Much has been said about employee engagement, but what the actual engagement portends remains a mystery to many an employer. Engagement is commonly being confused with employee happiness/satisfaction, which isn’t the case, as it were.
Needless to say, employee satisfaction plays a major role in people’s actual performance and (especially) motivation, but it still doesn’t equal engagement.
Would you believe that there are actually cases where the two terms aren’t even remotely related?
Defining Employee Engagement
First of all, there are drivers and drivers — and a great many of them aren’t linked to actual work at all. It goes without saying that satisfactory work conditions and compensation will keep an employee happy, but not necessarily engaged.
Engagement actually portends that the employees are being motivated to perform better. Engaged employees experience every company’s success as their own since they know all too well they have contributed to it with their hard work.
Perhaps, it is safe to say that employee engagement encompasses an employee’s connection with the business that, in turn, drives motivation that eventually leads to success. It is a well-known fact that engaged employees perform their work well, but it is often forgotten that these people actually enjoy cooperating with their colleagues.
How to Retain Your Frontline Employees?
Frontline employees may, at times, feel like they are being left behind, especially when they work in a company that employs remote teams. One good idea is to use an app to track employee hours as this will simplify the whole business and allow the employees to focus on more important tasks at hand.
It is, also, crucial to make certain these people know what they are expected to do and how they are expected to do it.
Here are some tips on how to achieve that goal:
1. Investing in an Employee Begins from Day One: Onboarding
One common mistake many employers make (even the successful ones) is that they employ new hires based on their education and expertise. The term “proven track record” has become so bizarre that many applicants actually take odd jobs they have no interest in just to increase their chances of being employed by a company they’d like to work for.
Ring any bells?
Of course, there is nothing wrong with looking for capable people, but the right skill set doesn’t guarantee its owner will be happy. It just guarantees they know how to do the job.
During onboarding, you should ask the applicant what they look for in your company and provide onboarding training (this applies to transfer employees, too).
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2. Current Field Service Management Trends
Staying up to date with the trends and providing necessary training so that your workforce remains competitive and has the sense of moving forward is essential.
- Some of the key field service management trends include:
- IoT for asset management
- Cloud-based software for remote work
- Artificial intelligence for business automation
- Inventory management software for supply chains
- Other trends may also come to mind, too, so stay tuned for the developments
Also Read: 5 Stimulating Ways to Help Your Remote Team Members to Feel Connected to Each Other
3. Deploy Field Measurement Software
Field management is complex work and can sometimes go terribly wrong even when everyone involved is highly professional simply because there are too many things to take care of.
It is, therefore, recommended to use field management software that helps you keep track of all business processes and all project development phases from start to finish.
Not to mention that these tools will help your frontline employees stay more focused, determined, and motivated as their tasks will be guaranteed to go more smoothly. By knowing this, they will be able to focus solely on their work, and want to stay at a company that nurtures them.
There are many options to choose from when it comes to field measurement software, so you can experiment a bit until you find the best one. Narrow down the choices based on their features, which, in order to be highly efficient, must include at least task checklists, price estimation services, OHS checklists and JSAs, invoices, on-site card payments, and photo recording and uploading.
Also Read: 4 Ways to Build a Strong Foundation for Your Business
4. Knowledge Is Gold But Too Much Knowledge All at Once Is — Information Overload
It has been widely documented that employees who are given the chance to learn are more likely to stay with the company in the long run. However, the infodemic times we’ve all been affected by are not the way to go about things.
Certainly, providing proper training and assistance to employees is a solid strategy that will eventually pay off. However, it is important to serve information batches in easily digestible chunks and to allow for sufficient time for it to sink in.
When planning your training programs, it is especially important to keep in mind individual preferences. Not all people have the same learning patterns. The easiest way to plan a successful training session is to actually brief the employees about their habits.
With so many options available nowadays, it should be easy to offer eLearning and mLearning and even create your own courses. Just remember to set reasonable milestones.
5. Make Use of Construction Project Checklists
All kinds of apps and tools that can simplify complex processes are a welcome addition. Construction project checklists are one notable example, as they will simplify every step of the complex process.
Construction projects are not easy to undertake and follow through with, and each and every one of the stages must be brainstormed for the next one to be perfect. Add to that that there are many people involved and you’ll understand how one simple miscommunication may delay the entire project to everyone’s woe.
Construction project checklists should detail all five stages of the project, as follows:
A. Initiation
This stage deals with a request for a proposal but only after it has been assessed if the project is worth the trouble. What is commonly taken into account here is:
- Sufficient time to go through with the project
- Quality of the services you may provide
- Resources available
B. Planning
This stage deals with the scope of the project, proposed budget, quality control plans and risk assessments.
If the bid is won, all of these items should be backed up by more detailed plans.
C. Execution
This stage deals with the construction phase of a project and should include everything and anything necessary to finish this complex process.
D. Control
This stage deals with monitoring the progress of a project.
E. Closing
This stage deals with all the aspects necessary for finishing and delivering the project, including payment and review.
Key Takeaways
Employee engagement is a complex topic. When assessing how to keep your employees engaged, it is, therefore, necessary to provide proper training, learning options, and proper apps and tools.
Don’t forget to start with engagement as early as onboarding. Rectify the habit to look into people’s CVs and pick new hires solely on their “proven track record.” Instead, focus on discovering whether the applicants share your company vision and what drives them to perform better.
In this way, you’ll always be in the know and be able to adjust your engagement strategy as trends change, knowing that your employees will always be on the same page.
