5 Tips to Boost Employee Engagement
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowHaving a highly engaged and energized workforce is a major key to success for businesses. Energy and engagement have a direct effect on productivity, performance, and the entire company’s profitability. According to Gallup, businesses with highly engaged workers see a 17 percent increase in productivity and 21 percent greater profitability. Creating an environment with a highly engaged workforce also has the ability to impact and improve recruiting and retention efforts.
Having a high energy and highly engaged workforce is important, but knowing how to help employees with low energy and a lack of engagement can often be a tricky venture. Especially since you may not even be aware that your workers are low on energy. Common signs of this problem include pessimism, loss of focus, and poor job satisfaction. If this describes your employees, here are five tips to boost energy and engagement:
Ask for employee feedback
One of the easiest ways to boost employee engagement is by asking them how you can help. Take time out of your day to meet with employees and ask them what they need to feel energized and engaged at work. Another option is for executives to send out a company-wide survey to gain more expansive feedback. Not only will you gain better insight into what your employees need, but simply listening to them will boost engagement. According to Salesforce, when employees feel heard they are 4.6 times more likely to feel empowered to do their best work.
Encourage employees to use PTO
Burnout is one of the main reasons employees are low on energy. In fact, 61 percent of employees claim to feel burnt out in their current position. However, encouraging employees to take a little more time off can help prevent and curb the effects of burnout. It doesn’t have to be a long vacation either. Sometimes employees just need a mental health day to relax and mark things off their to-do list. This can help reduce stress so they come back energized and ready to collaborate with their team. However, employees can be nervous about asking for time off, executives should be ready to lead by example and utilize PTO as well.
Socialize outside of the office
Planning events outside of the office for employees to spend time together is another great way to boost engagement. Workers are going to be more excited to come to the office when they enjoy the people they work with. Often times you can’t build those relationships during work hours, but social events after hours can help further establish those bonds. Not only will close relationships improve energy and engagement they also help to improve collaboration and trust between employees.
Get involved in the community
Executives can also foster close relationships amongst employees by setting aside time for the entire company to participate in service projects. On top of helping workers bond, volunteering can also be used as a recruiting tool. It shows potential candidates that the company cares about the surrounding community. Giving back is also associated with multiple health benefits including stress relief. Taking time out of the week for the entire company to volunteer will lead to better engagement and higher energy long-term.
Celebrate the small wins
Most companies strive to recognize employees who are working hard and achieving big results, but it’s just as important to celebrate small wins. Celebrating small victories is an easy way to boost morale across an organization as well as improve overall engagement. These initiatives show employees that their hard work is noted and also making a difference for the business. Employees are bound to be more energized and engaged when they feel like their work is important and valued.
In order for your organization to be successful employees have to be energized and engaged. Implementing these five steps is a good start in ensuring employees will become more engaged and energized overall. Once your workforce is in a good place you can begin to enjoy the benefits of a more productive team.