It is a part of human nature to want to feel appreciated. Quality employees thrive on engagement. It feeds them, allowing them to become better, more productive individuals, which in turn allows for a company to grow stronger. When engagement is a part of a company’s culture, you will be surprised by how business will flourish.
Start With A Measurement
By measuring the current experiences and feelings of employees, you’re getting direct feedback. No one knows better what the people want and need than the people themselves. Send out a survey asking questions like:
- Do you feel respected in the office?
- Are you comfortable in your work environment?
- In what ways would you feel more appreciated?
- What are some of your ideas for volunteering or work-related activities?
The thought of having an opinion heard and having the chance for an idea of theirs to be implemented will increase morale in itself. After you’ve gauged how people are feeling and what they want/need, you’ll have a much better idea of what sorts of specific engagement opportunities will work best for your company.
Understand Why It’s Important
You don’t need a study to know that engaging employees positively affects the workplace.
Employee engagement promotes:
- Productivity
- Employee Retainment/Less Absenteeism
- Customer Satisfaction
- Safety in the Workplace
- Product Quality
- Higher Profits
- Better Work/Life Balance
Engagement Ideas
- Volunteering
- Celebrate personal wins
- Align company with a purpose
- Promote work/life balance
- Employee Spotlights
- Offer Frequent Feedback
- Incentivize goals
- Encourage team outings
The list could go on and on. Here's a more extensive list if you want more ideas.
The best way to make decisions on which ideas to implement is to utilize that feedback from your measurement survey.
Figure out what employee engagement would look like at your company, then IMPLEMENT it. Don’t worry about it being perfect at first. After some time, you will have an idea of what is working and what is not, then change accordingly.
Let us know how your company engages employees or how you wished it did.