What Are the Three Cs of Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is hard to grow and even harder to maintain.

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Whether your company uses Centrical, the leading employee engagement software, or not, it takes work to keep workers attentive to their roles and invested in the business as a whole. The three Cs of employee engagement–communication, connection, and culture–can help.

In this article, we’ll unpack these values, how to invest in them at your company, and what benefits they can yield when they’re taken seriously!

Communication

The value by which relationships and companies can live or die, communication is, in part, about systems. Many businesses have poor communication among employees and between management and workers because there are no channels through which these conversations can happen. Such channels can create a culture of transparency and feedback, two things that can increase employees’ connection with their job.

The more employees are treated like their thoughts and opinions matter, the more invested they will be in the company and their role within it. This can have lasting effects. Once communication is valued and channels of discussion become available, each situation in which an employee might otherwise feel isolated, they can choose instead to reach out.

It’s important to remember that part of communication is making sure that goals and values are clearly conveyed. It’s harder to be engaged by your role when what’s expected of you isn’t crystal clear. Employee engagement in financial services and other industries can only really thrive when channels of communication don’t simply exist, but are valued and prioritized.

Connection

Once there is communication, there can be connection. This can look like a lot of things, but here are some examples:

Team Building

This can range from full weekends to one hour at the end of a Friday, but building connections between teammates can be a powerful component of employee engagement. The same is true across the ladder, as workers can bond with superiors and vice versa.

Mentorship

Establishing mentoring opportunities can be a simple and effective way to get employees of all levels to connect with their peers and their role. Bolstering institutional knowledge and creating chances for everyone to show what they know are important aspects of effective workplaces.

Culture

Once there’s communication and connection, business can work to establish a culture that values employees and their engagement.

Recognition

Lauding workers for their successes, no matter how small, is a simple way for employees to feel seen and valued by management. Seeing the successes of their peers also strengthens connections and respect between teammates.

Work-Life Balance

This is another aspect of caring for employees for who they are, not just their output. Creating an environment that respects workers’ productivity as well as their individuality can be challenging but powerful when it comes to building employee engagement.

A Healthy Feedback Loop

Culture is one of the most important aspects of building employee engagement, because while it can be difficult and time-consuming to establish, it makes everything possible. Companies need to value communication in order to make a lasting culture, but as they do, they can make valuing communication an integral part of the culture. The same is true of all values that help keep workers engaged.

Why Prioritize Engagement?

Engaged employees are more likely to be fulfilled by their jobs, less likely to quit, and more likely to produce higher-quality work. All of this is good for the employee and good for the business. The happier and more invested a workforce, the better the outcomes at the company.

From C to Shining C

Communication, connection, and culture are three simple words, but by investing in them, businesses can start tectonic shifts. The powerful thing about these values is that they are interconnected–each one feeds the other, and as each one grows, even more becomes possible.

If you want to know more about what values can strengthen companies, be sure to read up on the five Cs of effective teamwork!