Employee engagement creates a highly productive workforce and enables organisations to grow faster and more sustainably than others. For the UK manufacturing and engineering sector, the importance of employee engagement must not be under-estimated. We're in a highly competitive market where skills are in short supply. As the economy is bouncing back, those organisations with a strong brand, which is reinforced by the culture of the organisation and the engagement of employees, will be the ones that the best talent choose to work for. Engaged employees are also more productive, a factor which cannot be overlooked as UK organisations battle to compete in a global environment. Gallup, who measures levels of employee engagement worldwide, has shown that the numbers of engaged employees is falling in the UK, with 26% being recorded as actively disengaged in 2013. Equally, the UK is fifth when measuring employee engagement against 10 other nations and, along with France, has the highest number of actively disengaged employees, according to the State of the Global Workplace Report 2013 from Gallup. However, in conversations with manufacturers and engineering firms, how to actually improve employee engagement remains a bit of a mystery. There are lots of tools to measure it, but treating it purely as a target can actually be toxic. Instead it should be viewed as a measure of progress. In fact, employee engagement is often a leading indicator in terms of how successful a strategy will be. Increasing levels of satisfaction and engagement will often be seen before a positive impact on business results. It's also an influence on customer satisfaction. The key factor in increasing engagement is the role of the manager as they are the link between the organisation and the employee. Perhaps a recognisable formula would help in understanding how to increase employee engagement. E=MC2. Engagement is the result of Management Action and Communication. Engagement comes about when managers are clear on what the organisation wants to achieve and reflect this in their everyday actions. An employee will not be engaged with the company strategies if they constantly see their manager behaving in a contrary way. Management action also links to Communication. Communication is squared because it is more than a verbal or a written exercise; it's how we behave. We communicate far more effectively when we say things simply, we believe what we say, and we do what we say. This is often called 'walking the talk'. The weak link in this equation is making sure that managers are equipped with the people management skills. Managers hold tremendous responsibility, representing and communicating the organisation's goals and objectives. Some managers will have natural people management skills, others – and often the majority – will have been promoted because of their technical competency and?they quickly need to develop their 'softer' skills. Equally, as we know, managing people is not a case of one size fits all. Managers need to be able to understand each individual and how best to motivate and engage with them. Key skills include improving awareness, listening skills and knowing how to clearly communicate what the company is seeking to achieve. Managers need to live this themselves and give others clear guidance on their role in creating organisational success, providing reward and recognition for individual efforts. We have a tough battle on our hands. We're recovering from a recession, seeking to secure and develop a new vision for manufacturing in the UK, suffering from a skills shortage and competing against new markets in the worldwide economy. Employee engagement is one of the key differentiators that we have to adopt. It is not something to be entered into lightly but it is something that business leaders, in all sectors – and especially in manufacturing and engineering – need to focus on. Having high levels of engagement in your organisation will ensure that your business goes from strength to strength, outstripping the performance of your competitors, attracting the best talent, and becoming one of those companies that others look at with admiration and, quite often, with a touch of envy. For more information employee engagement download Festo's White Paper 'Manage to Engage – The Role of Managers in Employee Engagement' at http://bit.ly/1oWqn68