The best managers and HR leaders know that if they are to get the best out of their employees, they need to keep them engaged. Doing so will improve employee motivation, morale, and productivity in the workplace.
This can’t be forced or be a ‘one-time thing’ – employees need to feel a connection to their role and the company they work for to be truly engaged.
With the rise of working from home (and less face-to-face interactions) companies are looking for creative ways to engage their employees, as part of a long-term mission.
To help you on your journey, we’ve put together some practical ideas to help you improve employee engagement in a short space of time!
1.Give your team a voice
Knowing what your employees are thinking is key. If there is a potential issue within the company that goes unnoticed by management, this doesn’t reflect well on the employees or company culture.
If employees can see that their managers do care and want to hear their concerns, employees are proven to perform to a higher level as they feel much more engaged with their work.
Consider checking in more often with your staff by using an employee engagement platform like Stribe to send out pulse surveys and allow your employees to voice their concerns, thoughts and ideas – anonymously, through an online platform.
2.Celebrate the big and small victories
It’s easy to get swept up into our busy working lives, but it’s important not to forget about this important element of employee engagement.
In a recent study, only 26% of managers strongly agreed that their company praises or thanks employees for the good work they do based on their company’s values, and almost a third agreed that they struggle to find the time to give out thanks and praise. Recognition should be regular and meaningful to really make strides with employee engagement.
After all, we all love to feel appreciated. A few words of positive feedback is one of the simplest ways to increase engagement on your team.
3.Give your team autonomy
Micromanagement is one of the key triggers for employee disengagement. Studies show that most workers want a manager that helps them develop with autonomy rather than being told what to do every 5 minutes.
By giving your team autonomy in their work and role, you let them know that you trust their skills and abilities. It makes sense to encourage them to talk up to their superiors, rather than the other way round.
We recommend setting a recurring daily/weekly time for a catch up on work, projects and the like – with your employees. This is much more preferable than reaching out at random intervals, which could potentially disturb them from the work they are doing, interrupting their creative thought processes.
4.Re-imagine the working environment
Studies show that workplaces with positive working environments see reduced absenteeism and turnover. Think about how to improve the office or your employees’ remote working setup as this can make the difference to their daily lives, giving a feeling of comfort that can increase productivity as a result.
To not only engage your employees, but make them feel more involved, why not ask them to suggest potential changes or additions to the office space? There could be quick wins to be had with new office plants, improved lighting or better support with technology.
For remote employees, this could mean laptop stands, monitors to use at home, and ergonomic devices to help them work free of strain.
5.Let your employees choose engagement activities
Why guess how to boost engagement when you can ask your employees for activities that they think will bring people together and create great working relationships?
For instance, they might suggest team-building games for employees to play every now and then – such as Water Cooler Trivia, Words With Friends, and Pictionary – which suit both teams in the office, and those who work remotely, with digital friendly versions.
According to researchers at MIT “conversations outside of formal meetings are the most important factor that contributes to team success”, showing that opportunities to bring your team together and interact informally can be very valuable.
6.Set up an innovation hour
Allocating time on a weekly basis for employees to develop brewing ideas can be extremely fruitful. Large companies such as Google have used a similar idea to generate some of their most valuable services, Gmail being one.
Listening to staff from every department of an organisation not only generates innovative ideas that have the potential to transform your organisation, but it also makes staff feel more valued and included.
It is also very important that these ideas don’t just end up in a drawer, but rather have an effect, otherwise future commitments to creative thinking won’t have the same buy-in from your employees.
7.Introduce perks that get people excited!
Studies show that employees who feel looked after at work, either mentally or physically, are more engaged than those who don’t feel that way. Having a wellbeing strategy that makes sure that your teams have all the support they need to feel great, works wonders.
If you offer any wellbeing perks, such as discounts on gym memberships, mindfulness applications or physiotherapy (as a few popular examples), how many people use them? Why not use pulse surveys to gauge what wellbeing perks people like and dislike, so you can accommodate them better and increase their engagement.
8.Offer growth opportunities
Studies show that employees are more likely to leave their role if they feel like they aren’t being challenged in their current position. Offering employees the opportunity to develop their skills and grow within a company really helps to engage them, perform at a higher level, and have a larger impact on their organisation’s goals with their added expertise.
To find out more about how your employees feel about current growth opportunities and the ones they would like in the future, you could ask them pulse survey questions related to that topic.
Alternatively, you could have a one-to-one with your employees, getting detailed thoughts on their strengths and weaknesses, then subsequently offering them a tailored route to the growth they want to see – both within themselves and in their role.
When people are heard, teams are happy!
Stribe makes it easier for business leaders and HR teams to support the engagement, wellbeing and mental health of their employees. To learn more about Stribe and how our employee engagement platform can help your team be the best they can be – get in touch today.