14 Powerful tips to Increase Employee Engagement

In any organization, employee engagement is one of the difficult things to define and harder to measure.

It is essentially equal to employee self-esteem which makes it stand always on the top of the priority list. The majority of the employees in today’s market do not feel inspired by their work. They get bored for a year or so and start hunting for something new.

But again, the same old story is going to repeat. But a quick turnover drains the companies from all corners. Analyzing exactly how much it costs businesses or organizations to replace every employee who leaves is a challenge out there.

1. Encourage them to speak up

Give employees their voice. It is a paramount thing for employees to realize that they are being heard. Every organization should give employees their voice. It is quite common for modern-day workspaces to feel uncomfortable with the concept of speaking their minds. The tenderness could be for several reasons.

But the ball is always in your court. Try to break it down. When workers are constantly being shut down, soon they will commence using their voice somewhere else. Encourage your employees that you are all ears which certainly boosts their performance. An open-door communication or open-door policy is a valuable asset to any organization.

The more space you give for communication, the more likely they will bring fresh ideas to the board.

2. Give people a chance to know each other

There are many employees who have no idea about their colleagues, not at all. Watching the complete series of “The Office” could bring you more employee engagement ideas than you would get from reading every employee engagement article on the internet.

It is important to focus on helping your employees to get to know each other well. Conduct some office games or a happy little hour at the end of the week. Not everyone is okay with partying, so ask them what they want to do and implement them right away. This helps them to communicate with each other more on a personal level.

Whenever a new employee steps in, welcome him/her officially to the team.

No one is under his eye

Hehe. Just make sure to allow your team to interact with them instead of letting them feel they are being watched. Every human needs a break once in a while. Conversations always not to be related to work. Let them talk.

3. Give and Receive Feedback

Every employee wants to know where they stand in the line. It seems hard to implement. But this makes them feel that they are a part of something in the organization. Also, it is essential to seek feedback from their end as well.

Conduct surveys and seek anonymous responses to find out how they are feeling in the organization. Keep it simple. You might even be able to act on some of their wishes. Let them understand that you know their opinion.

4. Assign a buddy

Improving employee engagement also involves serving as a mentor despite how busy you are. There are many people out there hesitant to simply ask a manager for little things. But you have to build a trustworthy relationship with employees to make the work environment more welcoming.

Make them grow as a part of the team. Many managers do not opt for the personal approach but it is often necessary to talk and resolve who are facing issues. Just help and ensure no one is left behind

5. Focus on the collaboration

It seems that cubicles give personal space. It is true, but only to an extent. You might have experienced yourself in cubicles or seen in any office space. These kinds of companies offer comfort, not collaboration. However, collaboration is one of the vital components for businesses to thrive in this competitive world.

In the long history of humankind, those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed. - Charles Darwin

One of the best ways to improve is to implement collaboration tools that cut down the time of moving from desk to desk or waiting for someone to write a formal email for a simple thing.

6. Praise them

It is an open truth that one of the best ways to motivate people to work more is to reward them on a regular basis. But, rewarding for every tiny thing makes him/her comfortable. Hence, it should be done only from time to time. That will mean a lot to the person. Trust me!

Also, encourage co-workers to hear about someone’s achievement and congratulate them. This step brings employees together for sure.

7. Draw attention to work-life balance

It seems like a typical phrase bragged by many employees or organizations. But a good work-life balance can reduce employee stress and increase staff retention. There should be an equity between the time spent working and personal life.

Work-life balance is subjective. It is going to mean different for each other. Talk with your team to acknowledge what you can do for better workplace engagement. A flexible schedule is the easiest way to keep them thriving.

8. Work from home

There should be an ability to work from home whenever necessary. Come on, who likes to work side-by-side with someone who is blowing snot or who wants to commute in heavy traffic with running a fever? Whenever an employee is sick, let them know that they can work from home.

As a matter of fact, remote workers are more productive than the peeps working in-house. A couple of days in a year would not hurt. Isn’t it?

9. Hold fun

One of the unfortunate aspects of the modern work culture is that many do not even associate the word “fun” with the work. You do not necessarily have to disrupt the normal week to integrate fun into the office. Just take a half day Friday and let all the departments do something together.

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy

Holding contests within the organization, playing outdoor sports, and going as volunteers can make the day much better and improve employee engagement levels than you have imagined.

10. Celebrate your team

Make your staff members feel special on their work anniversaries, birthdays, or even a big project closure. When employees feel like they are getting an adequate amount of attention for his/her efforts, they typically have a more urge to be engaged. Make it unexpected.

11. Dress code

There should be no Barney who hunts you every day to “suit up.” Every workspace has its own sense of culture. The clothes people put on absolutely have a dramatic impact on the environment. While you are working with a team of professionals there must not be much concern over what one has to wear at work.

As long as the attire looks decent, the rest of the things goes well. Allow them to come up with a reasonable and comfortable dress code that makes everyone happy.

12. Step in the motivational speakers

To shake up the workday, commence it with something inspirational. Ever seen how a motivational speaker spills out the magic in life? They just shake it off. Chances are you know how effective they can be at improving team engagement or motivation or whatever.

Do your homework. But also ask your members for references. If many are into music, bring a professional musician; just like how sports fans respond to athletes. Your employees would be grateful, focused, and energized by the opportunity to learn from the experts.

13. Lunch out twice a week

Once or twice a week, host a lunch for the whole team. Throughout the busy week, it is common for employees to feel branched out.

Common lunches are lots of fun; people talk about from crushes to cryptocurrencies, not to forget the benefits of employee engagement. Make sure that everyone is well aware of the venue and time.

14. Be operative on a first-name basis

Many people are bad at remembering names. Okay, I am one among them. I can tell how and what they talked about, the dress they were wearing, whether they were interested in the conversation or not, and just
everything under the sun; but when it comes to their name.

Man, it sucks. It is quite challenging for me as I manage a lot of people. However, no one wants to be treated as a cog in the wheel. Isn’t it? But when you call someone by their name, they feel superior for not being just a member or some tester anymore. True that it takes time to remember everyone’s name, but it is worth trying.

Bottom Line

When you focus on engaging the employees, the results would be productive with high retention rates and success across the industry.

It is high time. It is your turn now. Take these 15 simple employee engagement ideas and tell us, how it goes. Put the things into practice at your office and understand the gaps. Also, do not forget to tell us what kind of engagement ideas you have or strategies that have worked for you in order to increase employee engagement.