Tap Employee Brainpower to Energize Your Workplace!

When employees connect both mentally and emotionally to their jobs, they're more willing to apply effort that spells out organizational success. How so? Workers that tap creativity to contribute to team projects, help design processes and suggest improvements tend to experience energy and full engagement on the job.

Unfortunately many folks in the workforce prowl for different employment because they are not satisfied with their current jobs. A recent Wall Street Journal/Society for Human Resource management survey reports as many as 75 percent of employees are exploring other opportunities.

To counter this problem businesses might want to consider The Conference Board's suggestions for improvement based on 12 major studies on employee engagement. Which ones does your organization practice and which ones would you target for improvement? Here's an overview from their report:

Trust and integrity - how well management communicates and lives the company's vision.

Line of sight between employee performance and company performance - understanding one's contribution to the company's success.

Career growth - future opportunities.

Pride about the company - self-esteem in being associated with the company.

Co-workers/team members - impact of the work environment

Employee development - opportunities for individual skills development

Relationship with one's manager - the value the employee places on the relationship.

Interestingly, this research shows the relationship with an employee's manager is the most powerful driver of all. Knowing this, how might managers make the most of relationships with employees?

One key approach is to tap into employees' brainpower on the job. Using more brain energizes workers and increases their productivity and satisfaction. Take a survey designed by Dr. Ellen Weber to rate brainpower in your workplace. Then check results to learn brain facts that rate your workplace intelligence.

Employees who have more control over their daily activities and do challenging work they enjoy are likely to be in better health. A new study from the University of Texas at Austin shows that creative activity helps people stay healthy. John Mirowsky, lead author of the study says,

"Creative activity is non-routine, enjoyable and provides opportunity for learning and for solving problems. People who do that kind of work, whether paid or not, feel healthier and have fewer physical problems."

Human brainpower not only improves your life, but reboots organizations!

Thoughts?