All organisations want highly engaged employees, but all the statistics point towards a lack of engagement, more so today than at any point in history. In ever-more competitive marketplaces, employees need to feel respected, acknowledged and empowered to deliver their own small continual improvements to make a real difference to their organisation’s success. Here are 5 key habits of highly engaged employees. Do you recognise these in your own employees?

• They go the extra mile. They go over and above the call of duty for customers and wouldn’t think twice about doing something outside their job specification.
• They share. Forget “information is power”; an engaged employee is open about their experience, ideas, and data, and they expect others to do the same.
• They are “fixers”. They see what isn’t working, and suggest improvements to the way things are done.
• They are supported by, and trust, their immediate managers.
• They have confidence in senior leadership and the direction of the organisation. The organisational purpose and strategy has been communicated to them in a clear and compelling way – and they are very focused on it in doing their job.

Our approach takes as a foundation the 4 enablers of engagement cited by The “Engaged for Success” movement, launched by the government in 2010:

• Visible, empowering leadership providing a strong strategic narrative.
• Engaging immediate managers who focus on their people and give them scope and who also treat people as individuals, coaching them and stretching them.
• A resonant “Employee Voice” – employees are seen as central to the organisation and are highly collaborative in their work. They also have strong external networks and “bring the outside in”.
• Organisational integrity – the values on the wall are truly reflected in day-to-day behaviours. Or vice versa – the behaviours inherent from business leaders down create an enviable set of organisational values.