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Finding the purpose to engage

There are many ways to engage your employees, but few of them work as well as helping an employee find the purpose in their work. How often does an employee ask you why?

People need to understand why something is done to do it effectively. Knowing the why makes everything fit together and not knowing why can lead to errors. The same thing goes for employees who don’t understand why they’re doing what they’re doing. They need to know what they bring to the table that makes specific projects unique to them. If employees don’t find their purpose or meaning in their work, they’re less engaged. If you want to change their engagement, help them find their purpose.

Key takeaways:

• Even seemingly meaningless tasks make the company better
• Give tasks that play to their strengths
• Create an amazing culture
• Encourage and recognize frequently

Show them how specific tasks make the company better

Some tasks can seem meaningless if we can’t see the entire picture. When we can see farther than the task at hand to how our projects have an impact on the company, the work takes on a new light. We understand how checking that box or making that note contributes to the wellness of our company. When the importance of the task is shown, then it’s easier to remember, and its necessity is understood.

Recognize good work

Tell employees when they’ve done a good job but don’t stop there. Show them how the job they’ve done made a difference. Maybe something they did exceeded a client’s expectations. Share the feedback with them, make a public announcement of the recognition, tell the entire team what the client said, and let your employee bask in the glow. Make sure you let them know how a job well done has improved the company and client relations.

Company culture and community

We spend a lot of time with the people we work with, but do people really know who their co-workers are? How often have you heard people say their co-workers made past jobs better? At work, we’re part of a community, and we need to take that a step further and allow friendships to form, recognitions to happen, and elevate our culture to the next level so people enjoy coming to work because of the positive impact the atmosphere has on them. Great company culture makes everyone happier. Even if work is hard or we have an extremely stressful project going on that camaraderie that supports us makes it easier and less stressful.

Tell them the purpose of the company

We all have a reason we started our companies, but have we shared that with our employees? Do we lead by example, breathing that purpose into the foundation of our business? When employees know why the company exists, what its purpose is, and sees their leaders living that purpose, they feel encouraged to do a better job and align their work with the company vision.

Help them make goals that align with the company purpose

When you work with them on setting personal work goals that help further the company’s purpose, then they feel more than an employee and more like an integral part of the company. They know they’re working on something to make their workplace better and to strengthen the company goals, and they know they alone are responsible for it.

Let them work within their strengths

Identify the strengths of your employees and what they enjoy doing. Give them those projects exclusively, so they’re doing what they love and performing the best way they can for the company. Don’t overload them but give them as much work as they can handle as long as it’s something they love and watch how much their engagement increases.

Helping your employees find purpose in their work not only benefits the person but your company as well. It strengthens their work, motivates them, and gives them a bit more to love about the place where they work.

For more helpful tips on creating an amazing workplace environment for your employees and a company your customers can love, head over to our blog where we give lots of tips and advice to elevate your company to new levels.