How CEOs Can Increase Employee Engagement: Clarity

In the last decade, employee engagement has been on a downward trend. We can all guess why that is, and it may be higher among contractors. But CEOs and managers can help change this downward trend by understanding what employees need: Connection, Clarity, Contribution, and Choice.

I knew an employee who worked as a contractor with a fairly big company. Due to several people leaving, the work for her contracts became unclear. When she emailed questions or even asked what was the new chain-of-command, she was met with silence. Her continued emails translated into, “She is demanding, hard to work with.” But the lack of communication caused the problems. It won’t surprise you to know that she stopped working for the company. However, she may have stayed if she had had just one basic need met: clarity.

If an employee is unclear about their job or their role, it will be hard to feel connected to their company. A lack of connection will translate into low employee engagement, which will affect productivity and retention. 

Having just three questions answered will go a long way with an employee.

What is the employee’s role? If an employee doesn’t understand what their role is and why it is important, then the CEO has a problem. Every employee should understand their role clearly. Consider how unproductive you would be if you showed up to work without a clear plan of what you were expected to do.

What is the goal? As CEO or manager, how well do you communicate the goals of the company and the goals for particular employees? If they are unsure what they are working toward, how can they do their jobs well?

Am I doing a good job? This isn’t just about positive feedback. Employees want to know what they are doing well, but they also want to know where to improve. Giving them a sense of both of these will increase their engagement and communicate that you care about them.

With the increase of remote, hybrid, and contract work, the need for clarity is even more important. We have talked about the need for connection. If a CEO or manager is having weekly 1-to-1 meetings with employees, this is a great time to build connections. These conversations are also a place to provide clarity.

Let’s consider the contractor story. What would it have looked like if she had had a meaningful conversation every week with someone in the company? What if she had a safe place to talk through her concerns? How connected would she have felt to the company if her role and goals were clear?

And most important of all, how would things have been different if she had known what she was doing well and where she needed to improve? Whether you’re hybrid, contractor, or full-time, employees will easily lose engagement in the workplace if they have no idea how they are performing.

Low employee engagement translates to low productivity, mediocre customer service, and in the end, profitability. When CEOs invest in connection and give employees clarity, the return on that investment is huge.

Vibrancy Unlocked coaches CEOs to thrive so they build a better workplace. Contact us at www.vibrancyunlocked.com.