9 Ways to Keep Your Drupalistas Engaged at Work

You want to grow your Drupal business an important part of this is going to be how you engage with your employees so they stay interested in what you do. As a manager of your business, your employees are just as important as the clients as you may need these employees as some point to keep your customers happy.

You may not have the current skills to keep employees engaged with your business and clients. This is where good management skills come into play. When you have happy clients, you get more referrals and repeat business. It’s in your best interest to ensure that all employees are engaged with the business and that this attitude is translating to how they interact with clients and customers. This article Looks at ways you can keep employees engaged with your business. You may have overlooked some of these and some you may not have even considered before.

Why Keep Employees Engaged?

As your Drupal business grows, you need to have employees that are engaged. You can tell if you have an engaged employee because they are enthusiastic for the company and work that they do for you. They believe in the objectives and goals that the company has set forth and are actively working towards those goals.

When you have employees that have the above characteristics they will make the decisions that are in the best interest of your company and the clients you work for. You need a team and not just a bunch of individuals that so their own thing. When you have engaged employees it makes it easier for you to sleep at night because you’ll know that everyone is on the same page and working as a team should towards the goals the company has.

Secret to Engaged Employees

If you run a Drupal business, things are hectic all the time as you have plenty to do. You may have deadlines and some of the team member may not carry their weight in the way you would like. As a small business, even small problems can feel like monumental ones. You may blame employees on factors that are external, but it really comes down to your management skills. You can improve this to become a better manager so employees are more engaged.

Some stats from the Harvard Business Review that will let you know why good management is important:

• In a study of 27 million employees and many organizations over 20 years its estimated that 70% of the variance of employee engagement is caused by management.
• In 2012 30% of employees said they are engaged at their work

The studies said that only one in ten have the qualities of a good manager which are:

• An ability to motivate the employees
• Assertiveness to get employees to complete a task or reach a deadline
• Good managers have accountability
• They can build transparent and open relationships
• They focus on productivity and not office politics

These skills can all be practiced which will make you a better manager so your Drupal business is more successful.

Nine Creative Ways for Employee Engagement

You need to put your skills to use to engage employees. Here are some ways to put them to use in your Drupal business.

1. It’s “We” not ‘I”

You need a team and not individuals so the word “I” should be replaced with “we.” To grow your business you need a team effort so get everyone on the same page. A solo freelancer can think of themselves as ‘” I,” but if you want your business to grow and have your employees all work together, you need a team!

2. Open Communication

You want to have open communication. You have to be able to communicate things to your client as well as your employees. If you have honest communication, then employees will feel more comfortable communicating with you too. Encourage employees to discuss their opinions and thoughts even if they are the wrong ones or you don’t agree with them.

Try to have an open office environment free of cubicles if possible. You may have a corroborative space in the office area. If you do a lot of work online with your team use Hangouts, HipChat or Slack. Keep your employees up-to-date about what is going on with the business so they feel engaged. Let them know about the goals you have and how their work is going to help. The employee will feel like they are accomplishing something and will work harder toward the goal. Employees want to have a purpose with your company so communicate with them and get them excited about the job.

3. Consistent Management

You need to let employees know what is expected of them. If you’re not clear, then things are not going to get done in the way you want them to. You don’t want to have employees that are unsure about what to do. If employees don’t know what to do, they won’t be as committed to the work and may even make costly mistakes. Try to keep expectation consistent and communicate when changes are being made so employees know what to do. Your team will be committed if they know what your expectations of them are.

4. You Lead by Example

If you make exceptions for yourself, employees may too and the business will suffer as a result. You have to be the one that sets the standard for the business so others will follow your lead.  For example, don’t talk poorly about a client even if you feel like it, as the employees may do this as well. You want employees to follow the vision of the company so be the leader they look up to for direction.

5. Employee Opinions Matter

You want employees to feel like they are part of a larger vision. When an employee discusses something with you or shares an idea, it should be looked at and investigated. This keeps the employee engaged as they feel like a contributor to the business. Employees want to have an effective voice in the company and feel like they are a larger part of it.

6. Reward those with a “Think for Yourself Mentality”

You want to delegate tasks to the right people when it’s needed. You also need to encourage employees to think and act on their won to get things done. Don’t discourage employees from taking a calculated risk or using imitative if this is in the best interests of the company or a client you’re working with. You want employees that have an entrepreneurial mindset and will think outside of the box as they think about the business. Give your employees opportunity and when they do well, reward them for their actions.

7. Professional and Personal Growth Should Be Encouraged

Employees will be engaged in the business if they feel like you’re engaged with their lives. You can accomplish this by helping them with professional and personal growth. Maybe the employee needs a bit of time off of work for a project or just needs a vacation. If you help employees as much as you can, then they will bring their “A” game to work and give you better results.

8. Respect for Personal Time

There are many people who dedicate their time and energy for Drupal. People will work hard for you, but they need personal time as well. You want employees to give 100% at work, but they need to have an opportunity to give 100% to other things that are important to them. This will include, leisure, family as well as vacation time. You want employees to be fresh and ready to work so they need time to themselves. We all can’t work 100% of the time. An employee that has balance between personal life and work life will be more engaged and will give their best when they are at work.

9. If You Critique Others, you Have to Accept it Too

You want to have open communication, but you have to be open to critique of your management skills. You want engaged employees to be able to offer their opinions. You may find that some employees may have suggestions that can help you be an even better manager. Constructive critique can’t hurt you and it will only help you manage better than before. This will help not only you, but the entire team perform at their best and work towards those important goals you have for the business.

Summary

Keeping employees engaged in the business can be difficult, but you can get it done. Your Drupal business will benefit a great deal if you’re working on your management skills and becoming the leader you need to be to move the business forward to reach your goals.

You may not be a great manager now, but you can learn to become a great one. By working on your management skills and ensuring your employees are engaged in the business, you’ll grow your Drupal business like never before. It really comes down to how you treat your workers and the respect that each member of the team has towards each other. When you all work on the same page, good things will happen.