Employee engagement is currently a major talking point in the business world. As companies start shifting more focus onto the well-being and satisfaction levels of employees, a renewed sense of importance is being placed on employee engagement strategies.
But what exactly is employee engagement and how can organisations embrace this as part of their strategy? This week's guest blog, written by Gladys Torres, explores this in detail, and why it’s more important than ever to consider how to optimise employee engagement.
Why Employee Engagement Is Important
The term Employee Engagement describes a healthy level of job satisfaction, morale, and enjoyment from employees. It is vitally important to work environments of every scale; research shows that with optimal employee engagement levels workers are more productive, focused, and have a higher drive for progress.
It’s high time that companies give back to employees the same level of effort that they are generating for profit and business expansion. Nobody has been a stranger to stress and instability over the past few years, and we are now seeing the long-term effects these issues are having on productivity and focus.
How Can A Business Improve Employee Engagement?
While businesses by nature prioritise company growth and evolution, these modes of progress are only made possible through the hard work of employees. So, what can companies do to provide adequate support for their workers?
Well, recent surveys can tell us a thing or two about what employees really want from their jobs, and how businesses can display their appreciation in a tangible and meaningful way. Move out of the way, mass-printed corporation t-shirts - mental health and empathy are taking the reins!
7 Ways To Boost Employee Engagement
If you’re a business owner, senior leader or line manager seeking to give back to your employees in a way that they will truly appreciate, take a look at these 7 guidelines for maintaining optimal employee engagement.
1. Offer support for mental and emotional health
It’s no secret that everyone’s mental health has been tested since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. We could all use a little extra support, and making that support available is a small change that can make a big difference.
Mental health concerns, such as depression and poor stress management, have a negative impact on productivity, and can result in burnout. Before 2020, workplace support for mental wellness was considered a bonus perk. But in today’s world, it’s critical for employee engagement.
It is important for employees to have a platform where their mental health can thrive. Companies can provide this service in many ways, such as offering mental health days, an on-site counsellor, and flexibility towards deadlines, to name a few.
2. Cultivate realistic goals for your team
One of the most successful methods of increasing employee engagement is to set realistic goals for your employees. By setting goals that are in alignment with your team’s capacity, you can cultivate a culture of confidence and bonding within the workplace.
The satisfaction of accomplishing goals can do wonders for workplace morale, and keeps employees feeling valued in the team. Seeing a project through from start to finish also promotes enthusiasm and self-assurance, both of which are crucial attributes of employee engagement.
3. Improve internal communication
The communication lines of every company have been tested during the era of Covid-19. This testing proved to us just how important communication is, and how much it influences other elements of business.
However, internal communication is about so much more than downloading the latest online collaboration software. It means opening up the floor for employees at every level to engage in meaningful conversations, and making it easy for people with new ideas to be heard.
According to numerous studies, being listened to is one of the top-most valued factors of a healthy work environment. By bolstering and refining your internal communication strategy, you can improve employee engagement significantly.
4. Hold more group activities
There’s nothing like a good old group activity to foster connection and engagement within the workplace. Group activities promote bonding between employees, and help individuals feel recognised as part of a whole.
You can promote employee engagement by providing employees with ample opportunities to exercise trust, communication, and empathy together. Whether that means offering a space for employees to gather and eat lunch together, or hosting a monthly outdoor activity day, your employees can benefit from leisure time spent as a team.
5. Give recognition freely
Let's leave bare-minimum gratitude in the past. First and foremost, employees are human, and we humans thrive through recognition and positive affirmation. Many employees are already feeling stretched to their mental limits, and therefore a genuine attempt to express gratitude for those efforts can lighten their struggles.
Consider implementing an employee recognition strategy that aims to shine a light on hard work, and give credit where it’s due. This can materialise as an “employee of the month” scheme, or just a simple but powerful decision to be more liberal in expressing appreciation.
6. Celebrate special occasions
Everyone loves a celebration, and now is the ideal time for re-introducing cheer to the workplace. That doesn’t mean you have to fork out thousands for every holiday or birthday - taking the time to actively acknowledge and celebrate special occasions through small and personal touches can be more than enough.
Keeping a birthday calendar can help the office to keep track of whose special day is coming up, and provides colleagues with the opportunity to spread kindness and appreciation where it is due.
We could all use a bit of morale-boosting, and marking celebrations are one of the many ways to consistently show gratitude for those around us.
7. Promote empathy in the workplace
When it comes down to it, everyone has their own battles that they are fighting, different lifestyles, and navigating different forms of stress. An essential component of optimal employee engagement centres around a greater sense of empathy, patience, and respect for one another.
There are many practical ways in which these sentiments can flourish, and it all starts with the basic human need for compassion. How your company decides to deliver the message of empathy to its employees doesn’t matter so much as the desire for it to be present in the first place.
By listening to what the employees themselves have to say, your company can gain a deeper understanding of what is needed for optimal engagement. You can then go forth with concrete plans for giving them exactly that to the best of your ability.
Gladys Torres is a writer and advocate for self-care and leading a healthy lifestyle. She hopes that her writing can inspire others to prioritise their mental and physical well-being. With an absolute love for food and a self proclaimed foodie, when she's not writing, Gladys loves to experiment in the kitchen and try out new recipes.