We get it—most people have places they would rather be than at work. So it’s not unusual for employees to be super excited about Fridays and less excited about Mondays. (There’s a reason Monday is the most popular day to call out sick.) But if employees are sprinting out the door on Friday with sighs of relief and shouts of hurrah, you could probably engage them better so they actually want to report to work on Monday. So how can you turn “Friday feeling” into “Monday motivation”?

It starts with knowing what employees want. They want to feel like they belong to this culture, like their work matters, and like they’re more than a gear spinning meaninglessly in the machine. Use this knowledge to improve your employee engagement strategy and make Mondays as great as Fridays!

1. Communicate. Communication is the most direct and powerful tool to engage your employees, because without it, you aren’t really engaging them at all. Use it convey employee appreciation, company goals, and the ways an employee’s great work propels the organization toward greater things. Find the best method of communication for your employees; you may find one-on-ones are more effective than all-staffs, or that email works better than in-person conversations, and what works best for one employee may not work for another.
2. Leverage employee motivations. What would make your employees happily skip through the front door on Monday? Find out what motivates them, whether work-life balance, appreciation, professional growth, insurance benefits, or high-end coffee in the break room, and see what you can implement or improve within your company’s values and means.
3. Coach leadership staff. Managers are most directly responsible for their employees’ engagement, so make sure they know what they’re doing, and that they are genuinely invested in their employees’ success. Provide coaching and training for leadership to play an active role in employee engagement, then hold managers accountable and make sure they are consistently working to engage their employees.
4. Use an employee engagement survey. Want to know how your employees can feel more engaged? Ask! A well-designed employee engagement survey will collect that data in a way that is specific, relevant, and actionable—and make sure you do act on the data, or else employees will feel duped and even less engaged!
5. Include engagement in the company’s goals. What are your company’s engagement goals? How can you relate them to your employees’ day-to-day? Once again, communicate those engagement goals to employees, and describe what success will look like. This keeps everyone on the same page, knowing you’re working as a unified front to improve engagement. Keep employee engagement at the forefront so that it becomes part of the everyday company culture.

Your employees are your company’s greatest resource, so why not make them as excited for Mondays as they are for Fridays? Work together to set employee engagement goals for fulfilling and motivating workdays. Then watch your employees bring their A game every day!