Is employee engagement a Science?
Employee engagement is not an exact science. As far as we all know, the whole concept has been built on HR experience, positive psychology and business models that engage a company’s talent towards a productive culture of success.
Few ideas who is in need of some inspiration.
1. Assign company values
Assign one of your company’s values to a certain employee, every month, based on a peer-voting process. The person who best represented that value can be set as an example and be publicly acknowledged for his actions.
2. Have teams create their own set of values
Designing your own game rules makes playing a lot more fun. Team synergy is not an easy objective to attain, and it’s definitely not a rapid one.
3. Encourage personal projects
Give employees a 1-2 h/ day window to pursue their own projects. Having people from different departments connecting and bouncing ideas can help get a new perspective.
4. Assign a buddy/mentor for every newcomer
An important part of the onboarding process is having someone answer some really important questions. Questions that someone would be hesitant to simply ask a manager.
5. Have themed office days
For the more open-minded companies, this initiative can bring a lot of fun and increase employee loyalty.
6. Have team photos
Have photos of your team on a wall, or frame them around the office. Group photos, funny photos, events photos or random photos snapped when people weren’t watching.
7. Play the Happiness At Work card game
By applying knowledge and how we work together, Choose Happiness @ Work engages adult learners in a unique and powerful way.
8. Encourage charity
Personalize your own company gift card and reward employees by allowing them to make a charitable donation to an organization of their choice. Or as a company come up with a cause that is aligned with your company’s mission, empower employees to team up and raise money for that cause, in a friendly but competitive manner.
9. Encourage volunteering
Give your employees a couple of days a month to volunteer for a cause they support.
10. Raise salaries
I’m sure at least half of the people reading this article will have an eyebrow up at this point. According to a Gallup study 44% of the employees are willing to take job to another company for a raise of 20%. This percentage drops to 30% for employees that work in an employee engaging environment.
11. Remind people your company’s mission and values
It’s important that you emphasize, once in a while, what your company stands for. People need to be reminded of why they are doing what they’re doing.
12. Recognize and encourage innovation
What about that project that came together so well and had some amazing improvements that no one initially thought of? Find out who came up with that idea. Give them a friendly “Good job!” or recognize them publicly for going the extra mile.
13. Celebrate achievements
Big or small, they are the solid proof that the work people are putting in has meaning. No one can go through tasks and assignments for months, or even years without burning out. Refill their energy tanks with some recognition and celebrate their hard work.
14. Celebrate people
Birthdays, promotions, retirements, newcomers welcoming, there are plenty of important moments where people can be put at the front of the company.
15. Give and receive feedback
Yes, everyone knows that and everyone talks about it. But it’s really hard to implement. You’re dealing with peoples’ work, their position, their emotions and key success factors. It’s a dangerous mix that the wrong feedback can cause to explode. Keep it simple. Offer a framework or a system that employees can use with confidence and honesty. Let them know you value their opinion and, most importantly, act on that feedback.
16. Try some unusual employee engagement ideas
It’s the small things that can sometime make a difference. Like having colored mugs at work or an awesome air freshener.
17. Show respect
This should be the cornerstone for every office interaction. Especially when it comes to people in different hierarchies.
18. Empower your employees
Nothing creates a greater sense of responsibility and ownership like having the decision power. Don’t be afraid to let people be their own leader. It’s surely a great way to build trust, as opposed to micro-management.
19. Encourage learning
Challenge and support employees in learning and developing their skills.
20. Get social
Go out, have fun, have teambuildings and weekend competitions! It can be really overwhelming to work, work, work 8-12h a day and crave a weekend that passes in a blink of an eye. Join sports competitions and encourage team playing activities.
21. Make sure that people have all the resources they need
This doesn’t sound like other typical employee engagement ideas but it has an important purpose. You need to make sure that you have the basics covered before you move on to other, more abstract, ideas. Equip your employees with the tools and systems that will make their job easier.
22. Ask the people who really know employee engagement
Being as this is a fairly new business component, you should trust the experts. Consult the right people to help you build a solid employee engagement strategy.
23. Get answers from your employees as well
This is related to feedback but it’s more of an indirect feedback. Monitor and analyze your employees, your teams and the overall workspace. You’ll get some essential pointers into what works and what you can improve.
24. Build long-term engagement
Don’t settle for a quick fix. Develop a long-term employee engagement strategy with clear objectives and action steps for more than a year, then re-evaluate and build on it.
25. Try and try again
What works for one company might not work for another. It’s important that you try and adapt, until you find the perfect angle for your employee engagement strategy.
Takeaway
The basic HR processes, recruitment&selection, onboarding&training, performance management, performance appraisal, rewards and recognition and actual employee management leave little or no time for employee happiness or employee engagement.
it is recommended that you have someone specifically responsible with employee engagement, to track and measure changes and improvements made.
