Your human capital should be your most valued investment. That’s right; your workers should be the most valued asset in your company. If they are not, you could be missing out on billions of dollars. In fact, studies show that if you invest in strengthening your employee’s engagement, your company can see as much as a 21% increase in profitability.
But despite the numbers and potential for increased profits, a significant percentage of employees feel their leadership has not created a stimulating work environment. The most significant challenge that many companies are dealing with today is employee engagement.
With 2020 comes a growing emphasis on employee and candidate experience that demands attention and action. An engaged, thoughtful workforce is essential to a successful workplace. Adopting any number of the following five changes can work wonders in creating a healthy and engaging environment that encourages workers to produce.
1) Allow Telecommuting
If you’ve not yet embraced this trend, why not test it out in 2020? Thanks to our ability to be instantly and continuously connected, today’s workplace is not necessarily a traditional office setting anymore. Today’s employees can now work from anywhere. There is a vast pool of diverse talent out there waiting to be hired for a work from home position. Don’t let your company miss out on this talent pool!
Regular work-at-home employees have grown by 140% since 2005, which is nearly ten times faster than the rest of the workforce or the self-employed. Although many companies think an open-office plan promotes collaboration, most employees would prefer to work remotely.
More and more people are demanding a flexible culture as well as remote working tools. And it’s not just the millennials who want an “anytime-anywhere” culture, it’s other generations, too. This flexible culture is made easier by utilizing new collaborative systems such as Slack, regular check-ins, and video calling solutions.
It also helps your remote workers feel trusted and valued. When your employees are happy, work becomes more enjoyable. Engagement is boosted because now the employee’s goals, vision, and values coexist with those of their company.
With so many automated systems available, such as payroll, bookkeeping, and even accounts payable automation, the opportunities for employees working remotely are endless.
2) Launch Internal Podcasts
Now that employees and teams are working remotely and are more spread out, the need to engage them has risen. Companies might consider initiating internal podcasts that will help employees connect to each other and their stories. This will allow employees to gain valuable, common insight. It would be similar to having access to a customized, on-demand radio station where the context is shared.
Imagine employees with headphones on or earbuds plugged in, listening to the company’s podcast while they work, and then talking about it to each other while learning more about the company and where the employee fits into the big picture.
3) Leverage the Power of Video
Video content works great for external customers, and would work for your internal customer as well. For company-wide announcements, videos are the perfect tool. When companies broadcast short culture-centered videos of real employees, it helps to build a stronger connection with the employees than stock footage presentations and advertisements would.
4) Invest in Wellness at Work
Studies show that employee wellness and employee engagement are closely related. In fact, 89% of employees working for a company where a culture of employee wellness exists report improved levels of happiness, as opposed to only 76% of employees who work for a company that does not value or support a culture of wellness.
About seven out of ten employees agree that wellness and health are an important part of their organization’s culture. While 67% of employees that work for companies that prioritize wellness and health reported that they felt more engaged, more connected, to the vision and values of their company.
Companies need to start implanting systems for decreasing workplace stress. The wellness umbrella covers everything from emotional to social wellness, as well as financial and physical wellness, too. By implanting this system, your employees will understand that you care for their well-being. Better performance is quite often the result of a healthy workplace.
5) Offer Rewards and Recognition
In order for employees to be in tune with the culture at work and experience a sense of achievement, employers can give out employee engagement awards that focus on rewarding behaviors that support company values. With fair and objective nominations and voting, employees can’t help but be engaged
Giving out fun awards such as the “Neatest Nook” for the person who keeps the cleanest desk, or the “Early Bird” award for the person who thinks that being on time is too late. How about the “Mission Impossible” award for the employee who achieved the impossible? These are great ways to get your employees to enjoy coming to work while also making them feel appreciated and valued for what they do.
In Conclusion
Employee engagement strategies and actual employee engagement is not the sole responsibility of the Human Resources department. Organization-wide involvement and commitment are needed in order to implement effective initiatives.
