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Talent-short markets make it imperative for organisations to boost employee retention. To do that, employers need to focus on improving employee engagement and employee experience.
Employee engagement is the emotional connection employees have with their work and their organisation, while employee experience encompasses all the experiences an employee has had throughout their tenure with the company. While there are some overlaps, both elements come together to drive productivity and retention.
However, creating truly effective engagement strategies is no easy feat. For employee engagement initiatives to succeed, they must be tailored to each individual's unique needs and motivations.
Engaged employees voluntarily invest extra time, effort and initiative to contribute to business success. They feel a sense of purpose within their role, and bring enthusiasm, passion, and energy to the work they do.
As well as being more motivated, committed and loyal, engaged workers are typically higher performers and produce better results for both the customer and the company. Boost your employee experience with these six techniques:
Competent, passionate, and hands-on leadership is critical to employee engagement. Showing a genuine interest in your employees and investing time in understanding their needs and aspirations will help send the message that their contribution is valued, creating goodwill and a desire to succeed – both as an individual and as part of a team.
Check in with them regularly to find out how their experience in the workplace can be improved. This can be done informally, by participating in casual conversation, or via occasional non-work activities.
Find out what motivates them by instigating more formal employee surveys and avenues for feedback. Make a point of finding out how your employees define success so you can create a rewarding environment in which they can thrive.
Leaders must also take a serious look at their company’s DE&I policies, and make sincere efforts to effect positive change if current policies are lacking on this front. Michael Page’s Talent Trends 2022 The Great X report shows that 68% of candidates in Vietnam have asked or will consider asking about a company’s DE&I policy at job interviews – and companies considered to be more progressive will have an edge over their competitors in the war for talent.
A guaranteed way to disengage staff is to let them feel underused. Engaged employees are those who are given the opportunity to adequately use their skills and are encouraged to stretch those skills in order to progress.
Talk to your employees about their career plans. Does their current role make full use of their strengths and abilities? If not, come up with a plan to expand the role description. Is their career moving in the direction they desire? Try and map out a path within your organisation and agree on targets for promotion.
Are there new or interesting projects they can work on to expand their skillset? Perhaps a secondment to a different department or location will give them the variety they need to maintain engagement.
Discuss the training and development opportunities that can help them advance within the company and provide clear and consistent feedback on how they can improve their performance. Ultimately, showing that you care about helping employees maintain job satisfaction will reap the rewards.
Related: The value of mentorship and sponsorship, and what it can do for your company
Engaged employees believe that the work they are doing is important and has value. They feel they are contributing to something meaningful and take pride in the results of their efforts.
As a manager, it is crucial to frequently reinforce the importance of your employees’ roles to the organisation as a whole. Help them to see the direct connection between their activities and company success, and the ways in which even the smallest tasks can contribute.
Set goals and challenge your employees to meet them to promote a sense of purpose. Grant them the autonomy to improve the way things are done to help them feel trusted and respected, and involve them in decisions that provide a sense of ownership over the direction of the company.
For employees to be motivated to give their best, they need to know their efforts will be recognised and rewarded. Regularly thanking them for their efforts demonstrates your awareness of their hard work and provides encouragement for them to boost their performance.
Make the time to celebrate accomplishments, rewarding and recognising employees in ways that are meaningful to them. The celebrations don’t have to be lavish to be meaningful – ordering in a team lunch, sharing wins with the wider business, or presenting someone with a small gift for achieving a milestone goes a long way to making people feel recognised and rewarded.
While competitive pay and good benefits are key motivating factors in accepting a job, providing incentives for higher performance gives employees something extra to strive for and helps them stay engaged for a longer period.
A study published in the Journal of Organisational Behaviour showed that employees at green firms were 16% more productive than employees at other firms, concluding that “employees in such green firms are more motivated, receive more training, and benefit from better interpersonal relationships. [The] employees at green companies are therefore more productive than employees in more conventional firms.”
Similarly, research from the Charlton College of Business at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth found that employees are likely to report higher levels of job satisfaction if they work for a company that is perceived to be environmentally friendly.
Here are some simple strategies your organisation can adopt to improve your green image and employee engagement:
Related: How to attract talent
Companies that understand people are their greatest asset reap the benefits of an engaged workforce. These days, this means considering employees’ lives beyond the office.
Find out the responsibilities of your employees and consider initiatives that enable them to balance work and home life more easily – this may mean flexible hours or remote work arrangements.
Encourage employees to balance hard work with socialising and fun by investing in social events and regular team-building activities. Promote the sharing of ideas, suggestions, and improvements by asking for feedback in a variety of ways, such as a ‘suggestion box’ initiative or – more difficult but more rewarding – fostering a culture of honest feedback.
A work environment in which people feel valued, and heard, and have a sense of camaraderie is critical to employee engagement.
Related: 6 tips on managing remote teams more effectively
The pandemic has fundamentally changed the way we work. Remote work has become the new norm for many traditionally in-office roles, and this shift is likely to impact work models long after the lockdown is over.
So, how do you boost individual and team engagement while staff are working from home or telecommuting? Try these tips.
Many employees have had to quickly change their working arrangements, which can lead to confusion about what’s expected of them on a day-to-day basis. As a manager, it’s important to communicate your expectations with your team as early as possible, including:
Periodically check in with your team to ensure these expectations are being met, and remember that it may take time to find the right workflow for some employees.
Communication can be a challenge for remote teams. A study found that many employees struggle with communication issues and even loneliness when working remotely. To mitigate the risk of disconnected teams and disengaged employees, managers must set the standard for regular, ongoing communication.
Organise regular meetings and catch-ups – both one-on-one with employees and as a team – via apps like Google Hangouts, Zoom and Skype. It’s also a good idea to keep lines of communication open with collaboration platforms like Slack and Microsoft Teams.
Many people are trying to navigate unexpected changes in their lives, which often involve juggling childcare and personal commitments with work. Managers should be empathetic and flexible in supporting employees during these times of uncertainty.
Where possible, allow for flexible work arrangements such as flexible working hours, and acknowledge that different people may require certain accommodations due to family situations and living arrangements. This will demonstrate clear support for employees and help stave off resentment during difficult periods.
Related: How HR needs to evolve to support the future of work
Adopting new ways of working is a learning curve for both managers and workers. With that in mind, encourage your team members to share their challenges and successes while working remotely. Listen to the needs of employees, and incorporate changes to policies and arrangements where possible to help continually improve the work environment for your team.
While it may not be possible to prevent the fear and uncertainty of the current landscape, you can implement processes to support your employees while they navigate unfamiliar territory.
As in any office environment, keeping employee motivation levels up in a remote work situation is key to keeping staff happy, retaining your best people, and maintaining team cohesion.
Read more:5 ways to improve equity in the workplaceWhy candidate experience matters and how to do it well5 interview questions to ask to tell a great candidate from a good one
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