Section 3: Additional actions to engage your employees
Enhancing the Level of Employee Engagement Guide (PDF)
As you engage in discussions with your team members, you may find yourself wondering what more you can do to help employees regain their energy and passion. Given the degree of uncertainty created by so much disruption, one of the ways you can help employees reclaim a sense of control is to empower them with greater autonomy and agency in their work and life. Providing even small opportunities for them to influence the direction of the team and exercise more decision-making power over their work can increase resilience and productivity.

Increased autonomy does not work for every situation, so take care to balance opportunities for autonomy with compassion and support, particularly for employees who are feeling more overwhelmed or struggling in their tasks. Still, increasing autonomy, even temporarily, can demonstrate that you trust your team’s abilities and that their input is valuable as we all strive to establish new norms of working.
Here are some areas in which you can engage your team to promote agency and autonomy. These prompts can be used in a group setting or in individual 1:1’s.
1. Involve them in the decision making



Meaningful Work, Positive Work Environment, Trust in Leadership (See Employee Engagement Chart for icon reference)
Priority SettingAsk your team:
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Project AssignmentsAsk your team:
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MeetingsAsk your team:
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HiringAsk your team:
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2. Provide enhanced flexibility for when and how they complete their work

Positive Work Environment (See Employee Engagement Chart for icon reference)
Work/Life SchedulesAsk your team:
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Work StylesAsk your team:
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3. Support self-determination for their development and careers

Growth Opportunity (See Employee Engagement Chart for icon reference)
Foster Development Opportunity
Ask your team:
- What tools or resources are most helpful in your daily work? Is there anything missing?
- Are there any learning opportunities you'd like to pursue?
- Would you like to create a development plan?
4. Promote communication and feedback (bi-directional)


Trust in Leadership, Positive Work Environment (See Employee Engagement Chart for icon reference)
Expectations and AlignmentAsk your team:
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Recognition and SupportAsk your team:
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In Summary
By giving employees enhanced autonomy and control over their workday, you can increase their capacity to move through uncertainty with renewed energy and focus. Even when teams experience disruption, you can foster employee success, development and engagement through compassion and trust.