How to Inspire Discretionary Effort in Employees and Increase Employee Engagement
Move from Bare Minimum to Exceptional Work
Tuesday, October 7, 2025
What is Employee Engagement?
At CustomInsight, we define employee engagement as the extent to which contributors feel passionate about their jobs, are committed to the organization, and put discretionary effort into their work.
Simple, right?
Hmmm …
In a previous post, we discussed why HR has failed to improve employee engagement. Today, we’re going to discuss one key tenet of employee engagement and how managers can pave the road to success and drive discretionary effort.
"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." - John Quincy Adams.
What is discretionary effort?
Discretionary effort, we’d argue, is not working harder but smarter. It’s about an employee putting the right energy into the right projects. It’s that extra energy, commitment, and innovation employees put toward their jobs to not only get the job done, but get it done exceptionally well. Discretionary effort isn’t necessarily a given, and not all employees come by it naturally. Great managers, though, can lead their teams to give their best – effectively. And research shows that effective leadership inspires discretionary effort.
Here’s how:
Purpose Drives Engagement and Discretionary Effort:
Ask, “Why?”
Employees need to understand the WHY behind their work. They need to understand that their work aligns with the organization goals and strategic plan. Every employee needs to understand how their role in the company is meaningful.
Tip: Give employees the opportunity to see their work in action. Oftentimes, only salespeople or frontline managers get to see the direct interaction of a client with a product. Give your team the chance to see how the product they’ve been involved in creating has made an impact on someone’s life.
Give Your Team the Tools They Need:
If someone is battling outdated software, inefficient lighting, and maddening noise, they won’t have the energy to put forth discretionary effort. They’re too busy trying to overcome day-to-day hassles and distractions.
Tip: Invest in good equipment; update your software; keep your work areas safe; reduce absenteeism due to stiff necks and sore backs from poor workplace conditions.
Take a Step Back
Give your team the room they need to breathe, and get the job done. Micromanaging employees is not only maddening but also incredibly inefficient. We could do a whole post on micromanagement (in fact, we have, and will probably do it again), but here are just a few recommendations to managers to avoid falling into the drone-management trap:
Tip: Set clear expectations: Make sure everyone is speaking the same language and knows what the project goals are. What is said is not necessarily what is heard.
Tip: Delegate effectively. This requires managers to know their teams, their skills, their professional and personal goals, and act on that knowledge.
Tip: Encourage autonomy and experimentation. Check in. Guide and support employees who need it more than others.
Create a Culture of Belongingness - Inclusive Teams
Collaboration, teamwork, inclusive leadership, and belongingness aren’t compliance projects, they are foundational for creating a safe, humane workplace. As we mentioned in an earlier blog, “When leaders commit to creating spaces where people feel seen, heard, and valued—not just for what they do, but for who they are—belonging stops being a buzzword. It becomes a way of being.” This gives your contributors the possibility of putting forth their best efforts.
Tip: Embed belonging into everyday decisions, like hiring and promoting practices, team structures, and feedback loops, ensuring every voice is heard and valued.
Other factors play into creating an environment that brings the best of your employees. These include communication, opportunity, and trust. And, there is no question, that leadership behavior is the key to discretionary effort. Great leaders transform workplace engagement, and, in turn, organzation success.
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