If you want to avoid an employee break up, then focus on the engagement. According to a new Gallup study entitled “State of the American Manager: Analytics and Advice for Leaders,” 51% of managers were not engaged and 14% were actively disengaged. If this statistic isn’t staggering enough – Gallup estimates that this lack of engagement costs the U.S. economy between $319 billion and $398 billion annually! And managers aren’t the only ones unhappy – Gallup also found that approximately half of employees have left a job “to get away from a manager.”

The lack of engagement by managers, and thus their employees, is something that HR and business leaders are highly aware of, as Deloitte found that 87 percent of the 3,300 HR and business leaders from 106 countries surveyed say lack of employee engagement is a top concern.

But we live in a very mobile, on-the-go society and engaging employees and managers can be a difficult task to manage. Here are the top tips from around the web for increasing employee and manager engagement and morale:

Communicate

It’s easy to get into our routine of hiding behind our computer screens, mobile phones or office doors, but communication is key to a successful work relationship. Schedule reoccurring meetings with employees and managers to ensure communication remains open and make sure to keep these meetings mutually beneficial so that both parties feel like they’re getting a chance to share their goals and challenges.

Set Goals

Goals are an important part of employee engagement because it gives us all something to work towards. During your recurring meetings or yearly reviews, set clear goals for employees and managers to work toward.

Celebrate Successes, Discuss Failures

Let your employees and managers know when they’re doing a good job by rewarding them with a pay increase, bonus or some other reward such as a gift certificate. If something goes wrong, instead of reprimanding your employees and managers, take the time to talk about what went wrong and discuss how things can be done better in the future.

Promote a Culture of Learning and Growth

People’s desire to learn never goes away, regardless of their title or position. Those who have the opportunity to constantly learn are twice as likely to spend their career with their company according to information collected by Gallup. An environment of ongoing opportunity and personal improvement needs to a top priority for company leaders. Some of the more popular choices are programs that offer formal coaching, classes or mentorship.

A number of our members leverage the BizX Marketplace for team building and employee engagement, such as our member Pacific Pavement Protection.

The value of employee engagement can be significant, as Towers Perrin found that:

• Eighty-four percent of highly engaged employees believe they can positively impact the quality of their organization’s products
• Seventy-two percent of highly engaged employees believe they can positively affect customer service
• Sixty-eight percent of highly engaged employees believe they can positively impact costs in their job or unit

Try implementing some of the tips above for team building activities or employee rewards and see how your employee and manager engagement increases and ultimately increases your bottom line!