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Employee engagement can be a tough nut to crack. Even if you think that everyone is contributing at high 
levels, the research says that only 32% of all employees are engaged … if you do the math, you’ve probably got some people on your team who aren’t giving it their all. And, in this competitive landscape, you need all the brain power and sweat equity you can get from your team. So, what improves employee engagement? We know it is more complicated than quarterly bonuses and a company Christmas party. However, you might have a secret weapon to boost engagement sitting under your nose.
According to Gallup, women lead men on most engagement measures, and teams managed by women are also more engaged. Their research findings are interesting: “Employees who work for a female manager are six percentage points more engaged, on average, than those who work for a male manager. Female employees who work for a female manager are the most engaged; male employees who report to a male manager are the least engaged."
If you are serious about having your employees involved in, enthusiastic about, committed to, and positively contributing to your company, look around you. Make sure you have women in key leadership positions. Ensure you are investing in training and leadership skills to grow your female employees so you can promote them into management and leadership roles in your company. In fact, encouraging their direct reports' development is one of the things that women leaders do better than their male counterparts and is one reason they rate higher at engaging their teams. According to Gallup, “this could signify that women are more apt than men are to find stimulating tasks that challenge their employees, thus ensuring that associates develop in their current roles and beyond."
Here are a few other ways that women managers outperform men in employee engagement:
- Checking in more frequently on progress of the team and provide more regular feedback
- Setting clear expectations for employees
- Building relationships with the team
- Encouraging a positive culture
- Providing opportunities to grow and advance
In addition to hiring and promoting more women to leadership positions, you can also increase engagement by helping your male managers master these same habits. Using our Job Scorecard tool is a great way for any manager to communicate clear expectations for employees, and using the Rhythm software is an excellent way to check in on your team’s progress and provide continuous feedback on performance.
Good luck engaging your teams!
Photo Credit: iStock by Getty Images
