Corporate Culture Week Exclusive: Improving Employee Engagement (Part 2)

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employee engagement employees HR Management & Compliance

Editor’s note: Throughout the week, we’ll be featuring exclusive insights into the world of corporate culture. Employee engagement plays a vital role in your organization’s culture as it helps retain top talent. This article will provide additional tips for helping you improve engagement and retain workers.

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Yesterday, we discussed how employers are always looking for ways to improve employee engagement levels. There are a lot of topics employers can focus on to do exactly that, and we outlined a few of them, like showing trust, being flexible, investing in what matters, and showing employees you care.

In this article, we’ll continue to outline more tips to help employers continually work toward improving employee engagement. Here are more methods to improve employee engagement:

  • Recognize achievements. Reward good performance. Give raises and other forms of recognition to show you appreciate a job well done. And always show appreciation when an employee does a good job.
  • Encourage teamwork and collaboration. When people get along with their teammates, there’s less friction and more opportunity to work well together. Ways to improve teamwork could include teambuilding activities, employee outings, or activities like clubs or sports employees can voluntarily join.
  • Allow volunteer work. This lets people explore their passions. Consider paying for time off so employees could pursue these types of opportunities, which allows them to have a more well-rounded life outside of work.
  • Emphasize organizational values. Whatever it is that your organization values, show it. Show it in what you emphasize. Show it in your public communications. Show it by what you spend money on. Make your organization a place where employees are proud to be associated with those values because the organization shows its commitment to them every day.
  • Weed out bad managers. Bad managers can bring down their entire teams, and it can happen quickly. The key here is to be proactive and look for signs that a manager isn’t developing his or her team or being a good leader. When you find that person, either take steps to help him or her improve or show the person the door. The organization will be better off if employees see that bad management is not acceptable.
  • Prioritize wellness. Wellness includes both mental and physical well-being. These can be prioritized through providing related benefits, wellness programs, and health insurance as a start.
  • Ensure the onboarding process is top notch. Starting off on the right foot matters. This can set the stage for improved engagement and show employees you take preparing them for the job seriously.
  • Promote work/life balance. Encourage employees to take vacations and keep a regular schedule, as well as not work too many hours outside the norm. Also, encourage them to take breaks and lunches. The key is to understand employees will not only be more productive if they’re not overworked but alsoappreciate the emphasis on realistic work hours.
  • Set realistic goals. Goals shouldn’t be so much of a stretch that they can’t be achieved. They should be just enough of a challenge to require effort but should be achievable so employees can gain a sense of accomplishment when they meet or exceed them. Also, communicate how the goals fit into the organization’s vision. Employees are more likely to be motivated if they can see how their efforts tie into the big picture.
  • Give frequent feedback. People want to know how they’re doing—not many thrive in a void. Communicate often, and give encouragement and direction. Also, ask employees for their feedback, too, such as how the organization is doing, what could be improved, and anything that makes them feel they’re valued.

What else would you suggest employers do to encourage and improve employee engagement? What would you add to this list?

Bridget Miller is a business consultant with a specialized MBA in International Economics and Management, which provides a unique perspective on business challenges. She’s been working in the corporate world for over 15 years, with experience across multiple diverse departments including HR, sales, marketing, IT, commercial development, and training.

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