The four fundamental principles of employee engagement

Engaged employees perform better, especially when they are engaged and connected with the organisation’s mission statement. However, Dorie Clark, Marketing Strategist, and Lecturer at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business; and Dr Alexis Redding, Faculty Co-Chair of Higher Education and Lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education believe that the full weight of employee engagement cannot rely on the organisation’s mission.

“Employees also need to know that the organisation (in the form of leadership) reciprocally values them and their unique perspective,” wrote both Clark and Dr Redding in the Harvard Business Review. Both experts summarised boosting engagement boiling down to four simple fundamental elements: helping your employees feel seen, heard, valued, and encouraged.

Both experts highlighted the four elements by explaining why the elements mattered, as well as solutions that employers can cultivate at work for their employees. This includes helping employees develop workplace friendships; implementing solutions to employees’ concerns, even if it would mean tackling structural problems that some organisations may have; routinely checking in on employees and creating a culture of openness so that employees will feel valued and safe; and taking an interest in the career trajectory of their employees with guidance and encouragement.

READ MORE: Unlocking potential and empowering minds through employee engagement

 “Employees who feel a genuine sense of belonging at work are a powerful force,” wrote both experts. “At a minimum, they’re less likely to quit, saving organisations huge amounts of time and money in training and replacement costs. But their loyalty can also unleash massive gains in productivity and innovation, as they bring their best ideas and sustained effort to bear in supporting an organisation that they feel supports them.”