Learning Activities for Work Engagement

Work that engages us meets our needs for meaning, making a contribution with our strengths, and connection with others, according to the Gallup organization. Gallup surveys frequently show low levels of engagement at work. Since a large part of our time is devoted to work, finding a job that meets these needs contributes greatly to our happiness. The cost of low work engagement is high, but there are ways to increase work engagement.

Photo by George Becker on Pexels.com

STARTING toward work engagement:

• Self mastery with autonomy
• Take on important work
• Add meaning with impact
• Recognition of good work
• Target skills to develop
• Invite participation in growth opportunities
• Nurture interest and involvement
• Gain results with relevant work goals

Self mastery with autonomy. Determine your own DIRECTion.

• Decide – make a choice and plan a path
• Invest in independence
• Resolve to persevere
• Execute with agency
• Confront fear with courage
• Take action

Take on important work. To find work that really matters, look for your VIP AIMS: Very Important Pursuits that are active, inspiring, and meaningful solutions. Focus on these even if it may be difficult.

Add meaning with BIG impact. BIG = Bold change, Impressive influence, and Great movement. Learn more at the Priority Flowchart. See the impact of your work by choosing measures for goals and reviewing results regularly. This provides feedback which is important for flow.

Recognition of good work. Recognition and appreciation is the number one thing employees want. Celebrate accomplishments with Rewards.

Target skills to develop. Meaningful work often uses your strengths. When you develop skills, there are even more opportunities for engagement.

Invite participation. Include opportunities for growth with learning activities. A learning organization encourages learning with a system that allows advancement with approved learning activities. Individuals are responsible for their own development, and document progress with a plan for learning.

Grow professionally with an Individual Development Plan.To create one, first identify needed skills, then choose learning activities that will increase them. Read more about Individual Development Plans at Indeed, and find a form at Individual Development Planning from Yale.

1. Review job description (or an O*Net description) and list competencies or skills needed for the job.
2. Target skills to develop.
3. Understand your learning style.
4. Select a learning activity to develop the skill.
5. Determine a target date.
6. Identify the support/authorization you need from others – supervisors, employers, coach, substitute.
7. Transfer training to the workplace by identifying how you will apply it. Share what you learned with co-workers.

Learning activities:

• Workshops
• In-house courses
• Formal courses
• Online courses
• Reading books/journals that focus on a need or problem
• Giving presentations
• Participating in special projects
• Writing for publication
• Coach/tutoring
• Job exchange, visiting another workplace to study a procedure
• Watch and discuss TED talks

Nurture interest and involvement. Connection and communication with co-workers, teammates, and supervisors is important for work engagement. Create support groups and opportunities for interaction. Managers can coach development with one-one check-ins. Basics of Effective One-on-Ones pdf from Manager-Tools.com. It may be weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or quarterly. Discuss employee preferences for frequency, take note, and schedule the next date in the calendar.  Ask: “What things have made your job more difficult, and what needs to be done in the next year to increase productivity?” -Performance Management. Consider metrics such as KPIs, compare past performance to present.

Gain results with relevant work goals. Work goals that align with the mission of an organization and your personal values contribute to work engagement. Read more about work goals at Development Plans Are Not Just For Work.

• Growth- choose goals with the right amount of challenge and stretch
• Opportunities- goals open up opportunities for advancement
• Autonomy- goals are a way to influence our work
• Learning- include learning as one of your work goals
• Skills- goals are a SMART way to develop work skills

Relevance, Results, Recognition are antidotes to job misery and setting work goals goes a long way towards achieving these. For RELEVANCE – choose goals that contribute to mission, vision, and values. For RESULTS- see results with measures for goals, and performance reviews.

The MAGIC framework from decision-wise.com is a helpful way to look at five keys to engagement at work. The book is available at Amazon.

• Meaning – work that has purpose and adds value
• Autonomy – ability to shape the work and environment
• Growth – opportunities for learning
• Impact – seeing positive outcomes and results of the work
• Connection- positive relationships add to a sense of belonging: caring managers, co-workers, and communication

Additional Reading on Work Engagement and Learning Organizations

• The Top 10 Skills & Qualities Employers Want
• Top 10 Things Employees Want
• The Learning Organization at Wikipedia
• Book: “The Learning Edge” by Cal Wick

Note that:

• Purpose, Feedback, and a Balance of challenge and skill are essential for flow.
• Purpose, Autonomy, and Mastery are key to motivation.

See also: Set Work Goals | Develop Work Skills | Development Plans are not just for Work | Work Skills Toolkit | Work Engagement Board at Pinterest | The surprising truth about the workforce gap

About dailyplanit

I seek to create order from the chaos of complex information. Join me at the Daily PlanIt to gain insights, inspiration, and information to increase skills for a better life. I unlock the power of teaching reading with phonics in the pursuit of literacy at www.phonicspow.com. In my spare time I explore books and movies, often choosing titles available on both screen and page.