We hope you’re not tired of hearing about employee retention just yet because we’re revisiting the conversation and considering the importance of an employee engagement strategy. The objectives of employee engagement are very simple—to connect with employees and make them feel like an active and involved member of the team. The purpose? To create a sense of belongingness for the employees so they can feel like a part of the organization and contribute the best version of themselves to the company. There are many employee engagement ideas that can be employed without restraint, but it is up to the employer to pick and choose those that are best suited to the specific organization.
Unite Your Workforce with These Employee Engagement Strategies (Image – Pexels)
Choosing the Right Employee Engagement Strategy
In a study in 2023, Gallup found that 59 percent of employees were quite quitting—they were disengaged from their work and continuing on a more mechanical basis, doing the bare minimum of what was needed of them. The study also found that 18 percent of employees were loud quitting or actively disengaged, this referring to employees who made it known that their work was of no real relevance to them. With 51 percent of global employees actively looking for another job when employed already, it’s no surprise that employee retention numbers frequently suffer and employees keep moving from their positions, unable to find any satisfaction in their work.
Employees who are disengaged may begin to lose interest in their work and their quality of work might start to decline once they no longer have a vested interest in getting the job done well. Such employees will still turn up and play their part but with none of the enthusiasm necessary to improve the work or project outcomes from previous performance numbers. Employee engagement goals and objectives can vary dramatically depending on who the employer is, but one thing that unites these missions is the desire to work towards success.
While an organization might come up with a revolutionary employee engagement strategy, it is up to the employers to get employees on board and take to the employee engagement ideas as well, which is why communication is a major component of any strategy.
Consider Employee Feedback
In order to do something for your employees you might want to consider their perspective in the matter before making a decision that affects them. Of course, this isn’t always necessary and you might narrow down on an employee engagement strategy that benefits everyone involved but you might also end up with an employee engagement strategy that serves no purpose but to cause further stress or annoyance to your workers.
- Regularly survey employees and understand their mental state as well as their opinion on any initiatives by the company
- Create a team to work on employee engagement goals and objectives so there’s a focus on it at all times
- Involve employees in the committee and make it a highly active part of the organization’s goals
- Even after initiatives are executed, take feedback seriously and respond actively to it
- Apart from feedback on the employee engagement strategy, also consider why employees are struggling to engage with their individual assignments
Improve Working Conditions
Employee disengagement is often a result of difficult working conditions that tire employees out and rob them of the energy to work. Whether in their actual assignments or due to irrational working conditions within the workspace, the work circumstances can greatly affect how the work is executed. Work with employees to understand the reason behind the disengagement and work on improving their experience. From considering a work-life balance to eliminating safety hazards within the workspace, improve the working conditions as a part of your employee engagement strategy.
- Conduct regular assessments of the working conditions, safety precautions, equipment durability, etc.
- Assess the work schedule of employees and ensure they are within reasonable limits of work
- Check working conditions such as access to resources, the communication chain, availability of support, regular working hours, etc. to understand what a week of work looks like for them
- Promote quality over quantity and support employees in achieving this goal
- Look into your employees’ work-life balance and assess any roadblocks to maintaining a separate life outside of work
- It might sound counterintuitive but encourage employees to use their vacation days and take time off when they need it so they can return to work with a clear head
Encourage Employee-Led Initiatives as Part of Your Employee Engagement Strategy
Employees are integral to the overall health of the organization and there are many ways in which their role can be tied into the functioning of the organization rather than just a checklist of 10 repetitive tasks they are made to work on every day. While their basic work and tasks cannot be redesigned frequently because some elements of the organization remain unchanged throughout, there can be additional ways for employees to get involved with the overall workings of the organization.
- Encourage employees to lead workshops or training sessions in their areas of expertise
- Establish a mentorship program where employees can feel fulfilled in training new talent and also get new insights from those bringing an outside perspective
- Support continuous learning through book clubs, webinars, or skill-sharing sessions
- Allow employees to interact with other departments and participate in meetings where their insight can prove invaluable
- Create employee resource groups where employees can build connections with other members across the organization
- Host inclusive events that celebrate various cultural traditions and holidays
- Consider the employee’s career path and work with them to plan ahead for growth
Review Workplace Culture
The workplace culture, if left unattended, can break down into something toxic and unpleasant where employees adopt unethical work practices and inappropriate behaviors and make it difficult for other employees to be productive either. Especially when managers become overbearing, aggressive, or intrusive, employees can become more reluctant to come to work and do anything that they haven’t been explicitly asked to do. One of the objectives of employee engagement is to make employees more enthusiastic about their work and that is why it is critical to review the workplace dynamic frequently and identify any prevalent issues.
- Organize diversity and inclusion workshops or seminars
- Create avenues for employees to file complaints/reports and take those seriously when they do come in
- Assess the company values and check whether the organization is in alignment with the goals of the company
- Set checks and guidelines in place for appropriate workplace behavior and provide regular training and reviews to ensure employees are aware of the rules
Acknowledge Employee Performance
Employees appreciate their hard work and performance being acknowledged—it shows that the company pays attention to the work that they do. Employee engagement goals and objectives should always include thanking employees when they perform well or exceed expectations in any way possible. Not only does it motivate them, but it also shows the company’s active engagement with how work is progressing at the organization rather than just turning up to criticize the end results.
- Appreciate individual successes and recognize top performers for their hard work
- Provide different forms of acknowledgement for employees who perform well and create platforms for them to share their learnings and insight with others
- Promote employees from within the organization and create opportunities for them to continue to work with the teams in more integral ways
- Encourage autonomy and decision-making within defined parameters
- Send personalized notes or small gifts on special occasions
A corporate engagement strategy needs to consider its employees to be as central to the organization as any other investment the company makes. Employers need to be serious about valuing their employees for any employee engagement strategy to be effective, and as such, employee engagement ideas need to reflect the sentiment accordingly.