Why a simple ‘thank you’ goes a long way in employee engagement

There are countless articles dedicated to employee engagement and for good reason. Most of the time, disengaged employees are either looking for another job opportunity and/or have mentally quit their current job.



And while some of the employee engagement jargon may not immediately draw your attention, the idea that some of your employees may be looking to jump ship should be a concern.



About half of U.S. employees are actively eyeing the exits, or have a less than favorable opinion of their employers, according to Mercer, an outplacement and consulting firm.



While there is no quick fix to getting those disconnected employees completely engaged with the company, there is a simple way to start the path toward it. As the manager, you need to recognize the good performance of your direct reports.



I know, it seems like such an easy concept - employees will be more engaged with their company if they receive some recognition.



Let’s compare this to whenever your wife or husband spends a significant amount of time preparing dinner for you and the family. You are tired from a long day of work and are really just happy to eat anything, so it doesn’t even cross your mind to say thank you or help with the dishes. Well, I’m sure you know that behavior never goes over well and it could result in an argument. However, if you showed gratitude toward your spouse for making the meal, they will feel appreciated and you will have a much happier household.



It really isn’t that much different when it comes to recognizing the hard work of your employees.



Everyone wants to feel respected. No one wants to work day-in and day-out and never hear appreciation for their work. After a while they may even wonder if anyone would notice if they left the company.



Providing recognition and rewards to individuals who contribute to the successful efforts of the work group is an important managerial skill that re-energizes the group and increases motivation. Effective managers are generous with praise and celebrate individual and group successes.



If it’s been a while since you’ve given praise to your employees, you may be perceived as being stingy with praise or unable to celebrate individual or group successes. This will usually have a negative impact on the levels of general morale and commitment in the work group.



Here are some development tips to keep in mind:

• Regularly thank your team members for their input and contributions to the work.


• When recognizing team members, make the recognition appropriate to the person. Not all team members appreciate public recognition.


• Expand your field of recognition to include quiet, low-visibility, or geographically distant contributors.


• Thank people privately, as well as publicly, for jobs well done. A special handwritten note will be greatly appreciated.


• Frequently offer genuine compliments to others regarding their effective job performance.


• Compliment coworkers on their success. Don’t forget about rewarding small achievements. Set a daily goal to say positive things.

Saying ‘thank you’ to your employees may not change their lives, but it could make them feel better about their role at the company, and that is the first step toward employee engagement.

Retain your quality talent

“I quit!”

A year ago that phrase was heard seldom in the workplace, but times are changing. Industry experts say the economy is improving, and as a result more job opportunities are opening up for candidates.

According to Monster.com, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported in October the number of employees voluntarily quitting their jobs had eclipsed the number terminated through layoffs and other types of discharges.

This is great news for job seekers, but should also serve as a wake-up call to employers.


The economic recession took a heavy toll, not just on those laid off, but also on the survivors who shouldered the burden of ‘doing more with less’. Many employees became disenchanted and may look to cut themselves loose from their jobs – especially in a better economy.

Replacing employees costs a lot of time, energy, and lost productivity so employers need to place a greater focus on retaining their quality employees.

Here are a few tips on how to do it.

Give Feedback
Meet with your team members regularly throughout the year, not just at appraisal time. Give them feedback - both positive and negative so they know how to move forward in their jobs. Review progress on their development plans and on their career planning. If there are stumbling blocks, try to help your employees any way you can.

Ask for Feedback
Just as you need to give feedback, you must ask for feedback from your direct reports on your managerial skills. You need to find out what your strengths and weaknesses are so you can improve as a manager. It’s no secret people quit jobs due to their boss. But if you don’t know what you are doing wrong, you can’t fix it. Gathering feedback can help you change course for the better.

Offer Perks
Your company may not be able to offer bigger salaries but there are small initiatives it can do to reward employees. Order in lunch once a month, offer a floating holiday, subsidized gym membership, etc. Sometimes it really is the little things that count.

Be Flexible
Let employees work from home once in a while. If a staffer works overtime, let them come in late the following day. These gestures can let workers know they are appreciated.

What are other key ways to retain valuable employees?

Sources: Forbes, Monster.com

Employee Engagement Lessons from The Office

Employee engagement is a hot topic; with estimates that disengaged workers cost U.S. companies an estimated $350 billion every year. Yikes!

While researching and reading countless articles about employee disengagement, I couldn’t help but think of the NBC show The Office. You’ve got to love when a pop culture phenomenon can also be used as a reference for workforce issues.

If you haven’t seen the hilarious show (you deprived individual), here is a brief synopsis: The Office depicts the everyday lives of the office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.

Michael Scott is the incompetent regional manager of the company. Take a look at his management skills here:



Michael lacks the necessary leadership characteristics to successfully manage the office. As a result, the work environment is chaotic and many of the Dunder Mifflin workers are not engaged.

The Gallup Organization, a research firm, states there are three employment types: engaged, not engaged, and actively disengaged. Since The Office has great workplace material, let’s examine the engagement types of some of the key characters. Plus, it gives you an excuse to watch The Office clips at work. If anyone asks, simply respond that the clips are part of a learning tool.

Engaged – Dwight Schrute

Dwight Schrute is a strange man. He speaks in a halting, intense manner, is obsessed with sci-fi and zombies, and has a wide array of weapons ranging from crossbows to nunchucks.



Despite his lack of social skills and odd mannerisms, Dwight is actually good for Dunder Mifflin. He’s one of the top salesmen at the company and has won numerous sales awards. Also, Dwight is extremely loyal to his boss and will seemingly do anything for the company.

In his own way Dwight displays some of the characteristics of an engaged employee. He is dedicated, productive, and takes pride in his work.

Not Engaged – Stanley Hudson

Stanley Hudson is also a sales representative for Dunder Mifflin. While he is hardworking, he is thoroughly grumpy, believes he is underpaid, and dislikes his boss, Michael Scott. He's also usually doing a crossword puzzle instead of working or listening in meetings (although, I don't blame him for zoning out in the conference room meetings at Dunder Mifflin!).



Stanley is a perfect example of a non-engaged employee who is ‘checked out’ and ‘sleepwalking’ through the day. He does his job without any interest, passion, or personal involvement.

Actively Disengaged – Angela Martin

There are several characters in the show we could have used to represent disengaged workers. However, Angela Martin takes the cake.

She is head of the accounting department at Dunder Mifflin and is cold, judgmental, and uptight. Angela is outspoken about her disapproval of nearly everyone in the office. When she makes a mistake, her first response is to shift the blame to someone else.

Angela is also the head of the Party Planning Committee at Dunder Mifflin. Typically, when a committee member suggests an idea, Angela will shoot it down with a mean comment. Due to her behavior, she is a constant source of complaints to human resources.



Disengaged workers are unhappy in their work and they don’t care who knows it. They may be highly vocal in their criticisms toward the company and will act out their frustration.

The Reality

Okay, so these characters are fiction. Still, if you don’t want your office to be like Dunder Mifflin, you should take note if you have any workers that display disengaged traits. Now we are not saying you should try to have all your employees become exactly like Dwight (there would be way too many nunchucks around). However, as manager it is your job to create a culture for employment engagement.

It doesn’t take much to keep someone motivated – just pay attention, communicate and interact with him or her.

No matter what though – please don’t take leadership or fashion advice from Michael Scott.

Sorry, Michael. A do-rag does not equal quality leadership.

Sources: The Gallup Organization, Wikipedia, NBC, YouTube, IMDb