Ah, commitment in the workplace. It’s what every business owner wants. But, how do you get it?
How can you encourage your employees to be committed to their positions, your business’s mission, and the customers they serve?
If you want employee engagement and commitment, inspire employees to take ownership of their work.
How to encourage ownership and commitment in the workplace
According to Gallup, 34% of employees are committed to their work and workplace. This 34% represents the workforce who is involved in and enthusiastic about their jobs. And, only 13% of workers reported being miserable and uncommitted.
Although these statistics highlight the gap between committed and uncommitted employees, there’s something more at play. What’s up with the other 53%?
Fifty-three percent of workers are floating in limbo. They’re neither committed nor uncommitted. These workers have limited connection to their work and your small business.
These are the employees who haven’t developed ownership in their work. So, these are the employees you want to inspire.
Sure, it would be great to inspire commitment in the 13% of actively disengaged workers. But chances are, they’re already looking for other jobs. And, they may not be the workers you want in your small business.
Your focus should be on keeping your committed employees actively engaged and sparking commitment among your employees in limbo.
Why? Because employee commitment is invaluable. Here are just a few benefits of business commitment:
- Increased small business revenue
- Lower turnover rates
- Happier business customers
- Higher return on investment (ROI)
- Boosted business growth
Ready to tackle commitment in the workplace? Develop employee ownership and inspire commitment with these tips.
Cast your vision
You have a vision for where you want your business to go. Your employees’ work needs to help you achieve your vision statement goals.
But if you want your employees to take ownership in achieving your vision, they need to believe in it.
If your employees don’t fully understand or have faith in your vision, they won’t be successful in taking your business there. But when your employees believe in your vision, they are committed to achieving it.
Do you want your employees to believe in your business? If so, you must effectively cast your vision.
Show employees how their jobs fit into your small business’s mission. Once employees know how their jobs tie in, they can take ownership of their positions.
Employees who see the impact of their positions tend to be more committed to your business’s success. These are the workers who see their hard work move your business forward. And, they observe how their mistakes can damage growth.
Don’t micromanage
Freedom is critical to an employee’s ability to develop ownership in their work. Not to mention, giving an employee authority over their job encourages them to take pride in their work.
Micromanagement stifles creativity, engagement, and—you guessed it—ownership. When you micromanage, you control everything an employee does, limiting their ownership in projects and tasks.
And without ownership, you may have a hard time getting and retaining committed employees.
Rather than micromanaging your staff, encourage them to complete tasks how they want. Give employees the freedom to make creative decisions, manage their time effectively, and develop ownership over their work.
Hold idea-sharing meetings
If you want employees to take ownership in their positions, give them opportunities to share their opinions and ideas.
Employees who feel heard and respected are typically more committed and engaged. To encourage the exchange of ideas, hold regular meetings.
Electing a different employee to lead meetings can give each employee a chance to lead, which can help develop ownership.
If you want committed employees, you need to be equally committed to them. Listen to and test out your employees’ ideas.
To avoid wasting time, know how to make meetings more effective. Ask your employees to create an agenda, set a timeframe, and divide action items. That way, everyone attending the meeting understands what needs to be done.
Find out for yourself
If you want to increase an employee’s commitment towards work, find out exactly how invested they are. And, determine what the worker is looking for.
According to one SHRM report, businesses measure employee engagement and commitment by looking at things like a worker’s:
- Pride in employer
- Job satisfaction
- Effort that goes above and beyond the minimum
- Future plans
To find out how to improve an employee’s commitment to your small business, consider asking them.
You can distribute surveys that ask questions about your employees’ experience at your business. And, be sure to regularly touch base with employees by holding semi-annual performance reviews.
Incentivize
Another way to increase dedication and commitment is by giving your employees goals.
Workplace incentives are always in style. A few incentives directly tied to building up ownership and commitment include:
- Career advancement opportunities
- Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs)
- Bonuses and commissions
Employee ownership and commitment go hand in hand with career advancement opportunities. Employees with advancement opportunities may be more committed to proving themselves and staying at your business. If you want to provide career advancement opportunities, consider education assistance, promotions, and job rotation programs.
If you want employees to take ownership in your business, you may consider literally giving them ownership. An Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) gives your workers a stake in your business’s success, which helps to solidify commitment. Under an ESOP, employees can opt to purchase stock in your small business.
You might decide to offer bonus pay or commissions to encourage employee ownership and commitment. Employees may receive these supplemental wages when they make a sale or accomplish a similar goal. By offering bonus and commission payments, you are incentivizing employees to take ownership in their day-to-day activities.