At the beginning of this year, Blessing White, a global consulting firm, released its 2011 Employee Engagement Report which found that only a third of U.S. employees are engaged at work. When asked “which one thing would improve job satisfaction,” 27% of respondents said the opportunity to apply their talents was a top driver of job satisfaction.
With fewer workers and heavier workloads, now may be the perfect time to see what your employees are really made of. Giving your staff the opportunity to prove their mettle through new projects and responsibilities will help increase their job satisfaction and take some tasks off your plate too.
If you’ve been reluctant to hand over a project to a member of your team, here are some tips to help you get started.
Know Your Employees’ Strengths
If you’re not finding ways to apply the various strengths of your team members, you’re not using your number one resource – your employees – to their full potential. Start, by learning more about who has what strengths. Review your team members’ résumés to recall some of the skills they’ve applied during previous jobs. Pay close attention to individual performance to see where people excel. And, have your team take personality or strengths tests to learn more about their natural talents. The Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestseller, Strength Finder 2.0 is a great way to help you and your employees learn more about their strengths.
Get Input
With annual reviews coming up for many companies, now’s a great time to sit down with your employees to talk about the skills they possess, the ones they’d like to develop, and ways to utilize those strengths. Learning about your team members’ aspirations and helping them set goals to grow and achieve more in the coming year, is a great way to prove that you’re invested in their careers.
Start Small
If you’re not quite ready to hand over a big project or add responsibility to an already heavy workload, start small. Ask an employee to oversee just one area of a project where you feel they could succeed. Delegate tasks, set expectations and deadlines, but also allow employees to make some decisions in the process too. Give them room to cultivate their skills.
The more your employees contribute to the team, the more valued they’ll feel at work. And when they get the chance to use their talents, they’re growing their workplace experience, expertise and their career – a win-win for everyone. Look for ways to give your employees new opportunities and you just might uncover their hidden talents and your team’s brightest stars.
No comments yet.