We can all agree that employees are critical to the company’s success. Forward-thinking employers invest in the right strategies to keep them happy.
Happy and engaged staff members are 17% more productive. The company can achieve 21% higher profitability with such employees. In the U.S disengaged workers lead to revenue losses ranging from $450 to $550 billion per year.
Even with such statistics, many companies still find employee engagement a significant challenge. The problem could come from the management or the employees themselves. A culture of mistrust or lack of cohesion can be a major impediment.
Another is improper organizational structures that make workers feel less than stable. The reality is that a good paycheck does not guarantee worker satisfaction. There are other things business owners must do to improve staff contentment.
Please read on for some practical, workable employee engagement tips.
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Training is Key
Continuous development should be a top priority for employers. The benefits of training opportunities are immense for both the company and employees.
For the company, it can ensure higher productivity, which will directly impact the bottom line. For staff members, it is a chance to develop their skills further, resulting in career growth.
Employers should not only concentrate on task-specific training. Expand the scope to other areas of life to increase the benefits to their employees.
Proper financial management, for example, is an issue that plagues many people. An inability to keep up with payments could impact your credit score.
Employees would love to get advice on things like how to get an 850 credit score. Top-rated credit repair companies can guide on fixing errors in credit reports. An employee who feels that the company cares will have higher engagement.
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Provide the Right Working Environment and Tools
Companies must do all they can to help employees achieve high productivity levels. And it starts with providing the right working environment and tools.
Look at the processes you have in place. Do they improve efficiency by streamlining workflows? Can team members achieve easy collaboration wherever they are? How much access do workers have to the tools?
Take the example of remote working. It became more popular after the corona pandemic outbreak. Has the company facilitated staff members with the right technologies to work? Employees may feel resentment if they have to depend on their own devices to do company work.
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Involve the Employees in Decision Making
Many companies adopt a top-down approach. Management makes all the decisions and passes them down to staff members. It does not provide an opportunity for their employees to feel like they are part of the company. An effective strategy involves allowing everyone to be part of the decision-making process.
Total transparency is critical so that everyone is on the same page. Listening to everyone’s input makes them feel an essential part of the loop.
The challenge for management would be how much information to share. Indeed some must remain at the board or management level. Share what you can and keep everyone in the loop. Also, ensure communication channels are always open.
It is important to remember that employee feedback can reveal many insights. Who can give better information about customers than those who deal with them every day? The same applies to processes.
Implementing their ideas can make a massive difference to performance. And, employees feel more ownership in whatever is happening.
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Put In Place Recognition Programs
Recognition programs are critical for driving engagement amongst employees. It is a sign of appreciation for those who deliver and shows that you value them. Ideas for recognition programs are plentiful.
Cash rewards on bonuses are always welcome. It could also be in the form of gift certificates that they can redeem at a spa or restaurant. Other employees will want to emulate top performers for a chance to get the rewards.
Everyone must have clarity on their roles. The company must set key performance indicators (KPI). These are the metrics management will use to determine the best performers. Recognize those who have met their goals and reward those who have managed to surpass the KPIs.
Another idea is to put in place peer review programs. Let the employees also take part in deciding who should get the award. It may not always be about performance. They can choose which other categories to include. Such may include the most helpful, best idea originator, and much more. It goes back to our earlier point of involving employees in decision-making.
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Build a Team Spirit
A divide and conquer way of working will only breed mistrust. A culture that celebrates team spirit can achieve excellent results. Encourage strong relationships from the top of the chain to the very bottom. You will find people are more willing to take part. The result will be higher productivity in such environments.
Put aside a small budget for team-building activities. Host company employees to informal sessions like lunches or get-togethers. It does not have to be a considerable expense to the company. It may surprise you that staff members would be willing to donate time and even supplies for such events.
Suggest to everyone to bring food for a lunch session on Friday, as an example. They should pack enough for themselves and one other person. No one will gripe about such a small expense if they like each other. Such sessions are also great for de-stressing. Everyone gets an opportunity to bond in a more relaxed environment.
Also, foster team spirit by taking part in community events. The joy in contributing towards making a change in society can increase engagement. And, the staff will feel great about working for a company that is not only about making profits.
Final Thoughts
Achieving high levels of employee engagement should be a top priority. Employees who feel disengaged from the company will not achieve high productivity. Indeed, coming to work every day will be such a drag for them. Those who stay will do so because they have no choice. But you can be sure they are searching for other opportunities every day.
We have shared some workable ways to achieve higher engagement above. A conducive workplace that embraces employee contributions is on the right track.