Do you need employee engagement ideas to start the New Year off right?
Is your current employee engagement strategy working, or could it use a little tweaking? Low employee engagement is not just a U.S. problem. According to
Gallup's 2014 study, only 13 % of employees worldwide are engaged at work. While the U.S. does have the highest employee engagement rating, the numbers are still troubling when looking at those who are disengaged. At the regional level, Northern America (the U.S. and Canada), has an employee engagement level of 29% but 54% of employees are considered
Not Engaged, and 18% considered
Actively Disengaged. Higher employee engagement increases productivity, reduces absenteeism and can decrease health care costs. According to a 2013
report released by Gallup on the state of the American workplace, businesses are losing
$450-$550 billion annually due to active disengagement. Implementing some or all of the employee engagement ideas can help increase profits for your organization, all while having a happy, engaged workforce. Here are a few employee engagement ideas:
- Encourage Employees to Speak Up! - Keeping an “open-door” policy is essential. When people don’t feel as if they can speak up, they could be holding back valuable ideas and solutions that can help your organization grow. When you have an open, safe space for employees to speak up, it’s more likely that your employees will bring great ideas to the table.
- Help Employees Get to Know Each Other Better – The bigger a company gets, the more of a chance there will be a disconnect and employees will go through their days without knowing their coworkers. It’s important for employees to get to know each other in order to build camaraderie and have a better, and more comfortable, work environment. A great way to create this kind of work atmosphere is by playing office games, or plan a happy hour at the end of the workweek (which is also a good way for employees to unwind in general). Always allow the staff to interact both inside and outside of work in a worry-free and non-judgmental way.
- Be a Mentor – As a manager you can improve employee engagement by being a mentor for employees facing issues. Offer your help even if it means you have to drop what you are doing for a while. Helping someone that is struggling with his or her job or personally can go a long way.
- Reward Employees for a Job Well Done - Pay close attention to the progress your employees are making; let them know why you are choosing to reward them. But don’t reward any and all employees for no reason as this can actually hurt employee performance and they will grow to just expect rewards.
- Collaborate and Work Together – Collaboration can help improve ideas, cut down on time wasted and can improve employee engagement. There are different types of social business software on the market that employees can work off of – this can be used as a tool for employees to branch out and work closely with their colleagues.
Click here for 44 more great employee engagement ideas from Axero Solutions!
