Out of all the factors that affect employee engagement, leadership stands out the most. The way management treats employees, attitude and communication with employees is crucial to boost employee engagement. Already back in 1964 Blau found out that employees behave differently at their workplace, when their leader treats them with respect.
In AON Hewitt research, they compared financial results among different companies. They figured out that the companies that perform best financially carry a very competent leadership team, that is very engaged and spreads this engagement all over the company. This is why AON Hewitt claims that investing in initiatives that generate higher engagement of management makes a lot of sense – since engagement starts at the top.
A leadership style that works
Different researchers (Choi, Ghadi, Hassan, Den Hartog and others) have investigated different leadership practices so far – from transformational leadership, authentic leadership, ethical leadership. It is hard to say that one leadership style is the best – but it is very clear that a positive perception of a leader positively correlates with employee engagement.
Skills and habits, that boost employee engagement
- Clearly state your expectations.
- Share a culture of trust – don’t micromanage, focus on the result, not on the process.
- Invest in the development of an employee.
- Take time to develop a good interpersonal relationship.
- Make sure that your communication is regular (anyone can express an opinion etc.) and transparent.
- Schedule regular feedback sessions.
- Be aware that your words, behaviour and action majorly affects people around you.
- Actively work on employee engagement on a daily basis.
Do you want to know more?
Contact us at hello@corpohub.com or check out our Employee Engagement Workshop program.
