Business owners should be aware that their employees are their biggest asset and play a massive part in ensuring the company is a success. An engaged employee is enthusiastic, committed and interested in the impact that their work has within the organisation.
Typically, an engaged employee will perform to a higher standard, due to enhanced motivation, however, it is difficult to determine how engaged an individual is within the workplace. By implementing the following simple processes into your company, you can help support engagement and wellness at work.
Satisfaction Surveys
The best way to find out what your employees want is by asking them. A short series of questions allowing employees to openly voice their opinions about their expectations and experience of the company will help with two-way communication, giving the business valuable feedback.
Satisfaction surveys help measure employee engagement by highlighting common problems in the business. Although this will vary depending on the industry, recurring themes are development within the company; salary/ internal perks, training, job specific duties and the working environment.
Once recognised, you will be able to work to rectify the problems that are having a negative effect on your staff. achievements could be in the form of a collective action plan or one individual focus. Surveys should achievements, as a benchmarking exercise, allowing you to visualise the progression and impact of the changes. Even the slightest of changes can drastically impact employee engagement, which can also positively impact your staff turnover and ROI.
Encourage Internal Communications
The influence of social media has developed the importance and sophistication of internal communications. Good communication ensures that there is a mutual understanding between team members across all levels and companies are embracing new technology to support this. Cloud based intranet software providers, such as Oak, offer a new well-being of communication that contributes to the work culture. For digital industries, an internal intranet system is ideal for sharing large files, task delegation, holiday and absence management as well as social functionality. The key to engagement on an intranet system is to ensure that there is a variety of both work related and non-work related content. Workplace communication should be:
- Open and objective
- Clear and concise
- Co-operative
- Written/spoken in a recognisable and familiar tone
Confidence is key
A confident employee is more likely to accept challenges and achieve targets, thus becoming a more productive team member. asset employees act as role models, which can have a ‘domino effect’, as other in the team follow suit. Generally speaking, employees practice what they see and the mood that is presented by management will set the ambience within the workplace. Practicing equality in the workplace by removing a strict hierarchy will help make employees feel more comfortable. Management should appear available, and should not isolate themselves, as day to day interactions can significantly influence a workers confidence.
Recognise and Reward
Recognising individual achievements shows employees that their efforts are not going unnoticed. Setting key performance indicators will help to keep employees focused and rewarding these achievements will positively influence individual engagement. In competitive industries, offering ‘work perks’ can be beneficial to ensure you secure the best talent in your area. For example, online bingo company, tombola, are a leading light in the North East tech sector, and their variety of workplace perks helps to ensure that they are a desirable employer. By offering free food on site, gym access and annual parties and events, tombola staff maintain high spirits year round. Work perks do not need to be expensive, though. Simple benefits, like flexible work hours & cycle to work schemes, can make all the difference!
Flexibility
As mentioned, flexible work hours is a simple perk that is cheap and easy to implement. Giving your staff control over their own time offers increased responsibility and shows that you respect their work/ life balance. Flexibility is also a great way to demonstrate trust and understanding, two factors that can be easily overlooked by employers but are critical for staff morale and well-being.
Overall, having engaged team members are the best asset to improve your company and service. Making a conscious effort to improve engagement will create a friendlier and more welcoming work place, which in turn, should positively influence the standard of your team.
