Are you in an organization that doesn’t really value employee engagement? Is there a lot of expectations put on you from senior leadership, but no acknowledgements or rewards for your exceptional performance?
Here are some tips and tricks to keep yourself engaged. And who knows, maybe your positive attitude and initiative will rub off on senior leadership and before you know it, you’ll have a formal program in place!
Start with a Routine
When you’re unengaged it’s easy to be bored, and lose focus. But if you have a routine you can rely on, something you have made a habit, it’s much easier to just dive into the tasks at hand without having to use up too much brain power and effort to get yourself there.
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Take Breaks
Especially if you work in a physically demanding job or a sit-down office environment, it is important for you to take breaks so that you don’t burn yourself out. A quick 15-minute walk around the block or stepping out at lunch can really reinvigorate your body and mind for the rest of the day.
Ask for Challenging Projects
If your leaders are not engaging you and offering you opportunities to grow, create them for yourself! Taking on a new client? Ask to be part of the implementation or project team so you will learn something new. Find areas to improve the business? Prepare a mini report to discuss with your leaders. Always continue to grow and find new and better ways to do your work.
Step Outside Your Silo
This is another way that you can learn and grow in your organization. Ask to shadow people in other departments so you get to know all areas of the organization. It will help you better understand the flow of work and how it can be improved internally and externally. If this is not a possibility for you, why not eat your lunch with someone from a different department where you can have casual conversation about what is and is not working and discuss ways you could improve it. Then bring it up at your next team meeting!
Be Friendly, Fun and Hospitable
When you’re un-engaged, I know the last thing you want to be is friendly, fun and hospitable. However, these three qualities are critical for you to practice, even when you don’t ‘feel’ like it. I promise if you act friendly, fun and hospitable towards every person you interact with both inside and outside of our organization, it will improve your interactions drastically. You will feel happier from having a positive point of view, people will open up to you, and you will become an invaluable resource.
Celebrate Your Achievements
If you’re not being rewarded and recognized by your leaders and organization, make sure you acknowledge and recognize your own success and those of your peers. Complete a big and challenging project? Pop a bottle of champagne at dinner! Talk to your colleagues about their success, exchange stories and recognize and acknowledge each other. Peer to peer recognition is an incredible driver of engagement! It could be as simple as sending them a personalized thank you or recognizing them at a team meeting. And perhaps if this becomes a habit of those around you, leadership will eventually catch on to what’s working.
Want to drop the hint to your senior leadership or give them some engagement and recognition options? Click here to book a complimentary demonstration of our custom solutions.