According to Gallup’s State of the American Workplace report, 70% of U.S. workers, including caregivers, are not engaged while at work. Many employees feel as though their work goes unnoticed and they have no real opportunities to advance, which causes them to become dissatisfied with their daily tasks. When employees disengage, it can hurt your company and stunt growth. As you construct an annual growth strategy, you should focus on employee engagement and remember it’s not your agency that grows, it’s your employees.

Your agency is a community of individuals who each has the capacity to learn and grow. However, caregivers often believe their employers see them as replaceable parts with little individual value. Through Activated Insights’s Satisfaction Management Program, thousands of caregivers have been asked, “What is your overall job satisfaction?” One caregiver replied, “I’m not satisfied with my job. A lot of my dissatisfaction stems from the cold environment in the workplace. I feel like I’m just another body, just filling a space in the schedule. I am never going to get anywhere with this job.”Caregivers need space to grow in their work, and in order for them to stay with an agency long term, they need to feel as though their agency is investing in them long term.

To accomplish this, try offering small promotions, pay increases, or advancements when caregivers demonstrate quality work. Regularly ask caregivers where they see themselves down the road with your agency, and talk with them about how you can help them get there. As you increase your growth opportunities, you will see your caregiver engagement increase as well.

Here are a few ideas for creating growth and development opportunities for employees:

Professors at the University of Calgary reported the second most important item to make employees happy at work is a strong sense of engagement—second only to a flexible work schedule. As you increase caregiver engagement by providing regular opportunities for growth, you’ll find that your caregivers are happier at work, which reduces caregiver turnover and in turn increases client satisfaction and overall productivity.

Learn more about how Activated Insights’s Satisfaction Management Program can help grow your business.