The Power of Employee Engagement
Having a workforce that is happy and engaged brings a long list of benefits to the workplace. From lower levels of absence to a higher level of productivity, research shows that it pays to invest in engagement and particularly social technologies. According to The McKinsey Global Institute, productivity improves by 20-25% in organisations with connected employees.
So when you can see that those kinds of results are achievable, it seems that neglecting engagement is a huge mistake. Many companies have seen the value of increasing engagement and introducing better communication channels. Some businesses create teams that are specifically assigned to employee engagement and communication activities. However, not all companies have the luxury of that size of budget.
For the businesses that fall into this category, there are other solutions that can boost engagement and help to create a positive working environment. These include:
Career development opportunities – For people to feel engaged in their career, they need to feel that they can progress and develop in some way. There are lots of different ways to offer this such as paying for them to go on formal training to obtain qualifications. Or something as simple as setting up a mentoring scheme, where they can spend a bit of time shadowing and learning from somebody in an advanced role. Providing access to online learning resources is also a good way of empowering employees with their own learning plan, so if you haven’t looked into the benefits of a LMS or similar tool then this could be a good option.
Team building – Providing opportunities for employees to bond outside of the normal working environment can also be hugely beneficial. From a day out at an escape room to outdoor pursuits, team building activities will help your team to collaborate better. You can provide challenges that encourage teamwork, communication, strategic thinking and other skills, or you can focus on letting them have a relaxed day out of the office. There are benefits to be gauged from both approaches. You can find a range of examples if you go to this website.
Did you know that escape games can also be used for assessing skills to see whether a candidate is right for a job? This is particularly relevant for technology roles where candidates may perform to their best when immersed in a game style environment. If you are looking for cyber security specialists, delivering a presentation to a room of people might not be right option but testing them through online games (gamification) is much more relevant to the skills they will require for the role.
Reward and recognition – Reward structures are generally aligned to the company budget and performance but there are other ways of showing recognition. Peer based recognition schemes can drive productivity when successfully embedded. Sharing people’s success using internal social networks, or even on a physical display board can have a significant impact on engagement levels.
The best way of measuring engagement is through employee surveys, so if you are not already conducting one, perhaps now is the time to start. How can you make improvements if you have no metrics to indicate what needs to be improved? A survey can be short and simple but will reveal exactly what you need to know. There could be a simple fix that you just have no idea about until you ask the right questions.
Also, do not underestimate the power of a simple thank you and some personalised feedback. Taking time to show employees that you care and value their input and ideas is just as important as being able to reward them appropriately.
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