The successful implementation and sustainability of employee engagement programs continues to be at the forefront of organizational thinking. According to the American Psychological Association Center for Organizational Excellence, “Employees who report feeling valued by their employer are 60 percent more likely to report they are motivated to do their very best for their employer.” This kind of engagement is a powerful tool for managers and a crucial asset for company success.
Although HR professionals widely accept and apply employee engagement practices, many companies are not seeing the levels of engagement they would like. There can be several reasons that companies are experiencing lower than desired levels of engagement, despite an understanding of its value and importance. One of these reasons is the failure to adopt today’s new employee engagement approaches and enabling technologies.
Applications designed to actively engage employees include social recognition mobile friendly interfaces and simple game mechanics. The good news for late adopters is that this technology is easy to implement and available at price points that make it affordable for most budgets. So, if you are looking to boost employee engagement in your organization, consider applying some of these simple tools.
Leveraging Peer-to-Peer Recognition to Foster a Culture of Empowered Employees
Employee rewards and recognition platforms, like Marketing Innovators’ PPM Suite Express, give employers a unique opportunity to leverage multiple engagement touch points from peer-to-peer, manager and cross-department recognition According to SHRM, “At many companies, traditional top-down recognition by managers isn’t enough anymore. Employees also want acknowledgement from the peers they work with every day.”
Peer-to-peer recognition can be amplified with rewards such as an e-gift card awarded automatically for those who reached a certain level of peer acknowledgements, or awards that specifically encourage cross-department peer recognition. Our clients have also seen success when they utilize social media tools to share timely and genuine recognition across the organization.
Benefits resulting from peer-to-peer recognition platforms include increases in employee engagement, more opportunities for teams to gain recognition across departments, and a breakdown of department silos.
A social recognition program that is as social as your employees
A changing workforce with incoming generations that are at ease with technology means organizations can leverage social recognition platforms to increase employee engagement. Social recognition platforms afford new ways to broaden recognition from several viewpoints, and even map recognition to your organization’s unique culture. Another benefit is the opportunity to see previously unexposed talents or skills in your workforce. These enterprise social platforms are easily implemented in your workplace and give your team access to new means of appreciation.
Consider a social recognition program that can administer manager and peer appreciation by drawing on the success of social media apps like Facebook to showcase achievements and ignite conversations. With 70 percent of employees believing they are recognized only once per year, using a social recognition technology to connect peers, customers, partners, managers, and more brings a new level of engagement to your team.
Drive engagement and performance by making it a game.
Finally, gamification is a proven technique to drive performance and engagement. This allows employers to gamify their rewards, recognition, or training programs, increasing engagement and interests in employees.
We added a gamification feature to PPM Suite Custom and PPM Suite Express Pro, creating a new opportunity for aligning employee engagement and behavior with tangible business goals and objectives.
Whether it’s by using peer recognition, social platforms, or gamification, technology solutions give your company the opportunity to boost your employee engagement metrics. Talk to us about other employee engagement enhancements.
Sources:
https://www.apaexcellence.org/resources/creatingahealthyworkplace/employeeinvolvement/
