Work smart: Traits of highly engaged employees

If you hate your job, the work environment, your colleagues and everything about the organisation where you are employed then you exhibit signs of a disengaged employee who has mentally resigned from the company eons ago but is still being paid for his/her physical presence at work.

If you happen to be in sales, customer service or any other function where your work requires you to interact directly with the customers then maintaining such an attitude will not only affect your own productivity but will also have a negative influence on your customers. Since customers drive businesses thereby contributing to the bottom line of the organisation, highly engaged employees are required to engage their customers. The Japanese frequently refer to the customer as Kami-sama, or god.

The strong customer-centered focus displayed by an engaged employee is highlighted by Tom Peters in his book, In search of excellence, where he writes about a Honda worker who on his way home each evening would straighten up the windshield wiper on all the Hondas he passed. This work was definitely not part of his job description but he did this for the simple reason that he hated to see a flaw in a company product. Only an engaged employee can exhibit such passion to go the extra mile at work with a sense of loyalty towards the organisation. A highly engaged employee possesses the following traits which make his/her work more satisfying.

Begins with the end in mind

There is a popular adage that runs plan your work and work your plan. An engaged employee knows exactly what is expected of him/her by working closely with the line manager to clearly define and clarify the outcomes to be achieved. He/she then works assiduously to achieve them.

Seeks opportunities for growth

Engaged employees constantly seek opportunities to excel at work. It is the responsibility of line managers to provide them with challenging work that might be outside their co! mfort zo ne. This approach assumes that by doing new things such employees may discover their hidden talents. Helping people get into roles in which they can fully use their inherent talents is the ongoing work of great managers.

Looks for recognition

An engaged employee needs constant feedback to know if what he is doing is important and its impact on the organisation. An ongoing management challenge is to understand how each person prefers to be recognised, to make recognition objective and real by basing it on performance, and to do this frequently.

Requires encouragement

How employees are coached can influence how they perceive their future. If the manager is helping the employee improve as an individual by providing opportunities that are in line with the employees talents, both the employee and the company will profit.

Voices opinion

Employees feel engaged when their opinions matter and therefore asking for the employees input from time to time can lead to better decision making. This is because employees are often more closer to the business than their respective managers. In addition, when employees feel they are involved in decisions, they take greater ownership for the outcomes.

Courts professional relationships

BIn a research conducted by Gallup, it was revealed that employees having a best friend at work are seven times more likely to be highly engaged at work than those who do not. Those with a close friend at work are almost twice as likely to be satisfied with their pay and 27 per cent more likely to see their strengths as aligned with the companys goals. These friendship claimers are also statistically more likely to satisfy customers, get more done in less time, have more fun on the job, have fewer accidents at work, share ideas more and simply show up to work more consistently.

Desires a positive work environment

For an employee to be highly engage! d in wha t he/she is doing, the work environment plays a vital role. In his book, The why of work, Dave Ulrich writes, Organisations develop unconscious patterns of how work is done that, if left unattended, may lead to cynicism, disorganisation, redundancy or lethargy. Great leaders recognise and establish positive work environments that inspire employees, meet customer expectations and give investor confidence.

However, a negative work environment finds employees spending more time backbiting, becoming territorial with their jobs, lacking teamwork, or meekly obeying instructions rather than solving problems.

The writer is an HR consultant and trainer.