vendredi 20 décembre 2013

Outcomes Realized Through Employee Engagement Activities

By Sebastian Troup


Hiring and maintaining employees who are thoroughly engaged in their work and demonstrate a true commitment to see your company's mission accomplished is one of the best investments your company can make. Good employees will have a more direct and significant impact on your bottom line than almost any other single area you can spend money on.

Finding good employees is one thing, but keeping them happy and engaged is just as critical to make sure you can retain them for the long term. Here are five effective activities you can use right now to make sure you get the best results out of your most valuable resource.

1. Make A Mark On Milestones

Everyone enjoys having their hard work recognized, and it's one of the least expensive and most effective motivators out there. In fact, recognition often outperforms monetary rewards as a motivating factor for employees.

While taking someone aside and complementing their work is great, recognition known to others often yield better results. You can always make a habit out of publicly recognizing good performers through announcements, the giving of awards and possibly making citations of names and accomplishments in the company's publication and on your website.

2. Communication Is Key

To be fully engaged in their jobs, employees need to feel free to express their views on subjects that affect their work, and they need to feel that what they say is actually being heard. Open communications is one of the simplest steps you can take to keep employees actively engaged as a part of the company. This isn't limited to traditional HR areas such as working conditions, benefits, or dress code. Long-term business strategy is always on the minds of employees who really want to make a difference, and their unique perspective of working on the front lines can provide them with valuable insights that senior managers might miss.

Create and promote multiple ways employees can learn about what's going on in the company and opportunities for them to offer feedback or suggestions that will actually be heard and considered. For example, consider a company newsletter, a regularly updated intranet, or a monthly "Letter from the CEO," which poses questions to the employees and gives them an opportunity to respond straight to the top. This kind of interaction boosts engagement and goes directly toward improving the bottom line.

3. Make Progress Reports Truly Updated

Communicate the company's goals clearly, and then keep employees apprised of how they're doing in helping to reach those goals.

You could spare employees the long wait for their annual performance review just to inform them of their status. Being a company on top should call for you to offer feedback continually in order for employees to see where they are outstanding and where they need to improve.

Many employees need to know about their individual contribution on the progress of the organization and not just C-level executives exposed to reams of significant data concerning the company. The full engagement of employees depends on your ability to include them in the group of people who need to know the high-level information which executives use to weigh the business standing of the company.

4. Choose A Cause & Do Some Good

Many companies have found a strategic corporate philanthropy program or employee volunteering initiative to be one of the most effective employee engagement activities available, as it combines team building, skill development, and leadership along with the positive feelings that come from doing good.

If you want to achieve the best on both fronts you can always give employees the liberty to choose which causes are important for them and give them the choice of either giving monetarily or through volunteer works. You can provide employees with an update on how their cause actually fares just as you would with any other corporate business initiative.

5. Have Fun Together As A Team

Simply because you are able to push your employees to become extremely productive and efficient doesn't mean that you should forget that they need time to enjoy their work environment. Ensure moments for employees to also have "fun" time.

There can be "burning out" amongst even the most efficient and most active employees when pushed too hard hence the need for you to support their overall way of life including "fun" time. You can give them time to let loose and simply have fun with co-workers without the seriousness of work. This can happen during holidays, corporate milestones or any given occasion.




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