by Lori Anne Paananen, Vice President, Human Resources at dentalcorp
It has long been suggested that engaged team members are more productive within—and loyal to—their organizations. Team engagement is a critical driver for practice success. Engaged team members are not just satisfied with their jobs, they are energized by them. Despite these benefits, many of us fall short on engaging our employees or find ourselves stumped on where to start.
The following are a few best-practices to consider as you set out to engage your employees.
Commit to developing your team
An engaged team is an investment. Empower your team members to own their career development and make the conscious decision to help every team member grow – both personally and professionally.
Set big goals
Set big, exciting goals for your team, generate momentum around these goals, and create exciting rewards. If you want to see increased results, you need to set the bar higher.
Celebrate team wins
Most of us don’t pay enough attention to all of the things we are doing right. Take the time to truly celebrate your team’s wins, especially when big goals are met.
Whether you are a Practice leader or team member, you can effect change in your workplace
Much of the responsibility for keeping team members engaged and excited about opportunities for growth sits with leaders; however, everyone has the potential to create change—both positive and negative—within the workplace.
As a valued team member, you can contribute to your own engagement by seeking out opportunities for development, providing honest constructive feedback to leadership, and being open and interested in receiving feedback. Your enthusiasm also has a huge impact. By actively participating in team activities and celebrating wins, your positive attitude will further encourage involvement and excitement among other team members.
As previously published in Oral Health Office.
About the Author
Lori Anne is responsible for leading the company’s human resources initiatives and support, at both the practice level and Support Centre. This includes retention, development and engagement of across all disciplines. Lori Anne has held various senior Human Resources roles at Shoppers Drug Mart, focusing on developing performance management, talent acquisition and planning, and employee engagement strategies. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Honours degree from the University of Western Ontario, and a Human Resources Management certificate from Seneca College.
