To engage hourly workers, follow these 3 steps

Hourly employees constitute nearly 60 percent of the U.S. workforce, yet leaders tend to discount them when formulating engagement strategies.

The high turnover in hourly positions, mixed with the idea that hourly workers are easily replaced, leads to management styles that ignore their needs. Leaders instead focus on engaging salaried employees, seen as more valuable because of the time, effort and costs involved in their recruitment.

In industrial work, hourly workers construct the product, ensuring standards are met. In administrative settings, they keep the organization running smoothly. In customer interactions, they’re the face of the business.

They are the backbone of any organization.

Here are three strategies to engage hourly employees:

1. Make work meaningful.

A sense of purpose is a key motivator. Millennials, especially, value purpose, but the desire for purpose spans all generations.

How do you cultivate that sense of purpose? Communication. Connect the dots between what your hourly workers do daily and how it helps the organization and the world at large.