Employee engagement has become a topic of much focus in the corporate world.  Many organizational   and human resource experts have invested multiple hours and dollars to create a culture of engagement in the work place.  This might seem outside the realm of the small business owner (for this article we are defining a “small business” as those companies with more than 1, but less than 50 employees).  In addition to understanding what employee engagement is, it is important for small business owners to understand why it is necessary for them to take steps to develop it within their business culture.
What is meant by employee engagement?  I might be easier to describe what it is not.  Employee engagement does not mean employee happiness or satisfaction.  An employee might be happy and satisfied while at work, but that does not mean that they are engaged.  Being happy or satisfied does not mean that they are working hard or productively and operating on behalf of what they know is best for the company.  When an employee is truly engaged, they are emotionally committed to the company for which they work and are compelled to offer more of their capability and potential.  And what is the return on investment for a small business owner to put the time and finances into developing a culture of engagement?  Engaged employees provide higher quality service, which leads to, improved customer satisfaction which results in, increased sales and profits.
So how does one create a culture of engagement?  Here are 5 simple entry points to get you started:

1. Develop Meaningful Relationships
   1. No significant employee engagement will occur without building significant relationships with and among employees.  Provide opportunities for you and your employees to truly get to know one another.  There are many protocols that can be used during staff meetings and retreats to initially develop this.  The key is to make sure it is not a “frozen in time” moment of sharing.  Use what you learn about employees to authentically inquire about their life and how things are going and be sure to listen when they do.  This modeling will encourage others to engage in the same behavior.
2. Give Employees a Voice
   1. Design systems and platforms that truly allow employees to share what they are thinking or need and/or provide feedback to you and others.  Utilize discussion protocols to ensure that all voices, thoughts and ideas will be heard during a meeting.  The more you promote sharing of ideas, the better your business will benefit. One of the best ways to keep the inflow of ideas is to incorporate ongoing brainstorming sessions into staff meetings. Facilitate these discussions in such a manner that they promote open sharing of ideas/opinions without any criticism. Sometimes, an idea may spark something new or innovative, and you may miss out if you do not provide the platform for it to be born.
3. Promote Health and Wellness
   • This does not mean you need an onsite gym or pay for gym memberships.  You could talk with local gyms and see if they will offer a group discount for employees.  Work with a local health services or recreation department to see if there is anyone who could provide a presentation on healthy eating or stress reduction techniques
4. Provide and Support Opportunities for Continuous Professional Development and Growth
   1. Many employees aspire to advance their career by improving their existing knowledge and skills. Help your employees fulfill their aspirations. You can offer help to your employees by arranging site-based workshops or trainings that are in alignment with their interests.  You can also create a way to keep them informed of learning opportunities at local workforce development centers, community colleges, online learning platforms, etc.  Consider allowing your employees to take some time off from work and pursue whatever they are passionate about even if it may not be directly related to work. While you may lose some production time while they are gone, you are almost guaranteed to have a fully engaged employee when they are at work since they are being fulfilled as an individual.

 5. Practice Authentic Gratitude

1. Gratitude in the workplace should be practiced often.  When giving positive feedback or praise to an employee, make it authentic and specific.  While, “Nice work today!”, is a positive statement, it doesn’t specifically identify what it is that the employee did that you appreciated.  Try instead, “Nice work today with that client.  I could tell they were frustrated when they walked in, but your calm and supportive approach put them at ease.”  This lets the employee now that you are truly in tune with the efforts that they are putting into place to make the business successful.  Another very simple way to establish a culture of gratitude is to hand write notes to employees acknowledging positive contributions and behaviors.  After you have modeled how this process works, encourage them to write positive notes to each other.  Keep a collection of blank notecards at the work place in an area where anyone can access them or pass them out at staff meetings

The new year offers a fresh start and an opportunity to create new dreams and aspirations for ourselves.  For many, this comes in the form of “New Year’s Resolutions”.  Resolutions are typically framed around areas of our life that we feel need to change.  When thinking through a resolution, the language of “should’ or “must” typically comes into play; “I should try to get the gym more often…”, “I must get some control over my spending habits….”  This type of language calls forth our inner disciplinarian and most of the time, fails to be inspiring or motivational.  Therefore, in 2018, I would like to encourage you to forego resolutions and instead focus on a more uplifting possibility to manifest change in your life:

Positive Affirmations:The word affirmation comes from the Latin affirmare, meaning to “make steady or strengthen”.   An affirmation by definition, suggests that something exists or is true.  Creating affirming and positive thoughts in our life is key to manifesting the experiences and feeling states that we want. According to Dr. Carmen Harra, “Affirmations do indeed strengthen us by helping us believe in the potential of an action we desire to manifest. When we verbally affirm our dreams and ambitions, we are instantly empowered with a deep sense of reassurance that our wishful words will become reality.”  To include this powerful tool into your life, identify 3-5 positive affirmations that resonate with you and incorporate them into your daily life (check out Dr. Harra’s article for 35 amazing affirmatios that you can use:  https://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-carmen-harra/affirmations_b_3527028.html).  This could include taking time each morning to say them out loud, write them on sticky notes that you place around your living and work space so that you will see them often, record them as a voice memo on your phone so that you can listen to them.  What ever works for you.  The key is to be sure that you fully embrace the power of the idea and words in your affirmations. 
Reflection on all that Went Well in 2017:This practice embraces positive psychology ideology which encourages the belief that people want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives to cultivate what is best within themselves.  Utilizing simple prompts such as “What am I most proud of from 2017?” or “What from 2017 do I want to encourage more of in 2018?”, or “The top 7 things that made my heart sing in 2017” can create powerful feelings of happiness and accomplishment.  It is from this feeling state that we can make plans to continue embracing and developing positive experiences for the year to come.
Vision Board:A Vision Board is a fun and simple way to create a physical visualization of what you want to bring into your life.  Visualizing the positive feelings and experiences that what we want helps create a positive energy that supports and guides their actual manifestation.  If this sounds to “woo woo”, note that athletes have been trained in the use of visualization techniques for decades in order to improve performance.  As explained by the “Make a Vision Board” website, vision boards can help you to:

• Identify your vision and give it clarity
• Reinforce your daily affirmations
• Keep your attention on your attentions

Check out “Soul School’s” website for some great ideas on how to get yours started: http://www.soulschoolonline.com/toolbox/visioning/vision-boards/
 
Perfect Day Visualization:Take some time to think about what a “perfect day” in 2018 would look like.  This should be something that is actually attainable, but a couple steps outside of what you typically allow yourself to enjoy.  Maybe it involves using a flex day to sleep in late and spend the day lounging in your yoga pants binging on your favorite snack food and NetFlix show.  Or maybe it is using a weekend or holiday to get out into nature and take a long hike with a friend or your dog.  It could be identifying a time when you will finally enroll in a cooking class that you have always thought about. Think of all the details and feeling states that your “perfect day” would include.  Document all this information in some form and then, set a deadline for when you will make that “perfect day” happen.  Depending on what you plan, you could create 3-4 Perfect Days for the year.  Getting in touch with the positive feeling states that you will experience on these special days will be a “pick me up” on the days are not so “perfect”.Word of the Year:This activity will help if you feel the need for focus and clarity.  Frequently, if you make a list or complete a very open-ended journaling activity about what you do want in your life, you will see themes and patterns emerging. Once the theme or overarching pattern can be identified, “boil it down” to the one powerful word that encapsulates it to serve as your foundation for the year.  Write the word down and have it in places where you can connect with it throughout the day as needed for decision making and grounding.
Possible word choices that may emerge are:

• Adventure
• Joy
• Freedom
• Caring
• Friendship
• Perseverance