Do you feel your staff is just going through the motions at work? Are they frequently late, or absent? Is there a high turnover rate in your office? Worst, has productivity in your unit dipped that you can’t help but call the attention of your team members?
If you answered yes to these questions, then there is a low level of employee engagement in your office. Employee engagement, or the extent to which the employees in a company are passionate about their jobs, can have a huge impact in your organization’s performance.
The best way to determine if there is a low employee engagement in your company is to run an employee engagement survey. The HR department usually conducts this type of poll, although you can also run one in your unit.
Once you’ve conducted a poll and it proves that what you suspect is true, you’d have to turn things around by coming up with ideas for employee engagement. For starters, here are some ideas for employee engagement that you might want to try:
1. Start talking to your staff
If the survey shows that your employees are not engaged with their work, start to converse with them directly. But don’t confront them. Hold one-on-one chats so they’d be comfortable to talk to you about why they feel disconnected and unmotivated to work. Moreover, ask them for ideas that you can implement within the group to change for the better, like perhaps holding weekly meetings.
2. Be receptive to their suggestions
When you ask for ideas from the group, be receptive as possible to their suggestions. Otherwise, you can’t expect them to change their attitudes. Be flexible, like allowing their work schedules or locations to be adjusted to better suit their needs (if work schedules and locations are among their concerns.)
Of course, you may have to ask higher management for that arrangement to be approved although surveys have shown that telecommuting was practiced by 37 percent of US workers in the past year.
Statistically speaking, employees with flexible hours and locations are more productive and engaged that those who work from 8 to 5.
3. Volunteer together
On the surface, volunteering and employee engagement may seem two contradictory things. But you’ll be surprised to learn that surveys have indicated the employee engagement increases when the employees see that their companies are supporting philanthropic causes, and more so when their staff are directly involved.
One survey conducted by LBG Associates showed that 7 out of 10 employees said they feel more positive about their firms after taking part in employee volunteers program. This shows that employees aren’t only motivated because of money or benefits; but also by purpose-driven work.
Employees feel proud working for a firm that isn’t only about making money, but also helping others. The pride that they feel for their firm can make them more motivated to work harder for their employers.
5. Have fun together
Among these ideas for employee engagement, arguably best and fastest way to encourage workers to re-commit themselves to the institution is to have a regular bonding session. Companies can organize a sports tournament or even a monthly get-togethers between departments so that employees can get to know each other better. More importantly, these events can show to the employees that the companies they’re working for appreciate their overall well-being.
6. Create a culture of open communication
You can start this within your unit. Have regular meetings. Even if your workers are in remote areas, regular online meetings can involve everyone in the group and make your staff feel important.
These ideas for employee engagement should help your staff feel more passionate about their work.
