The modern workplace has undergone a significant upheaval in the last four years. In March 2020, the rapid deployment of entire companies back to home offices required a seismic shift in operational function. Subsequently, companies employed various strategies and created all types of hybrid workforces to survive and thrive. Over the last year, businesses have settled into their post-pandemic structure, which often looked quite different than just 24 months ago. But these changes were only the beginning, as the Great Resignation and quiet quitting phenomena continued to shape company cultures and operations. With so much change over such a short time, many companies are noticing a notable drop in employee engagement. If this sounds like your workplace, don’t worry. You can take proactive steps to restore employee engagement and reenergize your culture.
An engaged workforce will maximize profitability, enhance productivity and increase retention. This article will discuss five strategies to help reinvigorate employee engagement at your company.
Employee Engagement Defined: Employee engagement represents the degree to which your team is motivated by and invested in their job or career. Engagement also highlights the individual’s commitment to the company and their emotional relationship with the people they work with every day.
Employees with high engagement levels are essential to an organization’s productivity. If the team feels that the company doesn’t value them as employees or people, they can lose motivation to complete tasks and achieve goals. Many factors impact employee engagement, but these factors are fluid and can fluctuate – meaning that companies must keep a finger on the pulse of their employee’s needs.
5 Ways to Improve Employee Engagement
You may have noticed a drop in employee motivation or a lack of teamwork and morale. These tips will help you to proactively and positively impact your office culture and boost employee engagement.
- Clearly represent your core values: Employee engagement increases when personnel can identify their overall goal and purpose. If you still need to share your mission statement, do so – along with a comprehensive list of company core values. Each employee should receive training in these values and be taught how their role impacts the business individually. Managers should lead by example and expect accountability from the team; otherwise, employees may become disengaged.
- Make employee feedback a priority: Employees consider providing feedback one of the most critical managerial roles. Employees need feedback on their performance to stay motivated and engaged. Regular reviews should become a priority, but managers should also ask their employees about their preferred feedback method to create meaningful interactions and engagement.
- Emphasize mental and physical health: Employees know when their company cares about their well-being. An organizational wellness initiative can effectively improve employee engagement and may include workout classes, fitness memberships, or company outings. Meditation classes during breaks and health days can help to avoid burnout, and a well-stocked breakroom – comprised of healthy snacks – can keep employees energized throughout the day.
- Recognize and reward top achievers: The most engaged employees go above and beyond the basic requirements of their job description. Employers can maintain that level of engagement (and inspire others to work towards it) by rewarding their efforts and appreciating their work. This strategy goes hand in hand with an employee’s need for feedback, so make sure recognition occurs often, no matter how informally. Managers can work with HR to implement an incentive program and utilize company communication channels to broadcast achievements across the company. (Read more about how KLONE can help with internal corporate communication.)
- Create a dynamic onboarding process: Employees can disengage in the first few weeks of a new job if they don’t feel included or adequately educated. Providing new hires with a quality onboarding experience, they understand their place and role in the company culture. Onboarding should comprehensively explain the mission statement and values of the company, as well as the goals and importance of the individual job description. Effective onboarding positions new hires for success and communicates their value to the company’s overall mission.
Taking Engagement to the Next Level
The above tips reflect methods business leaders can easily integrate into their culture to boost employee engagement – but there are many more ways to impact morale and performance. In our next article, we will continue the conversation.
If your organization is looking for an online solution capable of consolidating and disseminating company knowledge and information in the “flow of work,” the KLONE Organizer is your answer. This robust portal cultivates employee engagement by providing relevant and timely knowledge, insights, operational guidance, and resources they need to perform to the best of their ability.
Visit www.KLONEme.com for more information.