Everyday Engagement: Learning from each other
How do you know when something is working? Some indicators of trouble are easy to spot. If your vehicle’s check engine light comes on, you know it needs attention. If your child isn’t feeling well, you check his or her temperature and may make a call to the pediatrician. Measuring how well a workplace functions can be less straightforward, but our people leaders, often referred to as managers and supervisors, and their teams have tools available to assist with building a culture of engagement to make their work life more enjoyable together.
Our fourth Employee Engagement Survey has wrapped up and team reports are now available on Gallup’s website. Over the past few years, many Iowa DOT teams have used their survey results to develop workplaces where there is open, honest communication where everyone has a voice. One of the best ways to increase the success of the DOT as a whole is to learn from teams who’ve had success when it comes to engagement.
Shawn Blaesing, one of our engagement champions, was part of the team exploring the successes of these teams. She said, “There are so many groups out there doing great things. A group of champions interviewed these teams and we put together a set of “best practices” that can be used as a tool to continue building workplaces we all want to come to every day.”
The team put together an “Engagement Success Guide” for both people leaders and employees.
Some of the highlights for people leaders include:
- Set clear expectations
- Develop a team focus
- Think outside the box
- Facilitate meaningful dialog
- Mentor and develop individuals
- Engage often
On the employee side, the best practices include:
- Understand expectations
- Develop a team focus
- Think outside the box
- Participate in meaningful dialog
- Mentor and develop each other
- Engage often
Because engagement is something we accomplish together, you’ll notice that the lists overlap in many areas. The Engagement Success Guides spell out these areas in more detail, but there is a general theme – not one of us can do what we do all by ourselves. Clear communication and the understanding that each of us relies on our team members for assistance, encouragement, and support is the heart of a successful work unit. Engagement is a team effort.
Learn more about our Employee Engagement program and your role to ensure success.