The topic: Questions to ask to determine how engaged your team really is.
The point: You can’t take steps to reengage disgruntled staff members unless you take an honest look at how they feel about you and the company.

Gallup defines employee engagement as “the involvement and enthusiasm of employees in both their work and workplace.” To help you ascertain the level of engagement in your practice, we have enlisted the expertise of Daniel Abramson, CTS, founder and president of StaffDynamics. Abramson has written two books—"Secrets of Hiring Top Talent” and “When Your Magic Wand Is Broken”—and is a business coach and sales trainer. He has been sharing his knowledge on workforce performance for more than 30 years.

This is the second installment of an exclusive three-part series tapping Abramson’s expertise on key HR issues. Last month, he discussed how to avoid common hiring blunders. In this month’s email newsletter, he addresses how to determine engagement levels in your practice, which isn’t always easy. As Forbes reports, “Measuring engagement at work is quite difficult. It's not like managers can read employees’ minds, so the best way to find out how to engage employees is to ask.”

What do your questions need to cover? A lot. In fact, Abramson’s suggestion is to consider what your staff’s responses might be to these 11 all-important questions: 

1. EXPECTATIONS: Do you know what is expected of you at work?
2. NEEDS: Do you have the information, equipment, and direction you need to do your work well?
3. OPPORTUNITY: Do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?
4. RECOGNITION: In the last seven days, have you received recognition or praise for doing a good job? (Or, conversely, are people looking to catch you doing something wrong?)
5. CARE: Does your supervisor or someone else at work seem to care about you as a person?
6. ENCOURAGEMENT: Is there someone who encourages your development and forward momentum?
7. LISTENING: Do your opinions seem to count or does no one seem to listen?
8. MOTIVATION: Are your fellow employees committed to doing a quality job and working hard?
9. REVIEW: In the last six months, has someone at work discussed your progress and contributions?
10. GROWTH: In the last year, have you had opportunities to learn and grow…or do you do the same things every single day?
11. COMPENSATION: When was the last time that staff members received a salary increase or performance bonus?

Why are the answers to these questions so important? Top performance is driven by passion. Engaged employees are passionate about what they do and will drive innovation to move the practice forward.
 
In broader terms, decreasing employee turnover is a primary goal for employers in all business categories. Increasing retention through engagement will cut recruitment and training expenses, as well as reduce the loss of talent and knowledge.
 
So, what’s your next step? Analyze the answers to these 11 questions as they relate to your practice and establish priorities to make improvements where they are most needed. Changes from this feedback can’t be implemented overnight, though. It takes time to develop your employer brand and company culture. Invest the time and effort to make your practice the best employer, and it will pay off.
 
Remember that there are lots of jobs out there, and people have choices. Are you ready to make your practice the most desirable workplace? You need to be able to clearly communicate why the best candidates should join, and stay engaged with, your practice.

“Ascertain engagement levels by considering 11 critical questions.” —Daniel Abramson