As a manager, it’s sometimes hard to fathom how much an impact you have over someone else’s happiness and overall job satisfaction. The role of the manager is so significant that Gallup found that they account for 70 percent of the variance in employee engagement scores. The reasons managers influence this score are numerous and varied, but major reasons include that managers exemplify the behaviors that are desired of employees, they nurture employee growth, and are the conduit between employees and the broader organization.
There was a time when HR would be the drivers for better understanding employee needs and individual performance. However, the modern organization understands that while HR is a significant partner in forming the conversation, ultimately, it’s the manager who delivers it. In todays’s organization, the manager is the mentor, role model, leader and advisor — and have the delicate act of balancing both the needs of employees and the needs of the business. Which is why an essential role of managers is to understand the drivers and motivators of employees and be able to identify and address when employees are becoming disengaged.
According to Glint Inc., a company that uses people analytics to help companies increase employee engagement, there are three key steps to manager-led employee engagement:
- Quantify through feedback
- Diagnose by highlighting key areas
- Improve by using data to encourage action and fuel conversation.
Check out Glint’s infographic for more thoughts on how managers are employee engagement champions.
