Top 10 Ideas for Boosting Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is in a costly slump, with research showing that disengagement is costing the world $7.8 trillion in lost productivity. It also shows that only 15% of employees worldwide are engaged in their work, while 73% are actively considering quitting. Those are some serious numbers. And while it’s easy to see why this is a major problem for business leaders and managers, it can also be an amazing opportunity to master the art of engagement.

After all, employee engagement is essential for any business that wants to attract top talent and keep them productive. But this is more than simply treating employees well or providing perks; it is about setting a culture of engagement, inspiring creativity and collaboration, and rewarding hard work.

To do this, it’s important to understand the concept of employee engagement – a concept often confused with employee happiness.

What really is employee engagement?

Employee engagement is the emotion and commitment an employee brings to the workplace. It’s the intrinsic motivation they have to take ownership of their responsibility, set goals, and be willing to put in the effort to achieve them. It’s a holistic approach that looks beyond metrics and KPIs to foster meaningful relationships and build an environment where everyone can thrive.

Turn employees from passive to positively engaged

There are many different methods through which to truly engage your employees and build a culture of trust and accountability. Here are our top 10 ideas to boost employee engagement in 2023 and beyond:

Create an engaging onboarding process: Employee engagement starts upon hiring, and an effective onboarding experience helps build trust and loyalty between the company and its employees by:

• introducing core values
• familiarizing employees with the corporate culture
• providing relevant resources and materials to focus on their job performance, emphasizing personal growth and development.

All of this creates a sense of belonging. The best onboarding processes will make your employees feel like part of the team from the very start!

• Put employees in the right role: Employee engagement is the key for any team to be successful and, ultimately, for the business to achieve its goals. Figuring out what job roles fit each employee best and having those employees in those roles will help keep the fire burning throughout your company. If you’re able to direct employees’ efforts towards their strengths, it will result in a more positive work environment that is well-equipped to outperform and reach results.
• Give them meaningful work: Now that you have each employee in the proper role, it’s time to give them meaningful work. This creates an environment where employees understand the company’s mission and purpose and how their contributions support the organization’s long-term strategy. Employees who are engaged in their job experience a sense of accomplishment, purpose, and reward from the tasks they complete.
• Invest in technology and training: Employee engagement means setting your employees up for success by giving them the tools and training they need to do their best work. Investing in modern technologies like cloud computing or collaboration software and a user-friendly knowledge hub for training can help streamline processes and make it easier for everyone to stay connected and informed if working remotely.
• Prioritize well-being: Employee engagement is closely linked to physical and mental well-being. Ensure your workplace has a healthy balance of work and relaxation by offering employee support programs, flexible working hours or wellness initiatives that help employees stay fit and stress-free.
• Acknowledge achievements: A recent study shows that 79% of US employees cited being underappreciated as their reason for quitting. Celebrate employee successes, both big and small, by recognizing their efforts publicly at team meetings or through internal newsletters or emails. This will help them feel appreciated and motivated to continue striving for excellence.
• Create a work environment that is feedback-safe: Constructive criticism is most productive when it’s met with openness and respect—which means creating an atmosphere where employees can ask questions and share ideas without fearing repercussions. Employee engagement should be cultivated to the fullest extent possible: encourage conversation, actively listen to feedback, and hold individuals accountable for professional growth opportunities.
• Emphasize a work-life balance: Ensure that your workplace is offering enough development opportunities for personal and professional growth – as well as providing adequate breaks for relaxation. Enabling employees to take some time away from their workspace not only gives them a moment of reprieve from their workloads, but also helps fuel creativity which inevitably leads to more productivity when they return.

Create a clear plan for achieving professional goals: Find out what your employees’ professional goals are and how you can help them achieve these goals. Managers can sit down with their team members and help them create a roadmap to help them keep on track with achieving these goals, whether this is working towards a promotion or acquiring a skill they desire.

Keep the lines of communication open: Communication allows employees to have visibility into organizational operations, increasing clarity and understanding across all teams. This will lead to greater satisfaction and collaboration and much better productivity. When it comes to employee engagement, communicating and being proactive with your team makes a world of difference – so make sure those channels remain open!

Final Thoughts

Employee engagement is critical to the success of any organization, especially with the rise in remote work. And when it comes to employee engagement, there are many changes you can make that will have a big impact. From implementing flexible work hours to offering regular feedback or even something as simple as congratulating an employee on a job well done can greatly impact morale and motivation.