Beyond engagement: Inspiring passion in the workplace

We’ve all seen the numerous reports and studies advocating the benefits and importance of employee engagement, but have you ever considered what comes next?

Once you’ve put systems in place to encourage productivity and loyalty, it’s important to remember that there is no ceiling to your staff’s potential. A 100 per cent engaged workforce is an admirable achievement, but it is not necessary to stop there.

After you’ve given your all to reaching engagement goals, the next step you can take is to reach a more emotional connection between your employees and their work. Instead of focusing on professional bonds, inspire and motivate staff by introducing passion in the workplace.

To make the most of your people-influencing skills and training, here are three tips for moving beyond engagement and inspiring passion in the workplace.

Promote ownership

While your employees may be willing to work hard to reach company objectives, you can guarantee they will put in even more effort to achieve their own goals. When tasks are designed to promote alignment between individual and organisational values, employees are more likely to emotionally connect with the work they undertake.

Allow your staff to enjoy the benefits of their own work, including offering credit and acknowledgement from a range of sources when things go right. Of course, if tasks don’t go to plan, your team should still be held responsible as this will ensure they work harder to avoid constructive feedback on their work.

Ask them what they want

Much of passion has to do with allowing employees to do what they enjoy. It is easy to emotionally attach to a job or duty that you are enthusiastic about, so uncovering the personal wants and desires of your team will enable you to assign tasks based on their individual passions.

Build positive relationships

The relationship between a leader and their team is vitally important in regards to workplace health and productivity. If positive relationships are cultured, it is much easier to inspire passion amongst your team as your employees are facing less stress and more enjoyment.