Dive Brief:

• Only about half of employees “strongly agree” that they understand what is expected of them at work, according to a Gallup study.
• The onus lies with the manager to clarify expectations and hold employees responsible by utilizing the “three elements of employee performance” – inspiring high performance, keeping employees accountable and remaining accessible.
• When managers exemplify those elements, employee engagement increases, Gallup said. For example, among employees who strongly agree with the statement, "My manager helps me set work priorities," 38% are engaged. Among employees who disagree, only 4% are engaged.

Dive Insight:

Good bosses will provide clear direction, know the projects each employee is working on and actively help their employees when they encounter problems, Gallup reports.

They also found that the more successful a manager is at meeting employee expectations at each of the three elements, the more likely employees will be engaged. Holding employees accountable and remaining approachable leads to 28% and 31% engagement, respectively.

Managers providing this framework to employees is key to helping employees feel that they have more freedom in meeting their objectives, which allows them to take initiative and work better on their own, Gallup reported. Employees who don’t feel that they have the freedom to control their own work are more likely to leave.