How you can create a Climate that increases Employee Engagement
Recent Gallup surveys indicate that 63% of people are not engaged in their working environment – this means they are unhappy and unproductive and spreading this negativity to their colleagues. This is a major challenge for you.
Imagine if 6 out of 10 computer or machines in a business were not working at full capacity- they would be serviced and receive attention to get back to their full potential. If you think of a company building out their IT infrastructure or data centre- a lot of care and attention is given to ensure the environment is correct –air conditioning, space etc to ensure the servers do not overheat.
In a people oriented business, the same care and attention needs to be given to create the right climate. The climate created by leaders determines if their team fail or flourish. Leadership Climate measure how it feels to work around here which is really the step before engagement. A climate which is positive challenging and nurturing engenders trust in leaders and people feel inspired to perform to their potential and engagement levels are high.
Leadership Climate can be measured and is seen as a set of Green or Red behaviours.
behaviours are seen as inspiringng and including
Behaviours are seen as controlling and withdrawing
Here are 5 ways you can build a positive Climate
- Measure it
First and foremost what is the current level of leadership climate in the organisation. How do people really feel about working here. Use a measurement tool such as leadership climate indicator to benchmark and measure the current reality.
- Talk it and live it
Be very aware of the Red and Green behaviours. Don’t just talk about positive behavior – ensure that all senior leaders are living positive green behaviours on a daily basis. It’s like parenting – children take their lead from what they see their parents doing. If you see your line manager actively behaving in a positive professional way – this creates higher levels of trust and you are more likely behave in a similar way.
- Welcome feedback and embrace it
Make it safe for your team to speak their truth, to challenge and debate. Feedback is the food of kings – it’s how you can develop and grow. Be comfortable with feedback and welcome it. Step away from the temptation to react emotionally. Be aware of the intention of the feedback.
- Regular communication
Communicate often and with clarity. Every employee in the business needs to understand the strategy and what’s going on around here. Ensure everyone gets regular updates on the strategy, results, key programmes.
- Celebrate Success
The pace in today’s workplace is so crazy – it can be difficult to sop and take a breath. It is really important to stop and celebrate successes – ensure all team members are included and all inputs valued. This does not always have to be a big celebration – a Thank you, phonecall, email, cup of coffee can work wonders for positivity. We all love our efforts to be appreciated and it works wonders for creating a positive leadership climate.
A focus on building a positive leadership climate has the benefit of increasing employee engagement, well-being and commitment which all contribute to increased productivity and profitability.
