5 Ideas for Boosting Employee Engagement
The last few years have been a game changer for employers and employees alike, making boosting employee engagement a big priority.
It started with the Pandemic, which showed people that a lot of jobs could be performed just as well remotely as in person.
Soon after that came the Great Resignation, which saw a 20-year high for employees quitting their jobs, often as a result of poor treatment or-low wages.
Next, there was “quiet quitting” – employees putting in only the bare minimum effort, rather than striving to excel.
The fact is, more employees than ever are realizing that their only motivation for work is the paycheck. Plenty of other companies would pay them just as much or more, so why go the extra mile for an organization that wouldn’t go the extra mile for them?
In this new employment landscape, if you want to keep your employees engaged and motivated, you need to show them why your organization is worth their loyalty – as more than just the signer of their checks. To get them to stick around, and to excel in their productivity, you need to foster a genuine sense of belonging.
Here are a few ways you can make boosting employee engagement work in your environment.
Ways to Boost Employee Engagement
- Make It About Values. What does your company stand for? Are you committed to lowering your carbon footprint? Do you sponsor programs that benefit your local community? Engage your key employees in establishing your corporate values; then let your employees know what your company values are and what you’re doing in support of those values. Then, offer volunteer opportunities and other ways employees can support those values too. If you can engage them on issues they care about, it makes your company feel like it’s worth caring about as well. And in working for you, they can feel like they’re helping make the world a better place.
- Call Out Good Work. Most managers will call out an employee to reprimand them for a mistake or subpar performance. But many of those same managers do nothing when their employees do well. Praise is a much better motivator than criticism, and taking the time to recognize when an employee has done a good job makes them feel better about themselves, their work, and your company, and can make them more productive going forward.
- Offer Career Advancement. This means more than just dangling the possibility of a promotion. Take an individual interest in your employees and find out what their goals are in your field. Then, work with them to help them achieve those goals. Offer to pay for their education or provide the training and tools required to build the skills they’re looking for. By investing in your employees now, it will pay dividends later.
- Prioritize Wellbeing. Encourage your employees to prioritize their own mental, physical, and emotional health over the company’s needs. Don’t make them feel like if they stay home when they’re sick or take time for their family instead of their job, that they’re letting you down or their career is in jeopardy. Taking an interest in their wellbeing will both show that you care and help them perform better.
- Foster Community. Keeping employees engaged means ensuring they get along and work well with their coworkers. Sponsoring team-building activities, retreats, and regular social events can help with this, as can encouraging collaboration and providing an environment where employees can bounce ideas off one another.
Employee engagement is a two-way street. The more you care about them, the more they care about you. If you take the extra time to help your employees and make life better for them, you’ll create loyal, motivated, productive workers who help drive your company and retain these engaged team members for years to come.
