12 Keys to employee engagement – 3

Naomi can get any resident to take a shower. Even the most stubborn, confused, difficult resident seems to become a marshmallow in her hands. She will sing, laugh, hug and make miracles happen.

Naomi has a gift. We all know exactly what she does best, and we give her the opportunity to do it almost every single day.

The third question on the Gallup organization’s index of employee engagement asks, “At work, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?”

As a measurement for managers, one key element of employee engagement is being able to answer that question in the affirmative: “YES!”

Do you know what each of your employees does best? Have you discovered the person who organizes and straightens the linen closet in her free time, and glows when you notice it and thank her?

Juan makes the floors in the dining room absolutely glow. He will clean, buff and polish those floors, and you can see his pride in his work. Juan knows that his floors are the most beautiful floors in the entire company – management and visitors see it, too.

Figuring out the special talents of your employees is actually pretty simple: watch what they love to do. Ask what they do during those few unstructured moments during the day, or ask what their favorite part of their job is. We often love to do what we actually do best.

Naomi and Juan are employees who, every day, get to do what they do best in their work. It’s no wonder that they are happy people who stay on the job, year after year, contributing to the overall quality of care delivered to clients.