COVID-19 has emotionally exhausted many employees leading to a collective burnout. The term “great resignation,” which refers to the high number of people who have quit their jobs, has become a trending topic in 2021. In this new era, securing employee engagement and loyalty has become more challenging than ever. Gallup’s “State of the Global Workplace” report says that only 20% of employees feel themselves engaged with their current workplace. Good news: it’s possible to improve employee engagement but first let’s be clear about the terminology.
Employee experience and employee engagement are two related yet different terms. Simply put, employee experience is the sum of perceptions that employees have about their interactions with each unit of the organization. Employee engagement on the other hand is part of the overall employee experience and refers to how employees feel about their organizations. We can say that if employee experience is a journey, employee engagement is the output of this journey. Engaged employees truly care about their job and their company’s performance. Employee engagement indeed affects every key success metric of your company including profitability, revenue, customer experience, employee turnover and more. So, how can we increase employee engagement then?
Here you may find 10 simple steps that can help you increase employee engagement:
- Increase productivity: Bureaucracy and grey areas in decision making may cause inefficiencies hindering employees from performing their best.
- Increase communication: Effective communication creates positive vibes around employees especially in large organizations.
- Recognize success: Appreciation for extra effort is crucial in employee motivation.
- Increase interaction: It doesn’t have to be work related all the time when it comes to sharing. Interactions between different teams better connect employees to the workplace.
- Invest in your employee: Investment made for your employees is indeed an investment made for your business in the longer term. It is important that you fulfill the needs of your employees and contribute to their personal and professional development.
- Care about employees’ wellbeing: A peaceful workplace helps employees deliver their best since they are not distracted and can focus on the work itself.
- Encourage feedback: Think of feedback as a gift. It helps everyone better understand what needs to be improved first.
- Emphasize company culture: A well understood and shared vision makes employees feel more connected, inspires them, and builds great team spirit.
- Build a great onboarding experience: Onboarding is a key moment of truth when your future employees get their first impression of your company.
- Provide flexible working conditions: Flexibility is the new normal. Flexible work schedules and remote working opportunities have become key factors in increasing employee engagement.
Employees are the human capital of organizations, and they have a direct effect on a company’s sustainable economic success. Having happy customers is only possible if you have happy employees.
