You probably know that employee engagement is one of those proven, critical factors for supporting a company’s immediate and long-term health. But according to a recent Gallup poll of approximately 100 million Americans who hold full-time jobs, only 30% of workers are engaged in their jobs, 50% are not engaged and 20% are actively disengaged, causing detriment to the workplace. So don’t just assume you know how your team’s levels of engagement stack against these Gallup findings. Do the proper due diligence to find out, taking corrective action if necessary. Consistently strive to create greater engagement by aligning your company’s mission to vital strategies and goals. Then back all those efforts with inspirational leadership, employee empowerment and disciplined accountability.

Here’s more insight on the three ways you can effectively engage your employees.

Be an inspirational leader. You’ve got to be excited about your company, what it stands for, and what you want it to achieve. If you’re not, no one else will be either! But sheer enthusiasm isn’t all you need to get your employees engaged. You need to communicate your goals and the strategies for achieving them with that genuine charisma, but clarity and consistency are important, too. Together, all this combines to create the necessary buy-in of your workers, or their trust in you. And that’s ultimately what’s so vital to getting employees engaged as a team and onboard with your vision, purpose and strategies for achievement.

Drive decision-making down into the organization. And don’t just delegate to your manager or those direct reports directly under you — empower employees with decision-making responsibilities all the way down to frontline personnel. Get them involved in developing answers, particularly as those solutions relate to planning or their own responsibilities, and you will empower them in a positive way. Ask them to do more of this meaningful type of work — the kind that shows you trust and respect them — and greater employee engagement will result.

Implement an accountability system. It’s perhaps one of the most challenging tools for a leader to start using, but an effective, fair accountability system creates critical transparency and provides a way to assess employee engagement on an ongoing basis. Accountability is about putting performance measurements in place and monitoring those, so you can get the vitals on all the aspects of the company’s health. The system will naturally reveal what is and isn’t working, what and who needs help with improvement, and, ultimately, who is and who is not engaged, allowing you to take appropriate, or perhaps corrective, action.

Why do you think so many of today’s employees are either not engaged or actively disengaged?