How engaged are your employees?
If your answer is âGee, Iâm not sureâ, it may be time to create or update your employee engagement strategy.
We hear about customer engagement a lot, but employee engagement has an arguably bigger impact on many key business objectives and outcomes. Highly engaged employees lead to:
- Better profitability and productivity for businesses
- Higher sales
- More customer satisfaction, loyalty, and engagement
Something that can yield all those benefits, among others, is definitely worth investing in.
What Is Employee Engagement?
Employee engagement refers to how invested people are in both their everyday work and the success of the business as a whole. Beyond employee satisfaction, engaged employees have a positive emotional connection with the company and feel a sense of purpose in their jobs.
According to Gallupâs study on employee engagement and performance, teams with higher employee engagement saw both a reduction in negative outcomesâlike turnover and absenteeismâand a big lift in organisational success. Results showed businesses with high employee engagement experienced 23% higher profitability, 10% better customer loyalty and engagement, and 18% more sales productivity.
All that is to say: focusing on building greater engagement among employees is well worth the investment for every business.
Employee engagement is important, but itâs not always easy or simple. Research from Zenefits showed 63.3% of companies surveyed find it harder to retain employees than to hire them.
Thatâs where an employee engagement strategy comes into play. Itâs a plan detailing how your company will keep your employees engagedâa way for companies to be deliberate about getting people engaged and to document those efforts explicitly.
Your employee engagement strategy should outline:
- How youâll measure engagementâwhether via an employee engagement survey or lagging indicators like turnover, absenteeism, and productivity
- Goals for improving those metrics
- Your budget for engagement-related initiatives
- Clear tactics for how youâll improve engagement, which can include any of the tactics we get into next
25 Employee Engagement Strategies and Tactics Worth Implementing in 2024
To find out the best employee engagement strategies you can test out, we talked with 36 executives and Human Resources (HR) leaders from across a variety of industries. They shared their top tactics and the employee engagement strategies that have proven effective for them time and again. Hereâs what they had to say:
1. Start With Trust
Trust is a huge part of your employees feeling engaged and valued in the workplace. Without trust, they often feel micromanaged and less important.
"Employee engagement is always built on trust. When you gain that trust, magical things start to happenâemployees develop a true sense of ownership over their jobs, and productivity rises," says Suzie Finch, founder of The Career Improvement Club.
2. Give Your People Autonomy
Increases in employee autonomy have a direct impact on job satisfaction. When employees are given autonomy in their job, they feel more responsible for their work and more satisfied with their contributions.
"Give employees autonomy and empower them to do what they feel is truly meaningful and impactful work," advises Shiv Gupta, CEO at Incrementors SEO.
3. Evaluate Your Communication and Alignment
Eric Harris, CEO at MindHandle, noted how the big shifts of 2020 will leave an indelible mark on communication and employee engagement. Clear communication of company and team-wide goals helps employees be engaged, focused, and 'in it for the long run'.
4. Get to Know Your People and Truly Care About Them
"Spend some time getting to know your people,â advises Bryce Welker, CEO at CPA Exam Guy. Building meaningful relationships creates engaged workers.
5. Implement a Peer-to-Peer Recognition Program to Celebrate Daily Wins
Employee recognition is one of the best ways to ensure high-performing employees continue to feel important. Peer-to-peer recognition programs empower employees to recognise and be recognised.
6. Offer Learning Opportunities and Continuing Education
According to Gallup, 87% of Millennials say âprofessional or career growth and development opportunitiesâ are important to them. Supporting employees to acquire new skills or advance existing ones keeps them motivated and engaged.
7. Create a Transparent Work Environment
"Your employees canât fully invest themselves into something if they donât know whatâs happening behind the scenes," says Chris Muktar, Founder of WikiJob. Transparency helps employees engage with the organisationâs goals.
8. Be Flexible, Nimble, and Open with Employee Feedback
Building a platform that empowers employees to share their ideas and ask questions is key. Regular engagement surveys and feedback sessions show employees that management listens and cares about their opinions.
9. Create a Psychologically Safe Workplace for Your Team to Thrive
Jeff Harry, Top 100 HR Influencer at Rediscover Your Play, advises managers to create a psychologically safe workspace. Toxic work cultures cost companies billions due to turnover.
10. Be Deliberate About Company Culture
"There is a direct correlation between company culture, employee engagement, and productivity," states Jim Beard, COO of BoxGenie. Employee engagement stems from having an incredible company culture.
11. Foster a Sense of Community and Team Building
Regular team-building activities and virtual events like happy hours and group lunches can foster a sense of community even in remote work environments.
12. Define and Operationalise Your Core Values
"The best company cultures revolve around a set of values ingrained into the employees,â says Jakub Rudnik, VP of Content at Shortlister. Shared core values are key to job satisfaction.
13. Provide Regular Feedback
Balancing positive and constructive feedback is vital. Regular feedback helps employees feel valued and supported, boosting motivation and engagement.
14. Make Employee Well-Being a Priority
Providing health and wellness opportunities benefits employeesâ well-being and helps your business. Happy and healthy employees are more engaged and productive.
15. Provide Extra Employee Perks and Privileges
Perks like gym memberships, commuter benefits, and home office stipends help employees de-stress and rejuvenate, improving their engagement at work.
16. Help Employees Achieve Financial Wellness
Offering Earned Wage Access (EWA) and other financial wellness programs can reduce employee stress and increase engagement and loyalty.
17. Build a Solid Onboarding Process
A strong onboarding process creates a strong emotional investment in the role and company from day one. It helps new employees feel welcomed and integrated.
18. Encourage Work-Life Balance
Ensuring employees have a good work-life balance prevents burnout and increases engagement. Set realistic work expectations, limit overtime, and pay employees well.
19. Get Serious About Your Time-Off Policies
Encouraging employees to take extended breaks and vacations helps them recharge and come back to work refreshed and more engaged.
20. Offer Opportunities for Career Advancement and Professional Growth
Employees want to see a future with your company. Creating helpful career development plans keeps them motivated and engaged.
21. Create a Diverse and Inclusive Workplace
Diversity and inclusion are essential for a healthy workforce. Invest in pay equity, create employee resource groups, and support underrepresented groups.
22. Get Rid of Office Bullies
Tackling workplace bullying head-on creates a safe and supportive work environment. Zero-tolerance policies and regular check-ins help prevent bullying.
23. Don't Forget About Fun
Fun activities and celebrations can make work exciting and improve employee engagement. Celebrating successes and hosting team-building activities boost morale.
24. Provide Flexible Scheduling and Office Location Options
Embracing hybrid work models and offering flexible schedules can increase employee satisfaction and engagement.
25. Consider Your Offboarding Program
Crafting a good offboarding process ensures a smooth transition and maintains positive relationships with departing employees, benefiting current and future employees.
Implementing effective employee engagement strategies is crucial for creating a happy, productive, and loyal workforce. By fostering trust, providing autonomy, improving communication, and offering growth opportunities, you can build a more engaged and motivated team.