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More often than not, efforts to engage, motivate and support your employees come across as something a company is doing for the sake of doing it and not because it is truly invested in the well-being of its employees.
Employee engagement is about the emotional investment and connection a person has with the organization they work for. When they truly believe in what they are doing, feel involved in the happenings, and are appreciated, they will perform to their highest potential.
Let us look at some of the ways you can help them to achieve their best.
1.Corporate giving platforms
Corporate giving refers to a business launching philanthropic and social initiatives that enables its employees to give back to society. Such kinds of initiatives help the business fulfill its corporate social responsibility (CSR) while engaging and supporting your employees at the same time.
What the employees contribute to depends on their skills and expertise. There are a number of activities they can participate in, ranging from fundraising events to volunteering events.
Manually managing such events can be a very taxing experience, which is why most companies opt to digitize their CSR initiatives. Doing so cuts down their administrative hours around CSR by a whopping 20%. Here is a corporate giving platforms guide to help you plan out your next corporate giving event.
2.Plan your moves carefully
If you feel as though you are all over the place when it comes to engaging with your team, it’s better to take a step back and plan your moves. Focus on what you want to achieve and keep the goals realistic. Say, you want to encourage healthy communication between the employees on all levels.
Next, meet up with HRs, managers, and long-term employees to devise a plan to achieve your goal. These people’s inputs matter the most as they know your team on a personal level while being in tune with the company’s ways.
Value everyone’s input and devise a plan that is approved by all. These are the people who are going to help you implement the changes on the ground level as well. Make sure everyone knows what they are supposed to do and who they are meant to report to before kicking things off.
3.Go one-on-one
Google surveyed their own performance data in 2016 and concluded that frequent conversations between a team leader and their team members were a leading factor in a team’s good performance. It is imperative to your employee engagement efforts that you get an understanding of the happenings at the ground level. This is something top management often forgets.
You don’t have to talk to everyone at your workplace if it is not feasible. In that case, divide it into groups so that the group leaders can report to you. If you can manage it, though, do talk to everyone yourself. It is far more impactful if you do
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a)You get to know them
The biggest benefit to having one-on-one conversations is that you get to know your employees in a personal setting. Every person is different from one another and what works for one may not for someone else.
The only way to gauge the best approach to helping an employee is to know about each and every one of them individually. We recognize that this is a cumbersome process but one that is necessary for both their and your betterment.
Try to make them comfortable and keep the discussion friendly and casual. Ask them what they think their role is, what they hope to establish in the future. Then let them know what you expect of them and how you can help them achieve it
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b)They get to know you
An understated benefit to such conversations is that your employee gets to know you, too. It instantly makes them feel valued and appreciated. It also breaks the ice between you and your subordinates.
Think of this as an opportunity to display personality and let them see you are approachable. This enables them to be honest, upright, and forthcoming with you in the future. Your dedication also motivates them to do better.
c)You get honest feedback
Feedback is the backbone of development. This is why annual employee feedback is increasingly being replaced by quarterly or even monthly surveys, according to the 2016 Trends in Global Employee Engagement.
When you have done the legwork of making your employee comfortable, valued, and appreciated, their feedback is bound to be honest and constructive. Encourage them to help you get better with their feedback and act on what they say to gain their trust
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4.Provide them the means
Once you understand how your employees work and what they need help with, it becomes easier to provide them with the means to achieve their goals. It helps them get better and 94 percent of
the employees would agree that it is something that makes them stay at a job
a)Tools
CB Insights, an NYV-based company offers its staff a number of professional development opportunities as well as periodic sessions to keep them up-to-date with the trends.
Such tools help and support your employees to stay at the top of their game, sharp and attentive in their day-to-day tasks. It also keeps them motivated to perform better.
b)Training
Training is another key ingredient for employee engagement. Periodic training helps and supports your employees identify their strengths and shortcomings and working on improving themselves. It also provides them a change of pace from day-to-day tasks.
Most importantly, it lets them know the company cares about their betterment by investing in them. Yum! Brands, the parent company of KFC and Pizza Hut, gives its employees midyear development plans that focus on their growth and development.
5.Offer counseling programs
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It is a fairly new concept but one that is very welcome. Providing the option of counseling would let your employees know that you care about their mental health as well. People still seem to have apprehensions about discussing mental health issues.
In that case, you can have such sessions outside the workplace. It goes without saying, but let your employees know that whatever they share with the therapist will truly stay confidential. It will only be used to help them while keeping the sanctity of the patient-therapist relationship intact.
6.Have fun
Making the workplace feel fun without it seeming forced can be quite the challenge. The key to it is simply being authentic with what you do.
As fun as games and challenges are, many employees — especially introverted ones — may not feel up to them. To overcome this, simply ask your employees what they would like to engage in for fun.
You can do it in a variety of ways. Simply revamping the workplace to include some pool tables or a lounging area can do the trick. This approach worked for Chicago-based company OneSpan.
You can include a Yoga class, take them to lunch once in a while. A book club membership might be appreciated by book lovers. The possibilities are endless.
Health and wellness programs are excellent motivators for employees that boost their performance and productivity. The Australian government is urging more businesses in Australia to include such programs in their workplace.
7.Reward them
Positive reinforcement works wonders in motivating people. It’s human nature to seek validation and respond to being appreciated. 67 percent of employees state that being respected is the most important driver of engagement at a job.
You can provide motivation in a variety of ways. McDonald’s ‘employee of the month’ campaign is well-known. Yum! Brands also follow a similar model. On a smaller scale, you can do something like that as well.
A bonus, a lunch out, a membership, or a gift voucher work just as well. Whatever method you choose, make sure you are loud and proud in your recognition of the employee’s hard work. Getting a shout-out from their employer or supervisor motivates them just as much as it does their peers.
In addition, employee engagement software like Perkbox, Bonusly, and more can take the engagement level up by several notches. The offerings can be customized and are hence a great choice for organizations of any choice