Microsoft Analytics has released the results of data determining what managers do daily that results in high engagement of their employees. An article in Harvard Business Review suggests managers can use these behaviors as a guide to making their employees become more engaged.
Five aspects of management are named as having significant influence on employee engagement. They are:
Managers lead by example when it comes to working hours. Employees are most engaged when they work approximately the same hours as their manager.
Managers need to ensure even allocation of work. Employees’ engagement is higher when they work similar hours as their peers.
Effective managers maintain large internal networks across their company. Employees who report to a manager with a relatively large internal network have higher engagement scores.
One-on-ones remain vital. The level of employee engagement, as well as the employee’s view of management, is related to the number of one-on-one meetings they have with their manager.
Managers are engaged at work, too. The disengagement rate of employees reporting to disengaged managers is up to two times higher than for those reporting to engaged managers.
The inspiration for the analysis was Gallup research showing only 30% of employees in the U.S. are engaged at work, and managers account for at least 70% of variance in employee engagement scores across business units.