There is more than meets the eye to employee engagement, even though many people think the definition is obvious. Things are never obvious where different personalities are concerned, and teams include different people with different mindsets.
All the same, boosting employee engagement is necessary for any business; workplaces with low motivation and engagement levels suffer from toxicity, leading to low retention rates. Not a good recipe for success, no matter the benefits.
Motivation plays the most important role in this process. The two well-known motivators are a good salary and a stress-free environment. Note that both are required to maintain motivation levels, since even the highest salary won’t keep an unhappy employee in your company for long.
The third factor is — inspiration. If you are aspiring to attract the so-called “talent,” you’ll do well to allow them the freedom to develop their ideas and share them with others. In turn, talents will inspire other employees and make them part of a larger scheme.
Finally, different things motivate different people, so it is a good idea to establish an anonymous feedback system so that you can be privy to details. Anonymity ensures honesty, so it’s really the fastest way to learn your employees’ minds.
In more detail, here are some concrete tips on how to keep your workforce engaged in the unusual times we’re witnessing now.
1. Stay Organized and Communicate
Communication is crucial for all aspects of doing business; this insight isn’t a novelty. However, what is new is the advanced use of technology to achieve that purpose, and not every employee might be privy to that.
First of all, simply setting up communication standards isn’t enough to keep communication alive. You need to choose the best apps and tools suitable for your employees and make sure to teach them how to use them.
Only then can the methods of efficient team communication be taken into consideration. In this aspect, there are no set rules. Daily chats, weekly meetings, or month-end consultations all may serve the purpose. The dynamics are up to your target plans.
Another thing, a productive environment should be a priority. People should be able to relax and present their ideas. The latter participates massively in creating the feeling that everyone is contributing to business success actively, which is a great motivator. Furthermore, if your employees work remotely, you must ensure that your company has appropriate remote collaboration tools.
Here are some ideas on how you can deepen communication in an efficient and creative way: organize workshops, casual meetings and team-building activities.
2. Bridge the Gap Between In-Office and Remote Teams
Next on, with remote work becoming something of a standard, it is necessary to take into account the proper modules of interaction between in-office and remote teams.
Certainly, people who can perform their tasks remotely shouldn’t be forced to waste time on commuting when they can perform their job better and be more motivated at home.
Still, all teams need to be on the same page for a business to be able to operate successfully. To avoid problems for remote teams in the future, make sure to include them in regular meetings, online or otherwise.
3. Have a Health Improvement Plan
Needless to say, managing large groups of people is hard work and interactive at that, so it is necessary to consider creating a health improvement plan. After all, if your team isn’t following a healthy protocol, they won’t be performing at their best, will they?
Encourage them to eat healthier snacks, get up and move around to avoid leg cramps, and take precautions to avoid stress.
4. Keep Offering Learning Opportunities
Finally, provide learning opportunities. Not only will they keep the employees motivated and engaged, but they will also procreate more experts in your company.
There are various ways to go about this, and you should consider all of them before making final plans. It is absolutely legitimate to brief the employees to learn their preferences. You can rely on anonymous feedback, as well, in the matter of continuing education and other things.
For the majority of businesses, eLearning is the preferred option, for two main reasons:
1) It enables flexibility.
2) It can be paced by each individual to fit their schedule.
There are numerous benefits of eLearning, and consider this: instead of relying on available courses, you can create curated courses of your own, for example, for performance improvement plans, the company’s mission, projected goals and target skills.
In conclusion, to keep your team engaged, you should lead by example, listen to employee feedback, implement best ideas and practices, make sure everyone is on the same page, offer incentives and be open-minded.
Different people have different affinities, so make an effort to get to truly know every member of your team. Only in that way will you manage to build a strong team and be able to recognize which steps to undertake — and when.