Engaged employees are enthusiastic about their work and take the initiative in their job responsibilities; they're also more likely to take positive action to further their employer's reputation.

Unfortunately, the global level of employee engagement is dismally low – according to Gallup's 2012 State of the Global Workplace study, 84% of Canadian employees are NOT engaged in their work.

During this time of disappointingly low employee engagement levels, becoming one of the few employers to create anengaged workforce can make a real difference in your bottom line.

Creating an Engaged Workforce for a Competitive Edge

The study results are surprising, given that it's not exactly rocket science to get your employees engaged in your business. Mostly it's about treating them as you would like to be treated.

Here are 11 ways to create an engaged workforce:

Show your employees they're appreciated by offering praise & saying thank you.
Give your employees a voice – allow them to state their opinions and requests for change. Make changes if the requests would be beneficial; when you can't or don't act, provide an explanation as to why not.
Don't punish employees for thinking outside the box – rarely do a person's strongest skills fall perfectly within their job description.
Encourage and support employee growth by offering challenges to stretch and develop their skills.
Involve your workforce in process improvement activities – they're more likely to be enthusiastic about changes they helped make.
Be open and honest with your employees – give them all the information, not just the information that directly relates to their jobs.
Model the behavior you expect from your workforce – that is, walk the walk.
Offer individual, honest, and – most importantly – constructive feedback about performance.
Don't isolate employees – “water-cooler chats" may seem unproductive, but they encourage employee bonding, which is good for teamwork and workplace morale.
Provide a health and welfare program – workers think highly of employers who invest in their health; also, they'll be more focused when they come to work because they won't be sick.
Prioritize usability when investing in new technology – implement new software that won't make your employees' jobs harder.

Don't Be Afraid to Invest in Creating an Engaged Workforce

Investing in employee engagement while so many other businesses are not is a sure way to get an advantage over your competitors. When your employees are engaged, you'll see an improved bottom line because the combined efforts of engaged employees will strengthen your operation, setting the scene for service and productivity improvements. Your employees will also promote your business as a business people want to work for, thereby attracting a greater pool of available talent to choose from when you need to hire.