Employee Engagement - Manager Resources

At Trent, Managers play an integral role in motivating and engaging employees. This website is designed to assist managers with engaging their teams in a more meaningful and purposeful way, and to help bring together the many ideas and tools for engagement happening across campus.

The following information can be found on this page:

What is Employee Engagement?

Why is Employee Engagement important at Trent?

Tips to Consider Before Any Engagement Activities

Examples of Engagement

Questions & Conversation Starters

Getting to Know Your Employees Tool 

Manager Self-Assessment tool

Managers Meeting Presentation

What is Employee Engagement?

Employee engagement is an ongoing process in which the manager plays an integral role in the creation of experiences through continual interaction with employees which impacts the employee's emotional commitment to their work and organization.  

Why is Employee Engagement important at Trent?

Decreased absences/ turnover: Engaged employees are less likely to be sick or leave the organization and are more likely to find solutions to solve departmental problems to ensure the smooth function of their department. This reduced turnover has positive financial benefits for departments with reduced recruitment, selection, and training costs as well as a reduction in time lost filling the jobs.  

Improved Health and Safety: Engaged employees are less likely to have work-related accidents and absences, and are more likely to come forward with concerns. They are also more likely to have better health and emotional affect both at work and in their personal lives.  

Better Performance/Productivity: Engaged employees display behaviors that go beyond what is asked to do. This could take the form of many behaviors including but not limited to better quality work, providing additional support to co-workers without being asked, or even just bring in a box of donuts for the team. 

Developing of Brand Ambassadors: Engaged employees are more likely to engage with members outside of the institution in a manner that promotes the spread of positive messaging for Trent. They are more likely to boast about Trent's Maclean results as well other amazing aspects of Trent's success. 

Contribute to Trent’s Financial Growth and Success: Engaged employees are more likely to partake in the advancement campaigns launched by the Trent advancement and external relations team 

Tips to Consider Before Any Engagement Activities:

• Ensure you are following Trent's Perquisites Policy
• Ensure engagement is genuine, fair, and consistent
• Recognition must be timely, specific to behavior, and justified 
• During an engagement, activity do not bring up other office work or poor performance for the duration of the activity
• Consider creating a departmental engagement committee
• Consider how the engagement activity be received by the employee(s)
• Remember a personal touch to engagement is more powerful than a generic template
• Get to know your employees' preferences for bonding, celebrations, and recognition
• If food and drinks are involved remember to be inclusive and considerate
• Be aware of your biases and management styles
• Allow employees to have an input on engagement decisions 
• Set appropriate time aside for the planned activity 
• Be flexible and empathetic towards your employees
• Encourage face to face (virtual) or phone call conversations
• Ask your team members if they need additional support
• Always set meeting rules when having informal and formal meetings. 

Examples of Engagement:

The ideas provided in this list are just some examples and we do encourage managers to go beyond this list, be creative, and continue to learn different ways you can engage employees.  Be sure to always follow Trent's Perquisites policy. 

Questions and Conversation Starters

• What do you think could help us to improve communication?
• Do you feel like you can easily reach your colleagues when you need them?
• Are you happy with your productivity level?
• What is the biggest challenge you are currently facing in your work?
• How do you prefer to be recognized and appreciated for a job well done?
• What kind of appreciation do you prefer?
• What types of communication is needed for you to optimally perform at your job and frequency?
• How are you doing?
• What's new?
• What’s one thing you’re thankful for? 
• Rate your day from 1-10, personally and professionally, and explain why.
• When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
• How has your morning routine changed because of working from home?
• What show are you binge-watching right now? 
• What are you drinking right now?
• What is your team doing differently while you’re remote? What are they doing the same?
• Ask a trivia question.
• What’s the coolest thing you’re working on right now?
• What was your first job?
• Share one thing you appreciate about your team.
• What’s the best thing that has happened to you this week?
• How do you ‘wind down’ after work?
• Do you believe in aliens?
• What’s one way you are like your parents? One way you are different?
• Do you listen to podcasts? What’s your favorite one?
• Do you have a side hustle or a hobby?