There’s good newson the employee engagement front: employee engagement is on the rise, movingfrom 61 percent in 2013 to 65 percent in 2015. However, that doesn’t mean business leaders can rest on their laurels or that HR needs to do no more than manage programmatic activities. Sustainable engagement isn’t just a matter of marking off the boxes at scheduled checkpoints. Rather, it is an attitude that makes room for small gestures, random acts of kindness and sincere acknowledgement that in total elevate the value of your engagement program.
Here are five ideasthat you might consider or use to drive sustainable engagement. Whatever youdo, by making engagement easy, simple, and even fun, you’ll be adding juice to your overall employee engagement program.
1. Encouragemanagers to let someone else lead department meetings. Letting employees take on that kind of responsibility not only engagesthem, it also can result in some refreshing new approaches to how ameeting is conducted.
2. Conductengagement mini-surveys throughout the year. Monthly surveyswith just 3-5 questions remind employees that you value them and also deliverbetter, timelier responses. Shorterand more focused than the annual employee survey, mini surveys can help you tospot trends in engagement and attitudes, and make more timely adjustments. Theyare also easier for employees to complete and you’remore likely to get authentic, rather thanrushed, responses.
3. Solicit employeesuggestions. Choose a “best” suggestion each month, and reward thosesuggestions that can be put into action. Leveragea rewards and recognition platform that’s fast and makes rewardsadministration easy to support all engagement activities—big and small.
4. Addfree fresh fruit, energy bars and snacks to lunchroom offerings (if nolunchroom, conference rooms). This shows that you care for employees’wellbeing. And it’s not an empty gesture.We know from research that attention to employee wellbeing is a top driver of employeesatisfaction and performance.
5. Offerprofessional neck messages andchair messages during stressful times: budget-cycle deadlines, project/newproduct rollouts, and duringthe holiday season. Someemployers, such as Google, Aetna, andGeneral Mills, have offered mindfulness training programs to employees. Thetraining has been shown not only toreduce stress but also to improve employee productivity.
Now that we’ve sent some ideas your way, you probablyhave already come up with some of your own. Don’t be afraid to experiment abit. These are low-investment activities with the probability of a quickreturn. If one idea falls short, move on to the next. There’s little to loseand much to gain.
Are you looking for fast and easy platform to reward and recognize youremployees? Contacta Marketing Innovators solutions expert today to learnhow our SaaS platform can deliver the most meaningful rewards simply andquickly.
Sources:
“2016 Trendsin Global Employee Engagement,” AON.
Gallup.com: “Well-Being EnhancesBenefits of Employee Engagement,” Dan Witters and Sangeeta Agrawal.
“Mindfulnessat Work: A New Approach to Improving Individual and OrganizationalPerformance,” Patrick K. Hyland, Andrew Lee, and Maura Mills, Society forIndustrial and Organizational Psychology
