Are you excited to go to work in the morning? How about the people you have hired or manage?

An engaged employee is every manager’s dream, and, luckily, it suits employees as well. Who doesn’t want to be happy at work?

But let’s back up a moment. What exactly is engagement? Kenexa defines it as the extent to which employees are motivated to contribute to organisational success, and are willing to apply discretionary effort to accomplishing tasks important to the achievement of organisational goals. When employees are engaged they have organisational pride, loyalty, and satisfaction. They recommend the organisation to their friends and family as a great place to work.

Employees report that they are more engaged when they:

·    Follow trustworthy leaders who inspire confidence in the future

·    Report to managers who recognise the contributions of employees, while emphasising quality and improvement as high priorities

·    Work for an organisation that demonstrates a genuine responsibility to their employees and communities

·    Take advantage of opportunities employees have for professional growth and development

·    Enjoy and are excited by their work. 

Unfortunately, there are many employees who have yet to achieve this lofty goal. Across the 21 countries we surveyed in 2010, 58% of employees report being engaged.

So it’s time to get engaged at work! Follow these simple steps: 

1.  Envision your future within the organisation and plot out your career path. Talk to your manager about your career goals and the skills you will need to be ready for your next position. Along similar lines, seek out opportunities for career growth within your company.

2.  Develop yourself. Attend internal or external training that will increase your skill set for your current position or provide you with new skills that will make you a desirable candidate for a future position. Volunteer to assist with projects that will challenge you and add to your knowledge base.

3.  Discover what excites you about your work. Discuss with your manager the best use of your abilities and be clear about the type of work you enjoy doing.

4.  Manage your stress and find a reasonable work-life balance. When you are finished working for the day, try to put aside any ‘work’ stress and focus on being at home. Find time to do non-work activities that you enjoy and that relax you.

Taking these four steps will help you travel a long way down the road towards being engaged at work. When you start to feel overworked, over stressed, and begin disengaging from your job, remember that being engaged at work is just as important for your personal well being as it is for your organisation’s performance. By focusing on what will make you a happier, engaged, and more productive employee you put yourself and your organisation on the track to success.

Brenda Kowske is research manager at the Kenexa Research Institute, a division of Kenexa, the global provider of business solutions for human resources. She can be contacted at [email protected].