5 Things You Can Do Right Now to Build Employee Engagement

It’s no secret that building employee engagement can be a challenging for many businesses. Disengaged employees cost organizations between 450- 500 billion dollars annually.

A staggering number that packs an even greater punch when placed next to the latest numbers from Gallup’s annual State of the Workplace Report, which notes that only 15% of employees are engaged worldwide.

So what can you do to help build employee engagement at work? Take a look at our 8 shocking employee engagement stats below and read on to find our top 5 tips to help buildemployee engagement in the workplace.

1. Building employee engagement: Engage employees before they start

New recruits are often full of excitement and enthusiasm. Tap into this early with “pre-onboarding”. New employees generally spend time getting to know their new role while meeting the team, learning company policy and procedures, and falling into a new daily routine.

Take away some of the stress by helping them get to know aspects that can be introduced before their physical time in the office.

Putting them in contact with colleagues, giving them information about the expectations of their new position, and helping them to become comfortable with company policy before they start will help drum up their enthusiasm for the position; as well as give them room to breathe and truly engage long after they start.

2. Provide meaningful experience

More than just ensuring your employees are happy while at work, you need to provide them with meaningful experiences.  Offering your employees the opportunity to continue education, build a career, and make a difference in their community gives them a sense of purpose and pride.

Providing learning opportunities (courses, workshops, seminars), helping them outline a career path, offering paid volunteer hours, etc… These are initiatives you can implement that help employees reach past their day-to-day workload and transform their “day job” into a position that they truly value and care about. Give your employees the opportunity for meaningful experiences and their engagement will skyrocket.

3. Create a sense of community

Building a bond between your team members is one of the best ways to help increase employee engagement within your company. Building up this bond helps to create a sense of community. Communities help to fulfill the need to belong. Creating team spirit and a community doesn’t have to be elaborate or complicated.

Organize a team lunch (whether at a restaurant or by simply by booking a meeting room where everyone can lunch together),  plan coffee or snack breaks, showcase company and employee success with team announcements, have weekly check-ins with employees who work remotely.  These are just a few of the ways that you can build employee engagement by building a sense of community.

4. Get Feedback

You can’t build employee engagement if you don’t know how employees feel about, and at, work. Getting regular feedback from your employees helps you track what is working, and focus in on areas that need improvement.

Feedback can also be as simple as a well-worded survey, employee check-ins, or implementing an employee feedback program; for example, employees can offer suggestions and input on day to day activities anonymously.

5. Building employee engagement: Communicate

Communication is key in any organization, especially when it comes in building employee engagement. If an employee cannot clearly articulate what their role is, what is expected of them, and what are the company values, they cannot reasonably be expected to be fully engaged at work.

Clearly outline your company values. Training sessions, weekly newsletters, and workshops can help you to articulate your vision and how your employees fit within it.

Furthermore, initiate regular discussions with your employees. Ask them questions, ensure that they understand your roadmap, vision, and values, as well as their personal role. Find multiple ways to articulate your message so that everyone can be on the same page and confusion is left behind. Employee engagement is a powerful concept. It can make or break your bottom line.

Investing in new ways to engage your employees can pay dividends in ways you never imagined. Take the time to implement the above steps and tap into the potential of a truly engaged workforce.