The term \"employee engagement\"\r\nused to be seen as a bit of a buzz phrase, but today, it's an essential part of\r\nsuccessful companies' overall strategies. Unfortunately, many organizations\r\nstruggle when it comes to creating and optimizing employee engagement. At the\r\nsame time, more and more employees are seeking fulfillment that comes beyond a\r\npaycheck.
"},"body":{"body":"\r\n\tThe term \"employee engagement\"\r\nused to be seen as a bit of a buzz phrase, but today, it's an essential part of\r\nsuccessful companies' overall strategies. Unfortunately, many organizations\r\nstruggle when it comes to creating and optimizing employee engagement. At the\r\nsame time, more and more employees are seeking fulfillment that comes beyond a\r\npaycheck.
\r\n\tPeople want to be recognized for their\r\nefforts and given the ability to be proud of their colleagues and teams, too.\r\nBecause of this desire to see and be seen in the workplace, organizations can\r\nget creative when it comes to increasing employee engagement. Let's take a look\r\nat some unique ways your business can bolster internal enthusiasm.
\r\n\t1. Utilize Digital Signage in the\r\nWorkplace\r\n\t
\r\n\t
\r\n\tDigital\r\nsignage\r\n\t is a simple solution that delivers powerful results. Use it to\r\nwelcome new hires, showcase promotions and milestones, congratulate employees\r\nwho are having anniversaries, and more. Of course, it's also a great way to\r\nkeep everybody updated on upcoming events and any other news bits that need to\r\nbe shared across the organization. If you have multiple offices or employees\r\nwho work on different shifts, digital signage is an excellent way to help everybody\r\nfeel connected.
\r\n\t2. Promote Personal Growth
\r\n\t
\r\n\tYour employees have passions outside their\r\nday-to-day tasks. Encourage staff members to highlight their skills \r\n\tinside the\r\norganization by creating teams in which they can explore their abilities\r\nfurther. For example, an employee who loves to write might be a great fit for\r\nan employee newsletter. You might have an accountant who would be an excellent choice\r\nfor an employee engagement committee. Not only do non-work-related committees\r\ngive employees the opportunity to tell their peers more about themselves, but\r\nthey also help break down silos, encouraging interaction among colleagues from\r\ndepartments that might not otherwise get the chance to work together.
\r\n\t3. Offer Shadow Sessions
\r\n\t
\r\n\tLet's say Linda in finance would really like to\r\nlearn a little about what Marci does in marketing. Why not set a few hours\r\naside each month to let Linda shadow Marci? You might discover that some of\r\nyour employees have hidden talents you can tap into when special projects\r\narise. This idea does double duty, keeping employees happy while simultaneously\r\ngiving you a broader talent base without adding extra hires to your payroll.
\r\n\t4. Set Time Aside for Feedback and\r\nTraining\r\n\t
\r\n\tThis one may seem obvious on the surface,\r\nbut when everybody has what seems like a million tasks to complete every day,\r\nit can be easy for calendars to fill and feedback to fall to the bottom of the\r\npriority pile. Designate time on everybody's calendars for one-on-one and team\r\ndiscussions. Team discussions are great because they encourage open dialogue\r\namong peers, but they also help weed out issues and solutions that might not\r\notherwise have surfaced. This type of setup can assure that employees don't\r\nfeel like they're isolated when encountering problems. Ongoing feedback also\r\nhelps strengthen organizations' cultures, missions, and visions.
\r\n\tRemember, feedback should never just be\r\nfrom a boss to his or her employees; companies that experience high morale and\r\nlow turnover often share something in common — the ability for peers to provide\r\nfeedback to one another, too. There are dozens of digital tools available\r\nonline these days to help channel positive and negative feedback to the places\r\nwhere it can make the most difference within your internal business model.
\r\n\t5. Make Work Fun
\r\n\t
\r\n\tDon't be afraid to let loose and have a\r\nlittle fun in the workplace. This encourages out-of-the-box thinking and\r\nprovides a foundation through which people are more likely to share ideas and\r\nexpress themselves. In turn, this method promotes relationship-building and a\r\nsense of belonging — both of which are essential for optimal engagement.
\r\n\tIf you're not sure how to have fun, ask\r\nyour employees. There will likely be an assortment of strange solutions that\r\nyou can't put into practice. More than likely, though, you'll get a few winners\r\nthat can easily be implemented. This all goes back to feedback; be open to what\r\nyour employees have to say, and you might be amazed at the positive results.
\r\n\tEmployee engagement isn't something that\r\nmagically optimizes overnight. It takes time, effort, and strategy to put the\r\nright puzzle pieces into place in a way that gets people excited about the jobs\r\nthey do and the organizations for which they work. With creativity, your\r\nout-of-the-box approaches to employee engagement can optimize morale and reduce\r\nturnover.
"},"authorName":"Jessica Ellspermann","authorBio":{"authorBio":"Jessica Ellspermann is Marketing Manager at Enplug, a digital signage software company. After launching her career in the luxury hospitality space, Ellspermann knows the power of content-to-business value, and she uses that expertise to help companies grow engaged client communities."},"publishedOn":"2020-01-25T08:50:56.737Z"}},"pageContext":{"id":"a5218666-3b8c-5daf-b357-338f5073eecd"}}, "staticQueryHashes": []}