Having highly engaged employees is an aim for every organisation, reflecting the research that suggests that engaged employees are more likely to be productive and have a positive impact on performance. To put it simply, engaged employees can be described are those who are prepared to go the extra mile for the organisation either in the activities they undertake or the effort that they expend.

There is no ‘one size fits all’ recipe to engage employees and many of the factors will be at an individual level in terms of what motivates people. General attitudes to work play a big factor, for some employees their job is transactional in that they come to work to complete their role so that they get paid and can afford to eat and live. For others work may play a significant role in their life.

Alignment with organisational goals is something that most organisations will talk about and is often discussed in the context of performance reviews and when hiring new staff – however to get maximum impact, employees need clarity in what the goals are and how they can contribute. Ideally, employees as key stakeholders will have been consulted in the formulation of the vision and goals, however as new employees leave and join organisations all the time, this isn’t always practical. In roles such as sales or customer service, the link between individual and company goals may be easy to visualise but this isn’t the case for any Department or team so more signposting may be needed.

Sometimes it is the small things that can make a difference, for instance in ensuring that progress and successes are identified and acknowledged. This can be done privately or through a more public appreciation process. For some employees this will motivate them to remain being seen as high achievers.

Flexibility is highly valued and this can take different forms. Research suggests that where there is an element of choice this can make people feel more engaged as they have some control. As well as the traditional forms of flexibility such as work location and distribution of working hours, there are other ways that employees can have options to choose from. For example, can learning and development activities be offered in different modes? – employers can consider which areas might work well as recorded podcasts so that they can be accessed by participants at the time most convenient to them. This can be particularly useful for part-time employees and those that work outside of normal working hours.

Whilst learning and development opportunities can aid employees in undertaking their role and developing their skills and knowledge, for some people they feel like a chore which can distract from the day job. The HR team can help by considering which training and development activities should be mandatory and which could be optional.

Having access to senior colleagues can aid engagement, employees like to feel that they have the chance to share their views and take part in discussions. It can also be powerful to hear news ‘from the horse’s mouth’ in person, rather than always by email. Buy-in and ownership is easier when people understand the rationale and have the opportunity to raise assumptions and come up with ideas.

When thinking about career development, the concept of ‘you have to see it to be it’ is relevant, having diversity in the leadership structure and having access to those people can be inspiring. Mentoring can also be a mode of engagement but needs to have mutually agreed expectations.

Leaders can also think about additional opportunities to engage team members in areas that impact on the business but are useful from a career perspective as well. For example, inviting colleagues to form part of an interview panel or giving them another role in recruitment and selection can be empowering. There is a dual benefit of them learning what works (and doesn’t work) so they can use it for their next interview. Obviously there has to be some safeguards in terms of preparing people to be part of the process through training – participating in this training is also a useful activity that could be included on their CV.

Line managers need to be encouraged and supported to manage – the way that they perform the role can have a massive influence on the experience of employees. Poor line managers can lead to disengagement and in extreme cases, employees may leave to pursue external opportunities where they will be better supported. It is critical that organisations invest in the development of line managers and support them to do a good job, just because someone is good at their initial role, doesn’t guarantee that they will have management skills.

A further area for consideration sounds very obvious but is often ignored – is it clear what good performance looks like? Is there a shared understanding between line managers and the postholders who are actually carrying out the role? Is there consistency in what excellent performance looks like and how can this be a) captured (so that other people can copy) and b) acknowledged.

It would be naïve to think that organisations can provide work environments that will engage employees at all times. Whilst it is important to recognise things that are working well, of equal importance is what happens if something goes wrong. Everyone can have bad days and the way that they are dealt with can be told.