Author: Kylee Stone

Kylee Stone supports the professional services team as a CX intern and psychology SME. She leverages her innate creativity with extensive background in psychology to support client experience and organizational functions. Kylee is completing her master’s degree in Industrial-Organizational psychology at the University of Missouri Science and Technology emphasizing in Applied workplace psychology and Statistical Methods.

Everything You Need to Know About Employee Peer Reviews

Many companies consider peer-reviews a critical element of the employee performance evaluation process. This is because employees work closely with each other and have a better understanding of their peers’ performance.

Furthermore, an employee peer review process acts as a mechanism of holding each other accountable, along with gaining useful feedback. We shall discuss peer-to-peer performance review in this article and its benefits of it.

What is an employee peer review process?

The term employee peer review refers to a process that involves colleagues assessing each other’s work capability and performance. During the peer performance evaluation, managers typically hand over a peer review form to all employees to anonymously fill out the information about their colleague’s performance. The anonymous nature of the process allows employees to express their honest opinions about colleagues.

Also read: Getting Started With Real Time Performance Management

Though many methods exist for employee peer reviews, organizations may opt for a ‘peer-to-peer performance review model’ that integrates all approaches or may choose only those they deem relevant. The usual popular peer-to-peer performance review approaches are as follows:

Simple Review:

In this type of methodology, comments are sought from employees about their colleagues’ contributions and accomplishments. Usually, employees are approached either privately or with a group, and relevant information is gathered from those discussions or interviews.

As a general practice, feedback providers, peers, in this case, keep their identities anonymous. In some cases, however, an individual’s identity can be disclosed when the employee peer review is communicated directly to the employee being reviewed, but not to his supervisor.

Inspection:

This methodology is an elaborate and detailed version of a simple review. It demands both time and resources, wherein inspections happen in phases that all employees must complete. This practice is usually adopted when the purpose of the peer performance evaluation is to precisely determine the weaknesses or limitations of an employee being evaluated.

Team Reviews:

During this process, a panel or group makes an evaluation of each employee individually. The panel and employee often discuss the employee’s assessment together and reach a consensus.

How does an employee peer review process improve performance at the workplace?

Since the peer-to-peer performance review process serves as a reliable technique to fetch honest opinions about your colleague’s performance, the process can render a better understanding of an employee’s strengths and weaknesses. For instance, you may not be aware of your certain habits and behavior at the workplace – which may be good or bad, but any observation from a colleague will allow you to continue your positive behavior and improve on your negative ones.

Can the process be overwhelming for employees?

Employee peer-review process can turn out to be stressful for certain employees when it comes to offering colleagues’ feedback, as they may dwell on the colleague’s reactions after the review process. However, employees should try to give constructive frank inputs instead of mere criticism, keeping their personal feelings aside. Essentially, every employee has room for improvement, and through peer performance evaluation, you are helping your peers to assess and work on their areas of weakness.

Is there a one-size-fits-all process?

An organization’s employee peer review process will be mainly dependent on an employees’ responsibilities. In the field of software development, many employees may be part of the peer-to-peer performance review process. This ensures that the software or application has gone through multiple reviews before its launch.

In the field of copy-writing, editing, and publishing, a write-up is edited by SMEs and editors before being published. In such a case, a different peer review process will be required, focused on an individual’s performance and flawless completion of writing and editing work.

All in all, there is no fixed peer-review approach or one-size-fits-all peer review process for all employees. It is entirely up to top management and depends on the industry and the organization.

Role of employee peer review process in performance management assessment

Let us have a brief look at how different performance review processes occur and why an employee peer-review process is an inalienable part of the employee performance management process.

Supervisor/manager review:

In supervisor’s reviews, the final outcome is more important than the process itself. Hence, it is incomplete and has its own set of flaws.

Employee’s direct report:

Reviewing an employee based exclusively on direct reports, after having a conversation with an employee, may again be an incomplete assessment. The reason is that all information you’ll receive will be subjective, based on an employee’s assumptions.

Client’s feedback:

Relying solely on a client’s feedback gives you only an impression of how an employee works on their problem-solving skills.

Peer to peer performance review process:

Employee peer-review process will enable you to analyze an employee’s personality, correlated to his interactions with his peers.

This single reason makes employee peer review an indispensable part of the whole employee performance management process.

Also read: 10 Employee Performance Review Tips To Improve Performance

Advantages of the employee peer review process

One of the key benefits of peer review programs is that they lighten the workload of managers and supervisors. Furthermore, an employee peer-review process has multiple benefits that go far beyond easing managers’ workloads.

In-depth evaluation

A manager may be excellent at assessing his employees, but he is likely to overlook key performance insights during a manager’s feedback process, as he may already have a set of notions of an employee.

Employees behave differently in front of their supervisors than they do in front of their peers, even in the best of work environments. Consequently, managers cannot entirely rely on the information presented by the employee. The peer-to-peer performance review process allows employee assessments to be conducted in a more objective manner, allowing a deeper look into the employee’s strengths, weaknesses, and capabilities.

Holistic Employee Reviews

A performance review based solely on the output and financial results of a company is meaningless. By identifying gaps in performance that may have gone unnoticed, peer reviews offer you the opportunity to address an employee’s shortcomings. Having constructive feedback will allow an employee to concentrate on the areas of improvement and ideally receive support to do so.

Also read: Qualities Of A Good Manager: 10 Skills You Need

Better Understanding Of Business Processes

In addition to evaluating whether your business processes are still relevant and efficient, peer reviews help determine if it needs any adjustment. They can also point out changes that the organizational structure needs.

By comparing the peer review process to the company’s objectives, you get a deeper understanding of the relationship between the quality of the work and the results. Also, a look at performance data by role and/or team can reveal insights into performance gaps in a business.

Improves teamwork

The most successful way of motivating employees to enhance their performance is by building a strong team and cohesive team. Including the peer review process in your team-building exercises can maximize its benefits. If peers contribute to employee bonding through the employee peer review process, this can have a positive impact on employee performance.

One of the best ways to support collaboration and teamwork within an organization is through a peer-to-peer review process linked to performance appraisals, rewards, and recognition for employees.

How to conduct employee peer reviews effectively?

A sloppy review process wastes time, effort, money, energy, and resources. As a consequence, a peer review mechanism becomes inefficient. Hence, you must ensure that your employee peer review mechanism is reliable, practical, efficient, and comprehensive. Here’s how to go about doing it.

Choosing Peers thoughtfully

Select peers carefully for the employee peer review process so that they may provide an accurate picture of an employee’s strengths and weaknesses. These findings will help managers to build training and development programs, tailored specifically to the requirements of each employee.

Further, based on the peer review, a one-on-one meeting can be arranged with an employee to discuss the feedback. In this discussion, the managers can work with an employee to set realistic goals, aligned with the company’s objectives.

Peer appraisals may also aid managers in spotting hidden talent, such as the underappreciated heroes who consistently deliver excellent work while going unnoticed.

Identify and align core values

In an employee peer review process, you’d elicit feedback from employees regarding their teammates. But if you don’t know their colleagues’ core values, you won’t have specific answers to enhance their performance and capabilities. Thus, you’ll just be wasting your time and the peer review process will be ineffective.

As an example, think of an IT/software company where an employee’s work quality, smartness, and dynamism are highly prized. In such a case, the company’s core values should be based on the above qualities. So, it makes sense to search for the same attributes in your company’s top performers through the peer-review process.

Also read: How Performance Management Software Helps in Employee Development

Don’t be afraid to use and experiment with new technologies

In order to gather feedback from employees about their peers, you don’t have to rely entirely on conventional approaches. Employees often use social media for work-related purposes these days. Your employee peer review system may also integrate the use of social media and other comparable technology resources.

Peer-to-peer performance review processes may be made more efficient by using intranet or software that streamlines the review process while still eliciting important information and ratings from employees.

Take a pro-employee stance

Employees in certain workplaces worry about the mere mention of the term peer review. They may feel uncomfortable and become extra cautious of anything linked to a review’s conduct.

In certain cases, employees may see the task of evaluating or assessing a co-employee as an unnecessary element of their job. They may react in this manner assuming that it would affect their future or their relationship with their colleagues.

This is when a manager has to play a vital role in understanding what scares them about the peer review process; allay their concerns regarding the peer review process and convince them that it is for the betterment of the employees.

Outline expectations

Clearly communicate the objective for the peer performance evaluation process to your team. Make it clear to your team that the goal of peer evaluations is to assist each other to become the finest professional versions of themselves. Encourage your team to appreciate one another as well as to provide constructive critical analysis. Employees’ motivation and dedication to their profession improves when they can identify their strengths and weaknesses.

Also read: 10 Actionable Tips To Boost Workplace Satisfaction

Benchmark matters, but so does written feedback

It’s fairly uncommon for peer evaluations to incorporate a Likert scale, which allows employees to rate the performance and achievements of their peers on a range from 1 to 7. Make sure you offer a place for employees to express their own views and opinions in addition to the numerical scales. Getting detailed written comments is much more valuable than giving just a number based on their level of agreement.

Focusing on all aspects of day-to-day work activities

You may wish to concentrate on one aspect of your employees’ job performance, but try to analyze everything they would accomplish while at work. Instead of focusing just on a single project, you may talk about their day-to-day activities as well. Getting a more in-depth look into how others see their work might be very beneficial to them.

Timely and regular praise

What happens after completion of an employee peer review? If you don’t know the answer, how can you expect to encourage desirable behavior in an employee? Thus, after completion of a peer-review process, it’s crucial to follow-up.

To do a peer review now and provide accolades a year from now is counterproductive. If you wait so long, you lose a lot of relevance. Employees will be more engaged in the process if they see that their contributions are promptly and often acknowledged after a peer review process.

Also read: Employee Rewards And Recognition For An Engaged Workforce

Putting it all together

Peer review must begin with the creation of a well-defined and detailed peer review system. The most essential thing is to set up an employee peer review process; put it into action and keep refining it with time. Engagedly’s real time performance management software helps in implementing a scalable and efficient peer review process.

Request a demo with us to know how Engagedly can help you.

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10 Actionable Tips to Boost Workplace Satisfaction

If your employees are unsatisfied in the workplace, then it doesn’t bode well for your business’s success. Luckily, there are lots of small things you can do to help your employees thrive and derive more satisfaction from their work.

What Is Employee Satisfaction?

Employee satisfaction is a measure of how happy employees are in their jobs and their work environment. It may be a simple concept, but there are lots of different elements that affect employee satisfaction.

From the type of work people do to the business culture, people’s relationship with their managers, and flexible working, there are many different things that decide whether people are happy in their work.

This is important for businesses because it affects employee performance and turnover rates. It’s costly to keep recruiting new workers and underperforming employees can hold a company back.

Also read: 7 Proven Ways To Become A Better Leader In The Workplace

It’s in everyone’s best interests to create a great working environment, but how can you improve employee satisfaction?

10 Ways to Increase Employee Satisfaction in the Workplace

It’s in your power to change employee satisfaction levels. No, you probably can’t change the fundamentals of someone’s job, but there are a lot of other actions you can take to help them derive more joy from what they do.

1. Flexible Work Schedules

One of the biggest trade-offs with a job is receiving money for your time. It’s a fundamental part of most jobs, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be some flexibility.

People lead complicated lives that don’t necessarily fit a 9-5 schedule. For many businesses, it isn’t a problem to accommodate flexible work schedules.

The difficulty is, sometimes flexible work schedules create more problems than they solve. To make sure flexible work schedules are adding to employee satisfaction, they’ve got to be well implemented with intuitive employee scheduling software. Rotating shift schedules can give employees more control and responsibility for how they use their time, but only if they’re well organized.

If schedules are left to the last minute and communication is poor, then it’s going to be a source of frustration rather than employee satisfaction.

2. Don’t Micromanage

You have to give people space to get on with the job. Employees need some level of management, but they also need to know that managers trust them to get the job done.

You hire people because you believe they’re the right fit for the job, so allow them to get on with it. It’s impossible to do your best work with someone breathing down your neck, and likewise, managers have far too much going on to be checking every detail of their employee’s work.

Micromanagement is a common cause of low employee satisfaction because it gives the message that nothing the employee does is good enough.

Instead of micromanaging, place extra emphasis on your hiring process to make sure you get the right people in the first place. Then, empower people to make decisions while creating accountability.

If you communicate your expectations clearly, trust in your employees, and keep people accountable for their decisions and performance, then there isn’t a need for micromanagement.

3. Rewards and Incentives

Rewards and incentives are some of the best ways to motivate your employees and improve satisfaction. Everyone likes to feel appreciated, and there are lots of simple ways businesses can ensure this happens.

Of course, everybody likes receiving a bonus or a prize for their work, but it’s also about employers taking the time to show their gratitude. Employees get rewarded for their work through their income, but when they do exceptional work or go above and beyond, celebrate it.

As well as telling your employees they’re doing a great job, there are lots of other ways to reward your staff. You can create “employee of the month” awards, link bonuses to performance, reward “big wins” and much more.

This doesn’t have to be limited to performance either. You can reward loyalty, giving people perks for staying with your company long-term — a popular option for this is increasing PTO when people reach certain milestones.

4. Invest in Training and Onboarding

If people don’t have the skills or knowledge they feel they need to do their job to the best of their abilities, then it’s going to affect employee satisfaction.

You hire people because you think they’re a good fit for the job, but you’ve still got to invest in giving them the tools they need to succeed. If you throw someone in on the first day without giving them the proper onboarding, then it’s natural they feel lost and out of place. A good onboarding process can ensure employees understand what’s expected of them, and can begin to adapt to their new team more quickly.

This investment shouldn’t stop once someone has adapted to the team. People have goals to continue to improve their skills and see progression in their careers. You can give them this by investing in regular training.

Not only does this give employees a sense of meaning, but it also results in more skilled workers – a win-win.

5. Prioritize Employee Health and Wellness

Many work environments aren’t naturally conducive to human health. People spend long hours looking at screens, lifting heavy objects, and doing other things we weren’t designed to do all day.

Employees need to take the initiative for their own health, but your business can easily make it easier by encouraging/subsidizing healthy habits. For example, you might introduce a free fruit bar, offer discounts on gym membership, or offer lunchtime yoga sessions.

These are all little things, but they show you recognize the importance of your employees’ health and are willing to invest in it.

Likewise, you can set a good precedent by encouraging regular breaks and encouraging people to make use of PTO. A healthy employee is more likely to be a happy employee, so this can have a positive impact on employee satisfaction.

6. Conduct a Job Satisfaction Survey

It’s hard to gauge employee satisfaction unless you take the time to find out. One way to assess if your policies are working is to conduct regular job satisfaction surveys.

Give people anonymity so they don’t feel restricted in what they can say, and encourage innovative ideas. The great thing about this is you don’t just get an idea of satisfaction level of your employees, but you also get insights that can improve your future policies.

If you want to learn about employee satisfaction, then the easiest way to do so is by getting information directly from your employees themselves.

As well as providing you with invaluable data, this also reinforces the idea that your employees have a voice and that you’re listening to it.

7. Employee Satisfaction Survey Questions

An employee satisfaction survey is an effective method to identify areas you’re successful in when it comes to employee happiness and job satisfaction and to understand what you need to improve. However, in order to get the best feedback from your employees, you need to ask the right questions.

It is important to include a mix of questions, such as:

Yes or no questions – these types are good for more broad and generic questions, in which you are looking for basic validation. For example:
- Are you happy with your current role?
- Do you enjoy being a member of your team?
Scaled questions – Otherwise known as a “Likert Scale Question”, these are best for asking employees to rate their level of satisfaction on a numeric basis, in order they evaluate their opinions and attitudes. For example:
- Ask an employee if the strategic objectives of the organization are clear? The scale would run from 0 to 5, with 0 being “not clear” and 5 being “extremely clear”
Open-ended questions – these types of questions are used to collect any feedback or suggestions that could be too long. It enables employees to say what is on their minds and in their own words. For example:
- Do you have any suggestions that would make your role more enjoyable?

8. Improve Communication

A lack of communication can be extremely frustrating for employees. Poor communication breeds uncertainty, and that’s not a recipe for employee satisfaction. Successful companies strive to keep their employees in the loop and give them the tools needed for transparent and effective communication.

Communication brings clarity, enabling employees to make better decisions and be confident they’re following best practices. When this communication breaks down, then people start pulling in different directions, and it’s not clear to employees what course of action they should be taking.

Clear communication, both top-to-bottom, and bottom-to-top, helps foster relationships and makes sure everyone is on the same page.

9. Frequent Feedback

Sometimes it’s hard to impartially judge your performance and spot areas of weakness. We rely on others to help us to improve our performance, and so we appreciate the feedback.

It’s easy to forget this when someone is doing a good job. You’re happy just to let them keep doing what they’re doing, but does the employee know this? Sometimes all it takes is to set up a quick meeting to say, “you’re doing a great job, keep it up!”

Try to make sure your feedback is constructive and keep giving people actionable advice they can use to do their job better.

10. Identify a Clear Career Path

Employees have goals, and that’s a great thing for your company. It means associates can rise to become CEOs and make a real difference to a business.

However, if you’re not offering your employees a clear way to achieve these goals, then they’re going to look elsewhere. Too often, this means you lose your most talented employees to competitors who are willing to give them a chance of advancement.

If you take the time to help your employees plan their career path, invest in their success, and demonstrate that you promote from within, then this won’t be a problem. Employee satisfaction isn’t always down to what’s happening today, it’s also about the possibilities tomorrow offers.

11. Celebrate Milestones

Professional relationships might be different from personal ones, but at the end of the day, they’re still human. People still want to feel they’re a part of a team, and celebrate the big moments together.

Milestones are a great opportunity to bring people together and celebrate each other. That could be someone’s birthday or another year with the company.

Every workplace has its challenges, but milestones are a great time to bring people together. Recognize your employee’s contributions and bring a bit of joy to the group.

It’s hard to feel satisfied if you don’t feel appreciated and milestones are a great way to show appreciation for your staff.

Conclusion

There are actions you can take to improve employee satisfaction, and they don’t necessarily have to be big changes. Little things like taking the time to recognize your employees’ achievements, reward them for their hard work, and help their progression can make a tremendous difference.

Ultimately, it’s an investment in your business. Happy employees are more likely to thrive and stay with your business, helping to power it into the future.

With an action plan for improving employee satisfaction, it doesn’t take much to turn things around.

Want to know how Engagedly can help you improve workplace satisfaction? Request a demo today.

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Guest blog contribution by Saurabh Wani

Saurabh Wani is a digital marketer at ZoomShift, an employee scheduling tool. He has worked as an HR Recruiter for over 2 years before moving to marketing. He loves traveling and can be seen binge-watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S when he is not working.

Employee Experience Tips And Benefits

Employees spend a good part of their day in the workplace, making it a significant aspect of their lives. In the past, the workplace was a place to earn money to make a living and nothing more. In recent times, employee experience has become pivotal.

One of the primary reasons is that the labor market landscape is changing. Employees want more than decent pay at the workplace. They expect to see growth in their careers, learn more, and find meaning in what they do.

Also Read: What Type Of Questions Should Your Performance Reviews Contain?

This article will define employee experience and look at why organizations should focus on them. We will also look at some of their benefits and tips to improve the employee experience.

What is Employee Experience?

Employee experience is how an employee perceives all that happens to them in an organization during their lifecycle. The lifecycle of an employee begins with their first interaction with the company to the day they exit the company. The life cycle comprises four primary spheres.

Recruitment

The first interaction with any company is at the recruitment stage. It is the stage where the candidate/future employee can have their first glimpse of an organization’s culture, work environment, and values. Therefore is an essential part of an employee experience.

Onboarding

The onboarding process is a vital part of the employees’ experience. Here, they undergo their induction into the organization. Different employers have their unique methods of carrying out this procedure, but the primary aim is to make sure the candidate, now turned employee, can settle down well into their new workplace.

Retention and Growth

The growth and retention part of the cycle is when the employee is already in the organization. It’s about the employer maintaining the employee satisfaction levels to stay as long as possible and assist their growth within the organization.

Exit

This stage is the last aspect of the employee cycle and the last point of interaction between the employer and employee.

At the exit interview, it’s important to note their feedback – especially the employees who were unhappy during their time in the company. Doing this will help to improve the employee experience of the organization.

Also read: Why Are Exit Interviews Important?

The four stages will define the employee’s experience while working for an employer.

Components of Employee Experience

According to a 2017 study by Jacob Morgan, there are three major components of an employee’s experience. These components are:

Technology at the Workplace

Technology is a part of most businesses today, with the internet providing a framework for the 21st-century workplace. Modern workplaces need to be equipped with the latest tech to improve productivity. Today, employees want features like a good user experience, up-to-date applications, and accessibility to the technology.

The Workplace Environment

The workplace environment deals with the office workplace arrangements, the design of the workplace, and infrastructure. How conducive the office is and the facilities will affect employee experience. We cannot limit the environment to only the physical workplace, as the pandemic has caused the rise of remote workers. This means employers are also in charge of maximizing the experience of remote workers.

Company Culture

Company culture tells of the business values, work-life balance, interactions among colleagues and managers. It is the most important of the three cores, as it dictates the working atmosphere of the organization.

Also read: How to build a positive work culture and its benefits

Why Focus On Employee Experience?

It is necessary to focus on employee experience because it has become a key component for success in the current market. We will briefly look at three reasons to focus on employee experience.

A New Generation of Workers

As the era of baby boomers ends and the millennials form most of the labor force, the change in mindset is clear. Millennials don’t just want higher salaries, but want growth, progress, and meaning in their work. While the previous generations had few avenues to make money to survive, this generation has many options of earning money.

The invention of the internet has made it easy to make money through various means, like being a content creator, a freelancer, a freelance web developer, or starting an online business. Because of this, millennials need to know they are a part of the company. It isn’t just about earnings, but also about being fulfilled where they are working.

The best talents in the market today want to know what the companies can offer them. The move to an employee-centric market is a way for organizations to appeal to this new generation. Employee experience helps create an atmosphere of learning, improvement, and the well-being of employees. Factors they actively seek in employment.

Branding

Social media has become another pair of eyes looking at the activities of companies. A survey by Sprout Social revealed 78% of customers that had a positive experience on social media buy from them. This means the way the public perceives businesses matters.

A positive employee experience is a great way to show the public that your company is a great place to work, leading to more people patronizing you. Using social media to capture moments of a company culture that supports employee experience puts the company in the public’s good books and attracts talents.

Industry and Economic Volatility

Another reason you should concentrate on employee experience is in the end – these individuals are a company’s greatest asset. Focusing and investing in positive experiences will reinforce their stand for the company in times of uncertainty. Take, for example, the pandemic that occurred. If a company invested in their employees’ experience, it is easier to ask for their corporation. Taking a people-centric approach to achieve business goals sustains the company in the long run.

ROI Of Employee Experience

The ROI or returns on investments of employee experience are the benefits of investing in your employee. In this section, we discuss a few of them.

Increases Employee Engagement and Productivity

The same Gallup research also showed a 17% increase in employee productivity. Engaged employees are employees who feel like they are part of the organization. They invest their resources in achieving the organizational goals because they have the bigger picture of what it entails and therefore are productive.

Also read: The Impact Of Employee Engagement On Productivity

Reduces Employee Absenteeism and Turnover

A report by Gallup showed engaged employees (employees who have a positive experience working in the company.) show a 41% reduction in absenteeism and have 59% less employee turnover. The report supports the notion that employees with positive experiences prefer to stay in an organization and are unlikely to fake an illness to call in sick.

Attracts Talent

Attracting talents is becoming difficult because of steeper competition for them. Investing in the experience of employees is an attractive feature most candidates want. The average candidate wants to work in a company where their employees are valued.

Improves The Company’s Profits

A study by Willis Towers Watson revealed a company with a high EX (Employee experience) saw a 4% growth in revenue, 3% growth in gross profit margin in a year, and 4% increase in 3-years gross profit margin compared to companies that had low EX. In simple terms, a high correlation exists between employee experience and a company’s profit.

Another study by IBM Smarter Workforce Institute and the WorkHuman Analytics and Research Institute also came to the same conclusion. It found companies with high EX reports had almost three times the ROA (Return on assets) and twice the ROS (Return on sales) compared to companies with low EX.

Translate To Better Customer Service

Employee experience translating into customer experience isn’t a surprising one. Happy and fulfilled employees will work harder and be more productive, meaning customers will benefit from a positive employee experience.

A study review by IDU on their Market Analysis Perspective: Worldwide Employee Experience Management Strategies, 2021 showed that 85% of those surveyed agreed that an improved employee experience translated to improved customer experience.

Reduces Stress and Burnouts

Stress and burnouts are two of the most common occurrences at the workplace. Companies can mitigate this by investing in the well-being of the employees, which is a part of a positive employee experience. A CareerBuilder survey showed that 33% of employees reported they had high-stress levels, and a staggering 61% reported they feel burnout from their job. High-stress levels and burnouts cause employees to make mistakes, become unproductive, and harm the bottom line.

Tips To Improve Employee Experience Today

Since we have explained employee experience, why we should focus on it, and the ROI on employee experience, let’s look at some tips on improving your employees’ experience in your organization. In this section, we highlight six ways to improve your employee experience.

Create a Memorable Job Application and Onboarding Process

It is said that first impressions count. As such, the company’s first contact with a prospective employee marks the beginning of their employee experience journey. You should optimize the job application process for candidate experience as most candidates want timely information on their application progress and prefer a shorter interview process.

Onboarding is a delicate stage in an employee circle. It can easily dictate how the employee will perceive the company for the next few months. Focusing on a detailed and wholesome onboarding will help the employee experience. You can assign a mentor to learn from and direct their questions.

Take Regular Surveys and Be Open to Employee Feedback

Improving employee experience can only be done if both parties are open to suggestions. Anonymous surveys allow employees to open up about issues in the workplace. Surveys should not be the only place where an employee can give feedback, but also a suggestion box or a similar idea that allows employees to walk and give feedback.

Listening to feedback is one of two steps leaders should take. The next and most crucial step is acting on the feedback or communicating why you may not act on it at a point. The aim is to show your employees you are listening to them.

Be Open to Improving Existing Company Culture

Company culture consists of the values, norms, rules, and traditions enforced by management. The thing with culture is it can evolve for the better, and who better to see that it matures than the employees who experience it daily? Company culture can’t be stagnant and should change for the better. This will lead to an improved employee experience and overall synergy in the organization.

Create a Career and Development Plan for Them

Your employees want to know you care about them. A good way to show this is by developing a structured career plan. Let them know where they will be in the next 5-10 years with the company and help guide them. You can enroll them into the right training programs, workshops, or a mentor program to improve their performance.

Equip Them with the Right Technological Tools

In our technology-driven world, having the right tools improves workforce productivity. Equipping your employees with the market standard tools sends the message of supporting them to do their best. It empowers them and the company to compete in the market or industry.

Team-Building Activities

It may sound a bit cliche to say, but it works. Organizing activities that help employees unwind and blow off some steam outside work is good for the company. Organizing game nights, panics, or dinners with employees of other departments can help break the ice between workers and improve the harmony of workers.

Bonus Point

Appreciate and Acknowledge Employees

A study by Achievers showed 36% of employees felt a powerful reason to switch jobs was a lack of recognition. Appreciating those who deserve it by giving them credit allows the company to score some points on the employees. It can make for a pleasant experience to get recognized in front of others.

Employees prefer to be given credit on the spot as the buzz and filling of excitement dies off with time. Creating a recognition program that works will go a long way in improving your employee experience.

In conclusion, building and improving employee experience will require the full support of the management. It is not uncommon for management to look at it as a waste of investment. But it has many merits and proven research to show it is a worthwhile investment to make for a company.

Learn how Engagedly can improve employee experience by requesting a demo with us!

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Self-Feedback: Everything You Need To Know

Self-feedback is a highly beneficial tool in the workplace. It is a form of personal feedback that managers and employees can provide to themselves. Managers can evaluate themselves and use employee feedback to create a well-rounded work environment.

The self-assessment motive suggests that people seek out tasks that lead to feedback, even if the feedback is negative.

There are several types of feedback, each having its purpose and benefits. Providing feedback during the quarter encourages accountability and ensures that employees stay on the right track.

Also read: 10 Best Employee Feedback Tools To Track Performance

Summative goal setting is beneficial because it usually provides a metric or grade and encourages improvement. Abstract and measurable feedback are both important aspects of a well-rounded workplace.

Self-feedback can improve office dynamics and communication between managers and their employees. It can lead to increased productivity and more effective goal-setting. Self-evaluation is a driver in realistic goals—we cannot set attainable goals without first addressing our strong points and areas we need to work on.

Feedback can be a useful benchmark to keep track of performance improvement. Even if there are no metrics to prove it, an increase in positive feedback or expressed improvement can help track employee growth.

It also encourages employees to be honest with themselves about their strengths and their weaknesses through employee feedback. You know yourself best. It is sometimes difficult to obtain an accurate read on your performance with external feedback alone.

Others may sometimes provide feedback that is inaccurate or too lenient. We cannot depend on the feedback of others alone.

Self-feedback can also increase self-awareness and encourage team-building. It is a beneficial trait as it improves communication and leadership skills. A healthy communicative environment correlates with higher sales and customer retention.

Also read: 7 Video Conferencing Etiquettes For You To Follow

Employees’ self-review may suggest that they are a part of a department that hinders their productivity. Managers can use this employee feedback to find a solution and, in turn, increase productivity and employee satisfaction.

Understanding Self-Feedback

The self-assessment motive suggests that people want to find an accurate view of themselves. They seek tasks that result in feedback. This motive is especially relevant for adjustable traits. It does not matter if the feedback is negative or positive—people still naturally seek it.

Feedback is information about how a product or person performs, often used as a basis for improvement. There are several types of feedback that you can give verbally or in metrics.

You telling your employee that you are noticing an improvement in their teamwork is an example of verbal feedback. Compiling a report of their sales numbers from the previous years is also feedback. Sometimes, it can be in the form of asynchronous comments and suggestions.

Effective leaders provide several types of feedback for employees and themselves throughout the quarter. Formative feedback is ongoing and measures performance during the quarter. Summative feedback is provided after the fact and usually has metrics attached to it.

How It Can Help in the Workplace

Self-feedback can result in an overall more productive and positive work environment. When managers conduct self-feedback, it ensures that they are working to be effective leaders.

They can also evaluate employees’ self-feedback to determine what changes they can make to improve productivity and employee satisfaction.

It encourages accountability and can help all participants improve their self-awareness. The best leaders are self-aware and can evaluate themselves as well as they can their subordinates.

It can lead to professional development for both the individual and the company.

How to Self-Evaluate

Evaluating yourself is an important and relatively simple task. To perform a strong self-evaluation, you should first determine how you will use this feedback. Are you turning this report in for performance reviews? Are you trying to set personal goals to be a better leader?

Then, write out your accomplishments, strengths, and weaknesses. It is helpful if you have analytics to back this up. For example, if you accomplished a certain amount of sales or received positive feedback from your employees, it is helpful to record those notes for your self-feedback.

It is important to be honest with yourself during self-evaluation—you cannot set realistic goals if you are not aware of your strengths and weaknesses. You should also determine the strengths and weaknesses of your employees.

You should then set measurable, realistic goals. Attainable goals are goals that are within reach. You should always challenge yourself, but unrealistic goals can discourage you and hinder your productivity.

You should also be asking yourself if what you are currently doing is productive toward accomplishing your goals or if you need to make changes. Realistic goals are important for productivity.

To set a realistic goal, design them to be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based. Don’t forget to align your feedback with your team’s goals.

Example of Self-Feedback

An example of effective self-feedback could be, “Last year, I scheduled three check-ins with all of my employees. These meetings resulted in an 8% increase in sales.”

Benefits of Self-Feedback

Self-feedback is a useful tool in the workplace for employees and superiors alike.

1. Helps Improve the Goal-Setting Process

Self-feedback solidifies goal-setting plans along with feedback from others. Evaluating yourself helps you set realistic goals and forces you to ask yourself if your current course of action is truly productive in reaching your goals.

It Encourages You to Reflect With Honesty and Leads to Self-Improvement. Being honest with yourself about your weaknesses makes it easier for you to frame them as opportunities to improve.

The Practice of Self-Feedback Can Enhance Self-Awareness. Self-awareness is the ability to understand your behavior and how it may impact others. Self-aware managers are proven to make better employers and leaders.

They are more likely to communicate effectively and make sound decisions.

Self-feedback increases self-awareness by forcing you to evaluate your strengths, weaknesses, and overall performance.

According to a study conducted by Harvard Business Review, there are two types of self-awareness: internal self-awareness and external self-awareness.

Internal self-awareness is how accurately we can view ourselves—it is how we comprehend our values, behaviors, strengths, weaknesses, and how we affect others. External self-awareness involves understanding how others view us.

2. Improves Team-Building and Boosts Performance

Employee feedback helps managers ensure that each individual feels that they are working in a safe and productive environment.

The best leaders and employees are self-aware—self-aware individuals are often strong communicators. An increase in positive communication between managers and employees leads to a healthier work environment and, in turn, improved employee performance.

A reliable team leads to customer retention and satisfaction.

3. Helps Managers Keep Track of Their Accomplishments.

Formative self-feedback is useful for tracking your progress throughout the quarter, whether it is abstract like an attitude improvement or concrete, like an increase in retention or sales.

An example of formative self-feedback is: “I feel like I am improving my communication skills by setting up weekly one-on-one meetings with my employees.”

Summative self-feedback is a great tool to use as a summary of accomplishments and places for improvement. It often includes metrics like the number of sales, percentage increases, turnover rates, retention rates, and more.

An example of summative self-feedback is: “This year, I helped increase customer retention by 23%.”

Employee Feedback and Its Importance

When employees conduct self-feedback, it allows them to provide honest insights to managers about their team dynamic. Team-building is important and is impossible without the tools to do so.

Employee feedback is a crucial aspect of building a strong team. It also encourages employee accountability.

Finding out how employees view themselves as part of the team can help managers evaluate the team as a whole.

However, self-feedback from employees alone is not nearly as productive as when combined with constructive employer feedback.

The theory of self-assessment motive is especially relevant with employees trying to climb the ranks in their organization. They seek out approval from their fellow employees and higher-ups.

How Managers Can Use This Feedback

Using employee feedback can assist managers with filling in information gaps in their organization. It allows them to use their employee’s insight to determine several workplace elements, including assigning tasks and determining realistic timelines.

If there is inappropriate behavior or an unproductive team, self-feedback can help guide managers in the right direction and improve the company’s workflow.

For example, if an employee’s feedback suggests that they do not feel comfortable or productive in their team, a manager can use this information to place the employee in a team that they will be able to perform best in.

The process of receiving and dissecting employee feedback can improve the communication skills of both employees and managers.

Whether it is for performance evaluations or a casual check-in, employee feedback is a crucial tool for managers to use to build a strong team.

Wrapping It Up: Self-Feedback Takeaways

Self-feedback is a useful tool for managers to ensure accountability and productivity. The combination of self-feedback and employee feedback is the recipe for success in a workplace. Self-feedback can also enhance self-awareness.

When managers and employees evaluate how their actions affect others, they are more mindful of their actions and the results that they have.

Check out this article from Forbes to learn more about formative feedback and communicating with purpose.

Effectively communicating feedback, both good and bad, is a crucial leadership skill to have.

How to provide constructive feedback to your employees?

Providing constructive feedback to your employees is an essential aspect of performance management. After all, if you don’t tell your employees what they’re doing wrong, how will they know what to improve? At the same time, you also have to make sure that your feedback is constructive. If your feedback isn’t constructive, it could demotivate employees and make them feel unappreciated, so it’s important to provide appropriate feedback. Don’t sweat it if you’re not sure how to do this; follow our in-depth guide on employee constructive feedback.

What is constructive feedback?

In simple terms, constructive feedback is when you identify an employee’s specific weaknesses and provide them with practical solutions to address those weaknesses. Constructive feedback is given to assist employees and correct their problems, not punish or lecture them. Constructive feedback is a supportive communication tool.

Also read: 10 Best Employee Feedback Tools To Track Performance

The opposite of constructive feedback is destructive feedback. Destructive feedback is when you insult and ridicule an employee for their shortcomings without providing any information they could use to improve themselves. Destructive feedback is never done with good intentions; it only causes harm to employees and results in deteriorating workplace relationships.

Constructive feedback, when done correctly, will improve workplace relationships and help employees address their problems. Destructive feedback only causes further problems, so you want to make sure you only provide constructive feedback to your employees to maximize productivity.

Benefits of constructive feedback

Providing constructive feedback will not only avoid all the problems caused by destructive feedback, but there are also numerous individual and organizational-level benefits of constructive feedback.

Improves morale

Giving constructive feedback to employees lets them know they’ve made progress, even if their current performance isn’t perfect. Just knowing that the company they work for recognizes their improvements, no matter how small, boosts employee morale.

Improved morale is decisive for consolidating company loyalty and encouraging increasing productivity. People work better when they feel they’re being taken care of, and constructive feedback helps engagement.

Some studies indicate that companies that routinely provide constructive feedback have a 14.9% lower employee turnover rate than companies that don’t, which saves a lot of time and energy.

Improved learning

No matter what level your employees are at, there will always be new things to learn and areas to improve. Ideally, you want to facilitate and encourage as much learning as possible. Providing constructive feedback is one of the best ways to achieve this. The more detailed information you can provide to your employees, the better they can improve their work.

Entry-level candidates, especially, benefit from constructive feedback provided by experienced managers. Entry-level candidates are also least likely to understand their overall work performance or recognize how to improve themselves due to their lack of experience.

One survey revealed that 40% of workers are actively disengaged from their company when they’re not provided with any feedback from their employees. Disengaged employees have decreased productivity and higher turnover rates, so giving good constructive feedback has long-term productivity benefits for your company.

Also Read: 5 Tips For Building A Learning Culture In An Organization

Contributes to a positive corporate culture

Providing constructive feedback helps create a positive and productive work culture where employees don’t feel alienated. By giving constructive feedback, your employees are encouraged to work better. When even a single employee decides to work better, it strongly affects their colleagues.

Suppose everyone in a company is focused on improving their productivity. In that case, it creates a positive work environment where employees share mutual respect and concern. Employees also find it easier to collaborate more effectively and develop better comradery.

The improvements in your company’s work culture directly impact your company’s productivity and profitability. When your employees work better and uplift one another, they produce better results for them and you.

Clarifies expectations

One of the worst things for employees is unclear about expectations. Your employees should know precisely what’s expected of them and how they should complete their jobs. The lack of clarity contributes to workplace anxiety, miscommunication, and productivity loss.

By providing constructive feedback, your employees will clearly understand how they need to do their work. When provided with this sense of direction, people can automatically adjust their performance accordingly.

Improves leadership

Managers who provide the best constructive feedback will be perceived as vastly better leaders than those who don’t. A manager willing to provide constructive feedback helps them improve their performance. Through good employee constructive feedback, employees also experience a greater sense of community and belonging in your company, boosting their willingness to invest effort.

Also Read: 8 Simple Tips To Demonstrate Leadership In The Workplace

How to give constructive feedback?

Now that we’ve covered why you need to give the best constructive feedback, we’ll explain how to do it.

Establish trust

You need to establish an open and trusting relationship with your employees so that they respect your opinions. Your employees need to feel that you intend to help them, not hurt them. When your employees share this level of trust with you, they will be more willing to listen to your feedback and regard it as valuable.

Balance positive and negative feedback

It’s crucial to balance your positive and negative feedback to balance your advice. When your direction is balanced, your employees feel that your feedback is genuine.

When your feedback balances between positive and negative aspects, your employees learn what their problems are and how to correct them and receive encouragement.

To have a balance, you need to provide as much positive encouragement as you do critical information. You want to paint a realistic picture of your employee’s performance, one that simultaneously recognizes their achievements but also highlights their problems.

Observe, don’t interpret

The best constructive feedback is objective and quantifiable. So use as much statistical data as possible instead of relying on qualitative judgments. Also, let your employees offer their explanations and personal opinions on their performance. Doing so will allow your employees to feel a part of the process. You’ll also obtain a better understanding of their perspectives, which will make it easier, in turn, for you to give feedback.

Be specific

Focusing on specific information is the most effective way to provide good feedback. Try to zoom in on as many particular issues as possible so that your employees have a concrete understanding of what they need to do.

Focusing on specific problems allows your employees to understand better what they need to do. If you provide your employees with vague or generalized information, they might become confused or misunderstand what you’re communicating.

For instance, you might want to inform an employee that their presentation skills are weak. The most effective way to do this would be to tell them of specific problems with their presentation skills, such as constant stammering, foul body language, too fast, etc.

Don’t make it personal

The best constructive feedback focuses on an employee’s actions, not their character. You need to direct your criticism to your employee’s activities and how they can improve them. Don’t make personal attacks like telling an employee that they’re lazy. Instead, inform them that they have declining productivity and you’d like to help them fix that problem.

Be timely and regular with your feedback

The best constructive feedback is provided on a timely and regular basis. Providing regular feedback helps your employees understand their performance in a given time. Predictably timed feedback session periods also make giving feedback a more systematic process, so create a regular schedule.

How not to give feedback

Alongside knowing what to do, you would also benefit from knowing what not to do.

Don’t deliver reactionary feedback, plan what you want to say

Plan employee feedback sessions carefully. Note down all the feedback you want to provide an employee before conducting their feedback meeting. Also, don’t randomly throw in information and complaints during a feedback session that you hadn’t planned to share before.

One of the worst things for an employee during a feedback session is to be bombarded with a barrage of vague complaints. Random vague complaints are not conducive to productivity because they’ll always perceive them as hostile.

Don’t talk too much, make it a conversation

Feedback sessions aren’t monologues. Don’t make the mistake of just throwing large amounts of information at your employees. Employee feedback sessions should be two-way. You need to give your employees enough opportunity to speak to you. Doing so will help management simultaneously develop a more accurate understanding of their employees’ perspectives.

Also Read: Crucial Conversations To Strengthen Relationships

Don’t make it about you, make it about their goals

One of the biggest mistakes that most managers make during a feedback session is to phrase the session around company profits and how the employees need to do more for the company. Unless they own stock in the company they work for, the odds are the average employee doesn’t care what happens to the company unless it affects them.

So focus your feedback on how your employee can improve their job and do better. People like knowing how they can improve for themselves instead of how it will help management secure a bigger bonus. Employees react better when they feel your feedback is oriented around helping them perform better.

Also Read: 6 Traits Of High Performing Teams

In conclusion, providing constructive feedback to your employees is vital if you want their performance to improve. The importance of constructive criticism derives from the fact that it’s unlikely your employees will know how to improve productivity without it, but you have to provide criticism carefully. If you provide destructive criticism, your employees will take it as a personal attack, and they’ll end up leaving your company. The best way to provide constructive feedback is to balance positive and negative aspects of performance, provide objective feedback, and give employees the chance to speak back.

Engagedly can make the feedback sharing process easy for you, want to know how? Request us for a quick demo!

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360 Degree Feedback: Best Practice Guidelines

360 degree feedback is a continuous process that assesses the performance, development, and potential of individuals in their current roles rather than in relation to a required competency or attributes for a future role. It is therefore a powerful tool in promoting respect for diversity and fairness at all levels in an organization.

In 360 degree feedback, all the stakeholders are a part of the process. It includes peers, direct reports, managers, vendors, or anyone with whom the employee has a working relationship..

360 Degree Feedback and Its Popularity

The rationale behind this approach is as follows: “If performance appraisal is about what you do well/not so well, then 360 degree feedback should be about how others view your work – what are the strengths and limitations of your working style, how other people feel about working with you.”

Globally, the system is in use by leading corporations to assess not just their own employees but also clients and suppliers.

Also Read: Tips For Conducting Effective One On Ones

Research shows that using a combination of methods such as peer assessment and manager assessment results in a better understanding of an individual’s performance than does either alone. The coming years will see a sharp increase in demand for qualified consultants offering services related to 360 degree feedback.

Ensuring Process Effectiveness and Significant Results

HR managers or external consultants, who are process experts, carry out the 360 degree feedback process. It usually takes one to two months, depending on the size of the organization. The process involves the employees who have worked with the individual being assessed over a period of at least one year.

It requires managers to complete written reports on their subordinates and others to complete questionnaires about the performance of those with whom they work directly.

Many organizations find that their 360 degree feedback program is effective only if used as part of a comprehensive performance management system. The 360 degree feedback process is useful in order to have a complete view of how team members perceive their manager. Monitoring and reviewing the process regularly helps supervisors identify areas of improvement.

Also Read: Why Are Stay Interviews Essential For Your Organisation?

A key issue here is ensuring confidentiality and maintaining anonymity throughout the process so that employees feel free to express their views honestly without fear of reprisal.

Tips for Implementing a Successful 360 Degree Feedback Program

Here are some tips for you to follow in establishing 360 degree feedback program the right way:

1. Use a trusted external consultant, or a colleague experienced in conducting 360 degree feedback.

2. Ensure that the process is properly designed and implemented by teamwork between the external consultant, an internal facilitator who will be responsible for driving the program, and key people within each area being assessed.

3. Involve line managers throughout the design and implementation of the program.

4. Train all those who will be a part of the process.

5. Clearly communicate the intention of using this process, so that everyone has a clear idea of how it will benefit them.

Also Read: How To Manage Global Teams Remotely

6. Ensure confidentiality during data collection and at all times thereafter.

7. Results can be used in a number of different ways: giving people confidential feedback about the way others see them; providing benchmarks against which employees can compare themselves with their peers; identifying developmental needs that may require further training or coaching from line managers or HR professionals; identifying areas of improvement, etc. In addition, the information from 360 degree feedback reports can give superiors a better understanding of their employees.

8. Ensure that there are no biases or discrimination against anyone because of their views.

9. Ensure that all managers receive training on how to provide feedback and coaching based on this information. It can help improve individual performance even further.

10. The design of an effective 360 degree feedback process is reliant upon two factors: soliciting honest opinions from others about you, and receiving the findings with an open mind. The best way to increase these likelihoods is by making yourself accountable for your own learning. Everyone has blind spots, but if your vision is clouded by personal bias, then you will miss many opportunities to improve your effectiveness as a leader.

Dealing With Resistance to Change Within the Company

Change is one of the most difficult things to make happen because it requires a willingness and ability on the part of managers and other key people within an organization; not only to support the implementation process, but also to take action as required. It’s far easier for them simply to do nothing and hope that negative issues will resolve themselves over time.

However, this approach runs contrary to everything we know about organizational development, which recognizes that change management is a critical step in creating sustainable performance improvement.

To reduce resistance to change:

1. Involve managers and other key people in the design and implementation of the 360 degree feedback process as quickly as possible, so they can become involved in setting up policies and procedures; making decisions about processes; training those who will receive, interpret and provide feedback; as well as delivering coaching

2. Document policies and procedures to make it clear on how 360 degree feedback results are collected, analyzed, used for coaching purposes

3. Provide line managers with a leadership action plan which outlines what actions they must take to show commitment to the overall organizational development program

4. Ensure that everyone understands how their individual performance affects overall company performance. As a result, they will be more motivated to initiate action plans for change.

5. Ensure that all managers receive feedback from their direct reports as well as others who have worked closely with them.

Also Read: Continuous Feedback: When Too Much Of A Good Thing Can Be Bad

6. Promote the use of 360 degree feedback results at all levels within an organization to ensure fairness and reduce potential bias toward individuals.

7. Provide training on the process so employees recognize it is not part of any disciplinary procedure or witch hunt.

8. Be careful how you phrase messages about expectations for change. It’s easy to give messages that are misinterpreted by people anxious about change management or unable to cope with ambiguity or lack of information about what is happening next.

9. Communicate often with all staff about the company’s commitment to both the process and the need for change

10. Ensure that managers have access to help, advice, training or other resources they might need to take action on their 360-degree feedback reports

11. Implement a communications plan designed to ensure everyone understands how their work relates to the success of the organization

12. Hold management accountable for doing what is required under the leadership action plans. If necessary, tie continuing participation in 360degree feedback processes to individual performance reviews.

Benefits of Using 360 Degree Feedback as Part of an Organization’s Overall Performance Management Strategy

In addition to the many benefits that accrue from using 360-degree feedback as a tool for individual development, there are also significant advantages in terms of increasing organizational productivity and effectiveness. These include:

– Increased teamwork and cohesiveness

– Improved morale and engagement levels both at work and home

– Reduction in absenteeism rates

– More effective managers can build on the information contained within reports to further improve the performance of their direct reports

– Enhances efficient use of resources

– Improved decision-making as team members provide feedback on the overall effectiveness of managers and peers, and how they can be more effective

Using 360 degree feedback as part of an organization’s performance management strategy is an important step in building high-performing teams. It ensures that all team members understand the expectation and how their individual contribution helps to drive organizational success.

As such, it becomes critical for employers to invest time and money in providing the right environment and tools so employees feel comfortable using this process to achieve their potential.

Want to know how Engagedly can help you with 360 degree feedback? Request a demo from our experts!

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How to foster a positive work environment and reduce anxiety?

We all dream of working in a rewarding job, fulfilling and a successful career choice, but sadly, more often than not, work becomes synonymous with stress.

As HR managers, business owners and CEOs, you all probably already know how vital employee happiness is for an organisation’s success. Anxious employees — restless, stressed, and unmotivated — are unhappy employees and, as a result, often begin to perform poorly, have little resilience, and the workplace starts to ooze toxicity.

According to statistics, if an employee is happy, they’re willing to stay in their jobs 4x longer and commit 2x as much to them. They’re also 12% more productive.

Also Read: Productivity Tips For Managers And Employees In 2022

The quicker businesses realise this, the more prepared they will be to help employees deal with the everyday and unexpected pressures of work and the more enjoyable and productive the workplace is.

In this article, we’ll explore employee anxiety and its effect on workplace culture and productivity. We’ll also look into how HR managers or business owners can proactively reduce stress at work and foster a positive environment.

What is anxiety?

Anxiety, in general, means to be in a state of nervousness about something when the outcome is uncertain.

**But what is workplace anxiety?**

Workplace anxiety involves feelings of stress, nervousness, uneasiness, and tension concerning activities within a workplace. These could range from job performance, interactions with co-workers, or even public speaking.

The difficulty with fostering workplace happiness and reducing anxiety is that the causes and symptoms vary from person to person. It’s not a constant emotion, so it may occur all the time or be sporadic, making it difficult to notice and diagnose.

It’s common knowledge these days that a happy workplace leads to higher employee satisfaction and productivity. On the flip side, both the physical and emotional consequences often have adverse side effects on their overall health and well-being both personally and professionally.

It’s why HR managers need to try and address it in its infancy. You want to provide clear avenues for your employees to relieve their anxiety positively.

Signs of workplace anxiety

The first step is to notice the signs.

A tell-tale indication that an employee is suffering from workplace anxiety is their hesitancy to work or be present in the workplace. They want nothing to do with the environment — including the work itself and the people within the business.

Physical signs:

Headaches
Low energy
Inexplicable fatigue
Upset stomach
Insomnia
Rapid heartbeat
Nausea
Muscle aches

Emotional signs:

Irritability
Mood swings and anger
Frustration and agitation
Aversion to social gatherings
Inability to concentrate
Forgetfulness
Failure to meet deadlines or taking too long to do things
Depression
Low self-esteem

Workplace anxiety is common – around 40% of people report feeling stressed during a workday.

One of the main things you can do to acknowledge the problem is understanding what’s happening and what’s really behind it. Considering many factors that cause workplace anxiety, this part can be challenging. But while it’s not a walk in the park, you should acknowledge it anyway.

Common causes of workplace anxiety:

Difficult working conditions – They’ve got too much on their plate. These may be unmanageable workload, unrealistic deadlines, or feeling confronted with vague job instructions.
Job uncertainty – They’re less productive and worry about making ends meet because they don’t know if they’re in a financially stable position. To avoid this, tell them how long you’re planning to keep them under your employment or present them with all their options.
Underpayment – Not providing enough compensation for your employees will make them question their value to the workplace. If you’re not willing to shoulder their essentials for living the life they know they deserve, they’ll look for employment that can make this happen for them.
Lack of trust and transparency – You don’t let your employees handle work you deem is important. This crushes their spirit — causing them to feel disheartened or apathetic towards work.

**Define the current culture and the ideal culture you want**

Before you can create a culture where employee happiness is championed, you sometimes have to recognise the environment as it currently is. This is especially true if you’re like most and haven’t previously sat down and actively decided what culture you want to cultivate.

Company culture will develop with or without active effort on your part. Still, if you aren’t at the helm of ship steering it, it could quickly become toxic and unproductive.

As a company owner or HR manager, your views on company culture may very well differ from the average employee. Why not try having constructive conversations with your employees from various departments to determine the workplace culture as they see it.

Another good idea may be to run employee satisfaction surveys to measure your employee’s happiness and ask for their feedback.

If there are negative aspects to your current culture, make sure to acknowledge them. Accepting the weaknesses is one of the most powerful things you can do. It allows you to move quickly to eliminate them.

Also Read: The Ultimate Guide To Effective Employee Surveys

Tips for designing effective employee satisfaction surveys:

Use open-ended questions – They can help employees share more information than close-ended questions. They allow a respondent to explain points and be thorough.
Communicate the importance of the surveys – Explain what the surveys are about, what you want them to accomplish, and why you’re using them. Also, tell employees how grateful you’ll be if they choose to participate in them.
Show their effectiveness – Present the survey results to everyone in the workplace and take actionable steps immediately. It shows employees that the surveys are taken seriously, encouraging participants to participate the next time around.
Normalise – Conduct these surveys regularly and make employees feel normal about participating in them.

Once you’ve defined your current culture, leap into what you think is the ideal positive workplace culture. Is it one where there are substantial communication channels between employees and higher management? Is it a culture where you promote interaction outside of work hours? What that ideation is, it’s up to you. The important thing is, you communicate this to everyone in the workplace.

Increase employee engagement

The key to a successful and anxiety-free workplace is employee engagement, with everyday stress being inevitable, finding ways to engage employees will help foster loyalty and commitment to their work.

It shouldn’t be surprising that you should consider the changing needs of employees. Their needs change throughout their tenure, and you should account for this. The success of an engagement activity does not always hinge on the amount of money you are willing to spend on it. Success hinges on regular and consistent actions.

Tips to increase employee engagement:

Recognise good work – Inform employees every time they’ve done a great job to let them know they’re not taken for granted. And as necessary, offer them rewards and promote them to well-deserved ranks.
Prioritise open communication – Regularly provide feedback about their work and tell them they’re free to voice their concerns.
Give importance to their wellness – Promote their physical and mental well-being. You can provide employees gym and fitness centre memberships, free healthy meals, or opportunities to talk to therapists.
Allow time to recharge – Encourage them to establish a work/life balance. Give them paid time off, schedule team bonding activities, and plan corporate retreats.

Also Read: Do These Eight Things To Improve Employee Engagement

Use mechanisms to improve productivity

Workplace culture is not just about changing the behaviour of your workforce; it is about creating mechanisms and structures within the workplace to facilitate positive behaviour.

Here are tips to improve workplace productivity:

Create a hybrid or flexible workplace environment – Employees work better and faster when placed in pleasant environments. This leads to increased productivity because they can work more freely and comfortably.
Take advantage of automation tools – Project management apps, time trackers, and note-taking programs are some excellent examples. They streamline an employee’s workflow, reduce unnecessary work and result in them spending more time on the essential and fulfilling tasks.
Improve communication channels – Assess how you communicate with everyone in your team and determine where to improve. Some of the actions you can take are to avoid micromanaging and cut down the time during meetings.
Set an incentive program – If assignments come with significant bonuses, employees may view them as more valuable. As a result, they’ll prioritise these tasks and strengthen their commitment to them.

Pressure and stress aren’t always negative things. As long as it’s placed in healthy amounts, pressure can help employees. The tactics of automation tools, flexible work environments or feedback surveys aren’t about eradicating stress and anxiety from the workplace. Instead, it’s about facilitating the right kind of pressure you want to put on your employees.

Stress and pressures in the workplace should align with the tasks they can bear. If you subject them to pressure they find unbearable, it’ll lead to workplace anxiety, decreased productivity.

Final Thoughts

Your employees are vital to the workplace. They’re the ones who keep the work going.

That’s why it’s crucial that you don’t set them aside. If employees feel that you have their backs, you can count on them to make sure they have your back, too.

Want to know how Engagedly can help you foster a positive work environment? Request a demo today.

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Guest blog contribution by Kayleigh Berry

Kayleigh Berry is an SEO marketer at Paperform. Her strong history in Psychology, Entrepreneurship, and Creativity, combined with her 100 miles per hour personality, keeps her up to date with all the latest trends in the new and changing digital marketing industry. Outside of work, you’ll find Kayleigh surfing or training her Australian Shepherd.

LinkedIn: Kayleigh Berry

The Importance Of 360 Degree Feedback For Healthcare

Healthcare is one of the largest and fastest-growing industries in the world. With the ongoing global pandemic, the demand for healthcare services has increased now more than ever. To ensure that the healthcare professionals work with the same level of consistency as before and their performance is not affected, they need to be evaluated from time to time. Although there are multiple tools for performance management in healthcare, 360 degree feedback proves to be one of the most effective.

Also Read: High Performing Teams In Healthcare

360 degree feedback is a modern feedback process in which every stakeholder with whom the healthcare professional has worked shares feedback. These stakeholders involve managers, subordinates, nurses, hospital aides, and patients. Since the feedback is from multiple sources, it provides a comprehensive view of actions and behaviors and a deeper insight into performance. Read on to know its importance in healthcare.

Examining Overall Skills Through 360 Degree Feedback

Employees who work in the healthcare industry or are in hospital management are usually assessed by the number of patients they treat successfully. Often, it ignores important interpersonal skills that are required to be successful. These skills may include empathy, teamwork, communication, attentiveness, etc.

Having a 360 degree feedback process for your healthcare professionals tends to solve this issue. Peers, patients, supervisors, and subordinates assess different aspects of a healthcare professional’s performance. It is based on their experiences and observations while working with them. They provide valuable insights about the employee that help them to make changes to the way they work. It helps them understand not only their clinical skills but also their interpersonal skills.

Improved Patient Care

360 degree feedback is a great tool when it comes to identifying one’s strengths, weaknesses, gaps, and potential blindspots. With the help of it, healthcare professionals learn how to reinforce their strengths and work on their areas of weaknesses.

In the absence of 360 degree feedback, healthcare professionals are not aware of their potential blindspots and gaps. As a result, their actions might end up having a negative impact on their coworkers or patients unknowingly. When healthcare professionals are aware of their weaknesses and blindspots, they work more efficiently to deliver effective patient care.

Higher Patient Satisfaction

The main aim of the employees of any healthcare organization is that their patients are satisfied with the level of care they receive. 360 degree feedback in healthcare serves as an effective tool to measure the patient satisfaction index. In a traditional approach, healthcare professionals are assessed using a top-down approach by their managers and leaders. But in 360 degree feedback, everyone, including the patients, evaluates the healthcare professionals. So it is more valued and accepted by doctors, nurses, and other hospital aides alike. They are more open to receiving feedback from their patients. As patients themselves are part of the process, it helps in improving productivity and increasing the patient satisfaction index.

Training and Learning Opportunities

360 degree feedback talks about the importance of talent management in healthcare. It helps doctors, physicians, nurses, and other hospital executives identify training and development opportunities for themselves. This allows them to sharpen their clinical or professional skills while honing their interpersonal skills. It ensures that they are more skillful and professional at work, which, as a result, improves patient satisfaction and safety.

Do you want to know how Engagedly can help you with 360 Degree Feedback? Then request for a live demo.

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6 Creative Ideas For Employee Engagement

Employee engagement leads to a great customer experience and gives superior business results. Every employer knows that. Despite that, many organizations neglect employee engagement activities because they prioritize on numbers and how to improve, increase their company profit and what helps or benefits the company.

But in today’s day and age, how far will that get your organization? The Great Resignation has come by for a reason. One of the biggest reason being, a demand for more value attached for all the efforts that all employees are putting in. That’s why many companies today are ready to offer valuable, tangible perks in return for an efficient workforce.

Therefore, as an employer, keeping your employees engaged is the biggest challenge you can face today. Here are 6 creative employee engagement ideas that you can use to increase engagement among your employees.

1. Encourage Knowledge Sharing

Create an open sharing space, where the members of all the teams in your organization can share knowledge, new ideas, and information about their projects. In the virtual world today, people cannot connect and gather information on the go, like they used to in the pre-pandemic days. So try to jazz up the events. To make this fun, you can change the theme every month and ask them to share ideas according to the theme.

[Also Read: 5 Reasons Why You Need Engagedly For Employee Engagement]

2. Create A Magazine

Create an employee-focused magazine with news, featured opportunities, stories and other fun columns. To make it more engaging, feature the employee of the month on the magazine cover. Who doesn’t enjoy being featured on the cover of a magazine as the Employee of the Month? You can choose to make it either an online issue or a printed edition.

3. Reward Employees

Rewards are a great propeller of engagement. Create a charged up environment by offering tons of exciting benefits and offers, where your employees feel motivated to engage. While some rewards can be tangible such as tickets for a trip or lunch and dinner coupons; or it could be something intangible such as extra time-off for a job well done.

4. Have Themed Office Days

When your workforce is predominantly remote, every time they visit the office, they visit with a sense of excitement and eagerness. Coming to office is not a regular affair anymore, but special. So plan to make them as significant as the employees expect them to be. Having themed office days can bring a lot of fun and increase employee loyalty. When employees actively take part in fun activities, it inspires them to give their best to the company.

5. Focus On What Your Employees Do Best

During the pre-pandemic days, we could get a quick chat in real time. It took little time for the boss to turn to us and say, “Hey, do you think you can do this?” That informal tete a tete used to make sure we get the work we enjoy. That has gone missing now that we are working from home. The biggest mistake a manager can make is assigning tasks that don’t match their employees’ skills. Employees want to be given the opportunity to shine, which means they have to have the ability to do what they do best, as often as possible. Talk to your employees and find out which task they are comfortable with and assign their work accordingly.

6. Provide Mentoring and Coaching

More and more employees are realizing that work-life balance is essential today. More importantly, using that time to either spend with close ones or to upskill oneself. This is where mentors come into the picture. Mentors guide mentees in work and ways of life. It will do your employees a world of good if you can provide mentoring and coaching facilities for your employees.

A study by American Society for Training and Development says that over 71% of Fortune 500 companies (paywall) have formal mentorship programs set in their workplaces. While that sounds rather promising, only 37% of these workers claim to have a mentor according to an Olivet Nazarene University survey.

Have a good and easy mentoring process in place for your employees. And make sure it’s effective enough for all employees. Run a survey to get their opinions. Your employees will gain a lot out of this process and will know that their company cares for them. This will lead to a great boost in engagement levels.

Bonus Tip: Experiment on Employee Engagement

Small things can make a difference sometimes. Try something unusual to engage your employees. For example, ask your employees to come on video with their funniest attire on. If you come up with better ideas, experiment with them. Even if you slip up from time to time, your staff will appreciate the fact that you’re putting in the effort to get to know them on a more personal level.

We don’t think we need to reiterate how important employee engagement activities are in today’s world. It drives an organization forward. Though some of these activities might take some time and effort, your employees will definitely appreciate them!

Have other fun employee engagement ideas up your sleeve? Share them with us!

Do you want to know how Engagedly can help you with Employee Engagement?

Request a demo from our experts.

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7 Common Employee Engagement Strategies That Work

Employee engagement is not just when employees are doing their job, but when they are more than happy, and enjoy a level of satisfaction and commitment to do it. They go an extra mile to get the job done. But with most of our workspaces confined to our homes, employee engagement has been a constant issue for most organizations. It can be quite common for employees to lose interest in their work and be disengaged while working from home for such a long time.

Although many organizations are calling their employees back to office or following the hybrid model of work, we aren’t exactly sure whether we will return to ‘normal’ way of work anytime soon. One more big question which remains unanswered is whether employees would be happy to work from the office permanently.

Also Read: Best Practices For Conducting Employee Check-Ins

Employee engagement has become one of the top priorities for human resources and the leadership of the organization. Here are seven common employee engagement ideas for your team.

Emphasize On Work-Life Balance

One important thing that the pandemic taught us is focusing on ourselves, and making us the priority.

As employers, it is important to emphasize on the work-life balance of your employees. Educate your employees on why it is important and how it will help them boost their productivity. Employees should know when to switch-off from work and take a break. Whether you are working at a single stretch or in sporadic bursts throughout the day, knowing the correct time to take a break is essential. Doing so will help you avoid burnout and stress.

***Also Read:* *How To Curb Digital Distractions***

WHO reports that increased screen time (for all ages) is one common side effect of the pandemic, as most of our lifestyle became sedentary. As a result, cases of neck pain, obesity, irregular sleep patterns, headache and eye problems have increased over the past two years.

Build Your Wellness Program

“Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.”–Sir Richard Branson, Owner Virgin Group.

Along with emphasizing on the work-life balance of your employees, it is important that wellness initiatives are in place. With continuous work from home, more and more people not only suffered from physical illnesses as mentioned above, but also suffered from many mental illnesses too. Isolation, depression, anxiety, insomnia have increased considerably over the past two years(Source: WHO).

It is crucial that organizations and leaders understand and empathize with their employees. Here are some simple steps which you can take to ensure that your employees are doing good, both physically and mentally.

For mental health:

Virtual yoga and meditation classes
Train your employees so they can identify mental health issues
Organize online mental health sessions by experts
Make therapy a part of perks and benefits
Practice mindful living

For physical health:

Organize for online exercise and yoga
Spend on ergonomically friendly remote workspace set-up
Provide incentives for calories burnt
Gift fitness bands to everyone to track daily steps

Source: Kaiser Family Foundation

Work-life balance along with wellness programs will not only help your employees to maintain their physical and mental health, but will also help them improve their overall productivity. When they see that the organization cares for them, they feel valued and important. It will improve employee engagement and retention.

Connect With Your Employees Frequently

It goes without saying that connecting with your employees is the most effective and simplest way to improve employee engagement. The disconnect and the sense of isolation can be reduced among your employees by communicating with them frequently. Let them know that they are not alone and the organization and the leadership is always there to help them out with their issues. As a manager, block and schedule discussions with your employees well in advance. Try to keep the conversations as informal as possible so that your employees can take their minds off from work and connect.

“At Engagedly, managers and skip-level managers connect with their employees to know how they are doing and if they can help improve anything. Every month, we also have focus group discussions with our founders. It is a platform for the leadership team to brainstorm directly with the employees, and to informally explore solutions to work problems. Not only is it a great opportunity to informally connect with the leadership, but also with colleagues from other teams.”

Provide Upskilling and Reskilling Opportunities

According to the LinkedIn 2020 Workforce Learning Report, 94% of employees would stay with a company if they invested in their training and development.

Foster a culture of continuous learning in the organization. Encourage your employees to reskill and upskill themselves. It will not only help your employees to learn new skills, but will also help you to create an agile workforce which is much better adapted to change. Additionally, employee engagement increases and attrition decreases. Some common ways to upskill and reskill your employees are:

Learning And Development:
- Access to online academies such as Coursera, Udemy, edX, Purdue University Global,.
- Organize training sessions.
- Invest in integrated learning management systems.
Job Rotation and Shadowing: They are budget friendly and easily approachable upskilling and reskilling processes. It gives employees the flexibility to role changes in the organization.
Mentoring: Mentoring is a great way for new employees to connect with more experienced employees of the organization or vice versa. It helps employees to learn new skills, and grow personally and professionally.
Form learning groups
Train your employees in digital and soft skills.

Learn more about How to build a successful upskilling and reskilling program for your organization.

Tangible Rewards

Who doesn’t like gifts? Everyone does! Tangible rewards and care packages are a great way to show your employees that you value and care for them.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and the time couldn’t be better for your employees to receive a gift from the company. Although all reward options or gifts might not be budget-friendly, a little investment on your employees won’t hurt. If you are not sure what to gift your employees, here are some suggestions for you:

Gift your employees company swag items such as mugs, t-shirts, notepads and pens
Self-care packages
A set of scented candles
Box of chocolates and coffee
Retreat packages
Sponsor dining or lunch for the family
Motivational books
A month’s subscription to OTT platforms

Performance Management Software

With a diverse workforce spread globally, it is essential to invest in a performance management software (PMS) to manage your employees. Most PMS available in the market not only helps in tracking employee performance but also supports an array of other features. Goal-setting, employee feedback, check-ins, rewards and recognition, gamification, LMS, peer feedback, praise, social feed, etc. are part of most PMS. They not only help employees and peers stay connected with each other but also improves employee engagement and experience.

Also Read: Why Your Business Needs A Performance Management Software

Company Wide Reset

The last two years have not been easy for anyone. It has been tough and your employees have managed to sail through it successfully. They deserve a break! Plan and schedule for a company wide shutdown or break. Until and unless it is urgent your employees shouldn’t be required to attend any calls, meetings (internal or external), emails, or zoom calls related to work. This will give a fresh start to all your employees and help them perform better. Your employees will think with a fresh mind, be more innovative and engaged at work.

Want to know how Engagedly can help you improve employee engagement? Request us for a quick demo!

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Benefits of 360 Degree Feedback in Today’s World

Organizations often avoid conducting a 360 degree feedback as they find it more complex and difficult to understand. But it doesn’t necessarily have to be. In the post-pandemic normalcy, feedback in different forms have become a necessity for smooth functioning. 360 Degree Feedback is a powerful tool by which organizations can help their employees enhance their skills, performance, and thereby help them understand things about themselves better.

True intuitive expertise is learned from prolonged experience with good feedback on mistakes. – Daniel Kahneman

So in order to upgrade your intuitive expertise, let’s understand 360 degree feedback a little better, how to frame the questions and what are the benefits of 360 degree feedback for your company.

Understand What is 360 Degree Feedback:

In simple words, 360 degree feedback is a feedback collection process through which people can ask for insights from all stakeholders they work with. These stakeholders include an employee’s manager(s), direct reports (if any), clients, vendors and peers. Every participant answers to the same set of questions. As a result, at the end of the process, the employee receives a report that depicts the perceptions of her/his colleagues, and what feedback they have to share about her or his performance. The questions typically revolve around key goals, strengths and weaknesses, asking participants to rate on a scale and share a paragraph or two. The responses remain anonymous and completely confidential.

Now that you know how truly simple 360 degree feedback essentially is, let us take you through how you can whip up some good questions for the process to be truly effective.

Frame Effective 360 Degree Feedback Questions:

This feedback process can be conducted manually or you can choose to have a 360 Degree Feedback tool in place. Either way, framing the questions right is the key to collecting valuable data. We would like to list out a few factors that will guide you here:

They should be applicable to all participants
They should be unprejudiced and fair
Each question should focus on one attribute so that the participants can give specific answers instead of any vague insights
Use simple language that is understandable to all parties
Must align to company vision, mission, values and objectives

To help you with some examples, at Engagedly, we have a very simple framework where we ask all participants some of these simple questions.

What are the things this employee should STOP doing in order to be better at work?
What are the new things this employee should START doing in order to be better at work?
What are the things this employee is doing well and should CONTINUE doing?

We would love to know your thoughts on the above mentioned framework. Please share them in the comment section below.

Benefits of 360 Degree Feedback:

After understanding the feedback process and how we can frame good 360 feedback questions, we come to the point where we answer for you why you should consider having this in place.

The Bigger Picture Advantage

While you might find useful insights from the feedback received from your manager/supervisor, it is just one person’s perspective at the end of the day. Receiving feedback from peers, clients and vendors also, will give you a more holistic view of your performance; what’s working for you and what you need to work on.

Employees who receive feedback more frequently from a wider audience grow more comfortable in receiving them with an open mind, and get a better shot at refining their skills and performance.

Gateway to Richer Communication

Adopting the 360-degree feedback process for your organization would open up doors to a free-flow of communication. It will allow your employees to feel more confident in sharing their inputs and perspectives, and build richer connections between them. Moreover, problems can be addressed and resolved more quickly.

Organizations that encourage transparency and better communication are many times more likely to retain their best workers.

Pathway to Better Career Growth

Here is a staggering insight for you:

According to Engagedly research, 98% of employees fail to engage in the face of little to no feedback.

360 degree feedback provides employees with valuable inputs about what changes can help them grow in their careers. With this process in place, your employees can get multiple opportunities to learn what they are doing well and what needs improving.

We will end this piece with one very important reminder for you and your organization.

360 Feedback and Performance Review are NOT the same!

This is a common misconception many harbour while considering 360 degree feedback. People think they can conduct this instead of a performance review. That can’t be the case.

A 360 degree feedback is meant for the benefit of the employee who’s being reviewed only. It’s not meant for the manager to evaluate her or his employee based on this feedback, or consider salary changes. If a manager has certain performance issues with an employee, they should discuss them transparently, not through the 360 feedback. It is not a process for evaluating if an employee is meeting basic job requirements.

So, if you’re ready to implement and conduct 360 degree feedback in your organization, and want to simplify the process with the help of a tool, check out our FREE demo on 360 Degree Feedback Software.

Want to know how Engagedly can help you? Then request a demo from our experts!

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Employee Mental Health : Ways To Support Your Team

Managers often tend to ignore and sideline mental health issues while discussing workplace problems. While managers commonly talk about other issues such as work-life balance, workplace bias, bullying, etc., mental health is one topic that gets completely ignored in most organizations.

Did you know that 1 in 6.8 people experience mental health problems in the workplace?

The above numbers have in fact increased over the past year due to the pandemic. Continuous remote working has taken a toll on the mental health of employees. Reports of anxiety, depression, isolation, stress, and fatigue have increased. It has resulted in increased absenteeism, reduced productivity, disengagement, and burnout.

Also Read: Employee Wellbeing And Absenteeism At Work

It is high time organizations recognize the importance of mental health issues and help build a conducive and supportive environment for employees.

Here are some ways in which organizations can help.

Spread Awareness About Mental Health

The first step to solving any problem always begins with awareness. This could be through the form of workshops, seminars, conferences, etc. held by certified mental health professionals. They can help spread awareness about mental health and de-stigmatize the problem.

Spread awareness about common mental health problems like depression, anxiety, social phobia, etc. Encourage your employees to come forward and open up about their mental issues, so that you can help them overcome their issues.

Don’t Treat It As A Taboo

Why do some employees struggle with having good mental health? There are many reasons, but one of the main reasons is not opening up about it to anyone. Many people shy away from expressing the mental issues that they are battling daily.

Create a culture that encourages employees to open up about it.

Also Read: The Impact of Employee Engagement On Productivity

Identify Changes In Your Employees’ Behaviour

Not all employees who have mental issues can come forward and talk about their problems. Sometimes, as a manager, you need to go the extra mile and look for changes in the behavior of your team members.

Common symptoms that you can look for are irritability, depression, withdrawal from contact with others, loss of motivation, mood swings, etc. If you find someone from your team displaying these behaviors, it is time for you to have a conversation about their mental health issues.

Connect With Your Employees

Once you realize that a team member has changed their behavior or is exhibiting symptoms of mental health issues, it is best to have a conversation about it. Do not make assumptions before having the conversation; remember that your impression can be wrong too.

Connect with them over informal or formal sessions and talk with them and give them support. Ask them simple questions and encourage them to share what triggers their problem more. Also, give them frequent feedback on how they work and they can improve. It will keep them engaged and busy at work.

Sometimes, people battling mental health issues just want someone to hear out what they have to say, so listen to them without judging or giving out opinions instantly.

Supportive Work Culture

A supportive work environment practices healthy communication and does not engage in toxic or harmful behavior. It shouldn’t make employees feel stressed. A distinction has to be made between job-related stressors and environmental stressors. Stress is a part and parcel of any job, and employees understand that on certain occasions, they might experience stressful situations. However, when these stressful situations frequently affect their ability to do their job or impact their ability to function, that is when it becomes a problem. Consequently, organizations need to be observant of the environment in which their employees work.

Also Read: 7 Signs To Help You Recognize A Toxic Workplace

Creating a healthy workplace environment might necessitate organizations completely overhauling their workplace policies to be more inclusive. While this task might seem painful, it will go a long way toward creating a workplace that employees want to be a part of.

Design Policies Around Mental Health

Oftentimes, organizations have health policies but they might be cursory health policies or focus more on physical health. One way organizations can be more inclusive and supportive is to revamp their policies. It should cover all aspects of health and wellness. This includes creating provisions for employees with disabilities or employees with mental health problems. Also, adding or offering resources (through the employee assistance programs) that they can use to seek help. It is also important that employees be aware of these policies and use them when they need it. Having a good policy but not being able to use it renders the policy useless. It also prevents employees from seeking the health and care they need.

Leadership Support

Employee wellness initiatives cannot move forward or even function successfully if they do not have the enthusiastic support of leaders and managers at an organization. It will not only lend more weight to mental health initiatives but will reassure employees that their well-being is important to organizations.

360 Degree Feedback:10 Questions To Consider

An article in Forbes highlights that 360 degree feedback is used as a cornerstone of leadership development processes in more than 85% of all the Fortune 500 companies.

360 degree feedback, or multirater feedback, or multirater assessment is a type of feedback in which everyone with whom an employee has worked shares feedback. It involves both the internal and external stakeholders. The feedback is more objective and is more acceptable by everyone when compared to the traditional feedback process.

Benefits of 360 Degree Feedback

Increases self-awareness and insight
Helps identify gaps and weaknesses
Creates an open-culture
Helps employees in their overall development
Improves team collaboration
Strengthens customer relationships
Reduces employee turnover

Also Read: Importance of Continuous Feedback In the Post COIVD Era

Considering only the benefits of the process, organizations often tend to ignore their readiness for 360 degree feedback. As a result, for many organizations, it is ineffective and not valuable. Rather, they end up utilizing resources for the process with nothing in return.

Here are ten questions you should consider to determine whether your organization is ready for 360 degree feedback.

Have You Identified The Purpose?

This is the most important question you need to ask yourself before you begin a 360 feedback process. Most organizations use 360 degree feedback programs for self-development, that is, to help employees know more about themselves and better themselves as well. Don’t use 360 feedback to measure performance.

Also, many organizations use the process to collect feedback about their leadership.

What Do You Expect To Achieve?

Do you want to know more about your direct reports? Or do you want to help your employees know more about their own skills and gaps? Or do you want to know how leaders of the organization can improve themselves? Either way, whatever your aim is and what you would like to achieve from the program, it’s best to be sure of that before you start.

Also Read: Employee Goals: A Checklist To Set Effective Goals

Are The Parameters Defined For The Process?

The process of giving feedback can very quickly become a vague activity. Before you decide the participants for the 360 degree feedback process, share a set of feedback guidelines with everyone. That way, they know what to say, what they shouldn’t say, how they should frame the feedback, what phrases they should avoid, etc.

Is You Organization Culture Supportive?

Your organization’s current culture plays a major role in the success of the 360 degree feedback process. 360 degree feedback requires an open culture where everyone is ready to change and accept feedback. It involves a culture of learning and a high level of trust among employees.

Have You Decided On The Participants?

Some organizations prefer to just collect from an employee’s peers. Others might prefer collecting feedback from managers besides peers. While other organizations might also want to collect feedback from external clients, vendors, etc. The more the number of people included in the process, the more important it is to keep everyone on the same page regarding the 360 degree feedback process.

Also Read: Stay Interviews: A Tool To Retain Your Best Employees

Do You Have Your Employee Buy-In?

There’s no point to a 360 degree feedback program if your employees aren’t ready for the process. To prepare them for the process, explain to them the objectives behind the program, what you hope to achieve, what they will gain from the process, and what happens after the program. Only when employees are ready for the program and know what to expect, a 360 feedback process to be effective and successful.

Have You LentLentLent In The Correct 360 Feedback Software?

In most organizations, 360 degree feedback involves external as well as internal stakeholders who are part of the process. The software should be easy to understand and use by everyone, even with no formal training. It should be robust and easily customizable as per the needs of the organization. And it goes without saying the software should have an efficient support team to help with issues.

Generic Feedback Templates OR Custom ?

You can choose to use generic, broadly appropriate templates for everyone across the organization or you can choose to use department or job designation specific templates. If you choose to use custom templates, you can then add competencies based on an employee’s job title. 360 degree feedback software, like Engagedly, helps you add competencies based on job titles for 360 feedback templates. Generic templates are good if you have a small organization where everyone does more or less the same kind of work. Custom templates are a good fit for organizations that have a large number of departments or employees who do very specific kinds of work.

Will It Be Anonymous Or Public?

The call to make a 360 feedback process anonymous rests on the leaders of an organization. To be fair, anonymity can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, more employees might be willing to participate in a 360 feedback process because it is anonymous. On the other hand, there’s going to be some anonymous feedback that employees or managers might not agree with.

What After The Process?

This is the most important aspect of the 360 degree feedback process. In a good 360 feedback process, all the feedback received is shared with the employee and then their skills and gaps are discussed so that employees can focus on their development. Hoarding the information from a process benefits no one and just serves to make employees suspicious.

Request a demo to find out how Engagedly can help you with 360 degree feedback implementation!

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7 Non-Monetary Rewards To Drive Employee Engagement

Employee engagement has become one of the most common buzzwords in the contemporary business world. Given the paramount correlation between employee engagement and business profitability, organizations are constantly working on evolving new engagement strategies. They have employee engagement goals to meet to tap every possible merit of it. Have you acknowledged the interrelation between engagement and business success yet?

As concluded by Gallup, high employee engagement can augment business profitability by 21 percent. Having said that, there is every pragmatic reason why you ought to lay emphasis on nurturing the engagement levels in your employees. Exemplary engagement is the key to the fulfillment of your business ambitions after all!

Also Read: Want To Measure Your Employee Engagement? Here’s How

When it comes to the best strategies for cultivating high employee engagement, perspectives and mindsets tend to vary. You may have a different spectrum of ideas for engaging employees, while other business leaders may have a distinct framework for it. However, across all industries and generations of employees, one of the most salient drivers of motivation and engagement is recognition.

Why is employee recognition quintessential?

From baby boomers to millennials and Gen Y folks, everyone needs the right proportion of recognition and rewards to engage actively. Even you need your share of recognition to bring out the best in you! You find yourself brimming with the motivation to scale new heights when people around you applaud you, don’t you? In fact, Deloitte reveals that recognition amplifies efficiency and engagement by 14 percent. To add, Gallup concludes that lack of recognition is the primary reason why employees disengage or quit.

The above insights are enough to establish the imperativeness of employee recognition. They clearly signify that investing to win employee loyalty is as crucial as building customer loyalty. Employee motivation and happiness are the pivotal pillars of employee engagement. Further, rewards and recognition are the piers of motivation and exuberance among employees. If you ask employees what rewards they desire the most, monetary incentives would be a common answer.

Also Read: The Performance Management Software For Millennials

However, for smaller and medium enterprises, monetary rewards may not always be feasible. In such scenarios, you can always come up with some excellent ideas for non-monetary rewards. To help you with that, in this article, we discuss some brilliant ideas for employee recognition. These ideas cost nothing or little and yet create a massive impetus of engagement. So, without further ado, let us get started!

Appreciation for effort

Appreciation is one of the most valuable yet inexpensive rewards that you can confer upon your employees. Here we are talking about a comprehensive and genuine framework of appreciation that also takes into account the effort put in by employees. Why limit appreciation and recognition to achievements and accomplishments? You also ought to appreciate the effort, loyalty, and commitment displayed by your employees.

In fact, as per HubSpot, 69 percent of employees opine that they will work with greater diligence if they are appreciated better. This substantiates the simple fact that appreciation holds the key to fostering high employee engagement. Given that, you ought to create a vibrant culture where appreciation and celebration of effort, achievements, and sincerity is a natural virtue. The more inclusive employee recognition gets, the greater will be the returns in terms of high engagement.

Recognizing employees in front of their colleagues can work wonders to upscale their engagement. Besides, it will assist others in setting their performance goals as well. If your organization is remote, you can extend appreciation during virtual meets or via digital internal newsletters. To add, you can also extend appreciation through social media posts highlighting the contributions of employees.

Shareholding benefits

Last year, Woolworths, the Australian retail giant, gave shares of the company to over 100,000 workers as a token of recognition. The workers were rewarded shares of net worth up to $750 for their commendable work amid the pandemic. Having said that, if your company is listed on the stock market, you can take a leave out of Woolworths’ book.

You can offer little stakes to your exclusive and unparalleled performers as an ultimate perk. With this, you can make the idea of employees’ sense of belonging quite literal! This is a reward of the highest order that will give your employees one of the biggest reasons for sticking to you and staying engaged around the clock.

Also Read: Workplace Culture:How To Create And Sustain It

Better designations and job titles

It may not be possible all the time to offer promotions to employees regularly along with salary hikes. However, even for employees, it is not always about the salary. Employees have the basic anticipation of getting proportionate career advancement opportunities in the workplace. Getting their fair share of professional growth is in itself a reward for them irrespective of monetary increments.

Having said that, offering better designations and titles to your employees in lieu of their exemplary performance is a credible idea. For instance, a top performer exhibiting great diligence persistently can be made an additional project manager.

On similar lines, an excellent graphic designer who brings great value to your organization’s marketing can be named the creative head. Even without increments in salaries, the escalation of designations will be priceless to employees inspiring greater engagement in them.

Exclusive mentoring programs

Learning and development prospects are critical to the engagement and exuberance of employees. They want to learn consistently and keep adding more value to their professional development. This is the reason why employees are keener to work for organizations with cultures facilitating learning. To validate, almost 90 percent of millennials assert that learning in the workplace is essential for them. This insight is in line with the inferences of Middlesex University for Work-Based Learning.

Also Read: 6 Guidelines To Developing A Professional Mentoring Program

Therefore, having some exclusive mentorship programs for achievers and top performers will be an incredible idea. With performances superseding a certain performance benchmark, let your employees unlock new horizons of mentoring. These in-person mentoring programs should cater to the most important verticals of professional development. Employees will see these as adding immense value to their pursuit of career building.

Let the highest form of learning or remote training be an affluent reward in the workplace. With this strategy, you can engage the winners as well as others who would then realign their goals to qualify for the same.

The bottom line is, exclusive or not, mentoring programs are critical to boosting the efficiency and engagement of employees. You do not have to be a boss always. At times, you need to step into the shoes of a mentor and construct mentor-mentee relationships with your workers.

Wellness benefits

Wellness has become a great concern for employees, given the ever-increasing work stress they find themselves reeling under. To make things worse, the horrifying COVID-19 pandemic has made employees worry even more about their health. In such a scenario, wellness benefits will work as invaluable rewards for your employees. You can offer the following health rewards to your top-notch talents while setting a benchmark for others as well.

Health insurance covers
Free membership/subscription to gyms, mindfulness programs, fitness apps, stress management programs etcetera.
Exclusive mental wellness webinars featuring eminent psychologists and counselors to discuss employees’ mental health issues
Free of cost annual health checkup

Also Read: Understanding Employee Wellbeing In 2021

Flexibility

One of the most attractive awards for employees in this revamped corporate world known for work from home jobs, remote cultures, and virtual meetings is flexibility. If you ask your employees, all of them would say that they desire discretionary flexibility. The flexibility we are emphasizing is the flexibility in terms of working style, working hours, and working tools.

Employees want to work remotely most of the time as they believe it enables greater work-life balance and optimized productivity. Given the fact, the idea of flexibility is essential for employees, why not craft a reward out of it? The better the employees perform, the more can be the number of work from home days they can win in a month. Besides, flexibility as a part of employee experience can also enhance their efficiency. You can put a ceiling on the maximum number of days in a month that employees can avail remote work.

Bonus paid leaves

Additional paid leaves can be a great idea for a reward! Employees do not get more than one or two paid leaves in a month. Hence, they have to be careful and cautious with their utilization of paid leaves. This is where they also begin to feel that their work-life balance is getting crippled. However, persistent performers can be entitled to a few more paid leaves than others in lieu of their valuable contributions. Seems like a great idea, doesn’t it?

By fixing a maximum number of additional paid leaves to be won, you can extend bonus leaves to your employees proportional to their achievements and consistency. All employees will feel quite fascinated about the opportunity to win some additional paid leaves. For that, they will naturally feel the urge to set the bar high and engage better to win bonus leaves. Who would not want to win such perks and rewards after all?

Author:

Jessica Robinson is a charismatic corporate leader, a selfless educator, and a versatile content creator. Despite a management degree, her vision behind blogging is not only to follow her passion, but to create more informed societies. Her selflessness reflects in every piece of her work on The Speaking Polymath.

Want to know how Engagedly can help you improve employee engagement? Request for a live demo.

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Employee Experience: Show Your Employees You Care

Researches show a clear link between rewards and recognition and employee retention. A survey by Achievers brought to light some alarming results. 55% of 1700 respondents were planning to switch jobs. When probed deeper, the number one reason for it was lack of recognition. A much as 69% of these employees went on to mention that a more thoughtful reward and recognition program would inspire them to stay on. This was in 2018.

In 2021, the situation does not appear to be any better. There is not a soul unaffected by everything that has been paining our world in the past couple of years. Despite such a tough environment, employees are constantly striving to maintain balance and deliver. So as an employer, a ‘Thank You’ is the least you can give to your employees.

If you wish to make sure your high performing workers continue to deliver and remain in your organization, here are some things you can practice:

Work Life Balance:

Now that most employees are working from home, screen time has soured throughout the global population. They overwork without even realizing it. This leaves most employees stressed and exhausted, which ultimately affects their productivity. With the workplace constantly intruding into personal space, they get less time to spend with their families. Result? Employee burnout. Gallup, in their recent research, highlights that employees who report burnout are 2.6 times more likely to look for a new job.

Employees should know when to switch-off, and organizations must understand the importance of work-life balance. Having a work-life balance is as important as having a good salary, job satisfaction, security, employee benefits and perks, etc.

Mental Health for Employees:

As per the U.S. National Comorbidity Survey for Americans between ages 15 to 54, 18% of employed individuals experienced symptoms of mental health issues.

Often times, while discussing workplace issues, many articles or surveys highlight bullying, poor managers, workplace biases, and work-life balance. But mental health is repeatedly overlooked. It’s a very serious issue that needs to be given importance like any other.

Working from home has allowed employees to work from anywhere and work flexibly. However, it has led to other issues such as insomnia, anxiety, and isolation. As a manager or an HR, you can’t always act as a therapist or a shrink, but you can take a series of steps to ensure that your employees are doing well.

Informal conversations to understand how they are doing
Conduct anonymous surveys
Equal importance to mental health, like physical health
Train employees to identify their mental health issues
Online therapy and counseling sessions as a part of employee benefits and perks
Encourage everyone to speak up

Necessary Physical Fitness:

The perfect alignment of mind, body and soul makes for a balanced human being. So physical wellbeing, as we have mentioned earlier, is as important as mental stability. When employees were working out of the office, they had access to ergonomically designed workstations, gyms, healthy eating options, etc. But with work from home, many of us have the habit of working from the couch or bed. There is no fixed routine for work or breaks. It leads to obesity and fatigue, which ultimately affects the productivity of the employee.

Here are a few things which you can do to ensure your employees’ physical wellbeing:

Set up their remote workspaces
Conduct exercise and yoga sessions online and encourage your employees to take part
Gift your employees’ smart bands to track their steps
Offer incentives to your employees for calories burnt

Communicate Often:

In the global workspace, which is mostly remote, employees feel disconnected and isolated from their teammates and the organization because of a lack of communication. So, with a sturdy communication process in place, employees feel connected and valued. Have a one-on-one connect with your team members, or encourage them to share their concerns in team meetings. Let them know you are there to help them out if they face any difficulty working remotely. Encourage your employees to block time for virtual water cooler breaks so that they can have a casual discussion with their colleagues. Additionally, ensure that they have the tools and software required to make communication and collaboration easy. Some of the most commonly used tools are:

Engagedly for real-time performance management, feedback, rewards, and gamification
Slack, Google Meet, and Skype for communication and easy collaboration
Asana, Basecamp, and Trello for Project Management

Your workers are your assets! So a good employee recognition program is beyond necessary for your organization. Have you started taking care of them yet?

Do you want to know how Engagedly can help you with employee recognition and employee retention? Then request for a live demo.

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Employee Wellbeing And Absenteeism At Work

The workplace has proven to cause a heavy impact on employees’ health and wellbeing. Causes can derive from physical factors like incorrect manual handling to psychological ones like work-related stress. Collectively, they can build up to high levels of sick leave and absence.

Concentrating on your employee’s health and wellbeing can exponentially improve morale and attendance.

You should treat health and wellbeing as a vital factor in your company, whilst hosting a safe working environment. All of which can ensure your employee feel comfortable and confident as members of your business.

Absence rates and occupational health

The ONS reported absence related to sickness decreased by 1.8% in 2020. Which is the lowest rate reported since 1995.

But, according to HSE, it’s estimated that 38.8 million working days were lost because of work-related ill-health and non-fatal work accidents.

High numbers like these can add up to great business losses. Lost workdays, due to illness and injuries, snowball into lost time, resources, and productivity.

One of the biggest responsibilities you have is to look after the welfare of your employee. Without this, your workers will drop out of the business faster than you can anticipate.

Also Read: Embracing Hybrid Work Culture In 2021

Of course, it’s impossible for a workplace to be completely absent-free. But having a healthy approach for dealing with absences is a must – for the employer and employees.

Employees who are fit for work will produce and perform more efficiently. So, if they are healthy (physically and mentally), you’ll benefit from having a more resilient workforce.

Causes of sick leave

The implications on employee wellbeing and business productivity can cost a business more than what you might foresee.

Absences due to physical and mental illnesses can derive from all sorts of reasons.

Keep awareness and sensitivity for all kinds of absence issues. Remember, an employee may not exude physical illness. But they could be suffering mental strains, like depression or anxiety.

Employers themselves can be found guilty of direct inflictions, which lead to ill health. Common scenarios like this that can ruin employee engagement are:

Setting unrealistic targets and deadlines.
Being subconsciously biased.
Constantly highlighting mistakes.
Creating a negative atmosphere.

Take a positive and proactive approach to employee wellbeing. You’ll soon see a reduction in absence numbers. Concentrating on employee engagement is also a must. You’ll soon see it return as genuine commitment and loyalty to your business.

How can your business benefit from positive employee wellbeing?

If you were to calculate costs that derive from poor employee health, you’ll easily see the impact on your business. Sick leave, lost hours, employee turnover – the effects will add up daily and in the long run.

Workplace health and wellbeing initiatives can reduce absence costs, alongside:

Sick leave and absence.
Performance issues.
Employee turnover.
Recruitment and training fees.
Health and wellbeing.
Liability and litigation risks.

If you establish these, you can easily display your business as a place of prosperity and growth.

Creating a healthy and safe work environment

Being able to spot and determine the mood of the workspace can prove beneficial for you. It’s easily done by using wellbeing trackers and charts. These can help outline your employees’ conditions – daily and in the future.

Having initial objectives that support your business can significantly improve:

Employee health and wellbeing.
Performance and engagement.
Individual and team efforts.
Productivity and motivation.
Brand-name and image.
Customer service.

We are living in a world where flexible working is fast becoming the norm. So, make sure remote workers are protected and safe as they work in isolation or off-location.

Promoting wellbeing

You and your management should openly encourage promoting wellbeing at work. It’s vital you present a clear message for the awareness of employee health and wellbeing.

This can be initiated through smaller gestures, like not answering emails after work hours, or taking lunch breaks daily.

Having open wellbeing conversations can show your employee who they should contact for help. This is crucial for those who are unconfident in raising issues, or those who are suffering alone.

Train your line managers to manage cases empathetically, especially for mental health issues. Keep promoting dialogue, feedback, and engagement – you’ll significantly boost morale and productivity alongside.

Wellbeing schemes and procedures

Supporting employee wellbeing through schemes and classes can significantly improve physical and mental health. Some great ways to do this is by providing:

Counseling and therapy sessions.
Physiotherapy and gym membership.
Paid leave for medical appointments.
Encouraging healthy lifestyle choices.
Sports and exercise classes.

Having these at discounted rates means more employees gain access to these schemes–all without breaking your bank.

Workplace health and safety

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, all employers have a duty of care for the safety of their employees–and this includes wellbeing.

By managing workplace health and safety, you can control and reduce potential injuries and accidents. And fewer illnesses means fewer absences. Some important H&S obligations your business needs to possess are:

Risk assessments.
Accident prevention.
Health protection.
Training and awareness.
Recording and reporting.

It’s also a good idea to reassess your workplace policies and risk assessments, and update them.

Take care of employee wellbeing

Assessing your absence rates can showcase a great evaluation for your employee’s wellbeing.

Aspire to provide accessible and practical methods for improving health, wellbeing, and engagement at work.

Controlling levels accurately and timely can prove to be an effective wellbeing strategy. It’s the perfect way to record and manage absence and wellbeing together.

Author:

Kayleigh Frost works at Health Assured and has extensive knowledge of mental health and wellbeing, with a specific focus on the workplace. As a qualified Mental Health First Aider and a clinical department head, she strives for excellence and superior service delivery to all.

Want to know how Engagedly can help you improve employee experience? Request for a live demo.

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Common Mistakes That Destroy Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is one of the most important aspects of current HR. Though most managers understand the importance of keeping their employees engaged and satisfied with their work, sometimes they tend to unintentionally destroy employee engagement.

Do you want to re-evaluate your practices to check if you’re accidentally destroying employee engagement at your workplace? Here are a few signs to look out for:

Your Employees Don’t Receive Enough Feedback

One of the very common reasons for employee disengagement is that they aren’t satisfied with the amount of feedback they receive. As a manager, you should find a way to talk to your employees about their performance and give them enough feedback and time to improve.

Setting Unrealistic Goals And Deadlines

Goals shouldn’t be very easy to attain because they won’t let the true potential show. But also remember not to make them so unrealistic that they intimidate your employees.

Before setting goals and deadlines, think how these goals affect your organisation and work culture. If not, these goals instead of motivating your employees and promoting employee engagement, kills employee morale.

Lack Of Appreciation For Good Work

Imagine that you were given a really challenging task and you took a lot of effort and risk to complete it on time. After you complete the work, your boss takes all the credit and doesn’t even bother to give you a little appreciation.

Would you give your maximum efforts again on any other task? Now you know how that feels, don’t you? Appreciate and recognise your employees when they meet your expectations. A simple act of appreciation goes a long way.

Also Read: 5 Key Focus Areas For CEOs:The Post Pandemic Shift

Highlighting Only The Faults

Like mentioned above, employees make mistakes, but they also complete their given tasks. You can’t only focus on the mistakes they make and ignore their accomplishments. You don’t have to focus only on their mistakes and taunt them always.

All you can do as a manager is, to talk about the mistake and help them correct it if possible.

You Don’t Keep Your Word

Promising something to your employees and not keeping those promises, makes you lose your personal credibility.

When you promise something to your employees they take it as a done deal. Be sure that you can keep a promise before making it. By saying this, we do not mean that you lie to your employees; it is just that, you should be sure of your ability to keep the promise you make. If you constantly fail to keep your promises, your staff may completely lose respect for you.

Interaction Is Missing With The Team

When you are a manager, you can’t just be an emotionless, command-giving robot in the office. Communicate with your employees and understand their problems. Talk to them about their work, your work, or anything.

When you don’t communicate your ideas with your employees, they can never reach your expectations. If you want to see your organisational goals met, then get started.

You Are Subconsciously Biased

As a human, you might enjoy working with a few people and it is completely normal. But, when you are a manager, you’ve got different responsibilities and different people working as a team under you.

You can’t respond differently to different people for the same behaviour because of your personal preferences. If you do, it creates a really unfair workplace environment.

Want to know how Engagedly can help you improve employee engagement? Request for a live Demo!

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Why Companies Should Embrace Emotional Vulnerability Among Employees

Workplaces can inadvertently embrace toxic positivity by requiring employees to express faked happiness while on the job.

This creates stress, emotional dissonance, social alienation, and burnout among employees – and ultimately decreases productivity and retention.

The solution?

Companies should learn to embrace emotional vulnerability among employees.

Read on to discover why this is important and how companies can start building a culture of vulnerability in the workplace.

What Does It Mean to Embrace Vulnerability?

Remember, perfect is the enemy of good. Embracing vulnerability can be an asset, when done correctly.

To answer what it means to embrace vulnerability, we have to take a look at the psychology of emotional vulnerability and apply it to the workplace.

For the most part, when people hear the word vulnerability, they link the term to negativity, such as personal mistakes or software weakness. Either way, it spells professional danger for them.

But, there is a new wave of thinking which shows that embracing vulnerability in the workplace is actually crucial to success.

According to Dr. Brene Brown, an author and vulnerability researcher, “vulnerability is uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure.”

Source: Oprah.com

Far from being something negative, vulnerability is actually the courage and willingness to show up and be seen, in spite of uncertain outcomes
It’s about taking off your workplace armor and allowing yourself to have discussions that may be uncomfortable, yet essential
It promotes respect in the workplace and means that coworkers can trust and confide in each other more
Instead of getting discouraged by their failures, teams can learn from failure what they need to improve and grow

Finally, embracing vulnerability also means crystallizing your company values so current employees and candidates see that they can bring the whole of themselves to the workplace, as opposed to having a professional self at work that is very different from who they are at home.

Also Read: Performance Management Software:A Buyer’s Guide

Being vulnerable can mean different things to different people.

And, at work, it can translate in a number of ways for employees, such as:

Letting their team know that they’re feeling overwhelmed on a project and need a break
Admitting to their employer that they don’t know how to solve a pressing problem
Apologizing when they realize that they’ve made a mistake
Saying sorry when they snap at a colleague after a long day

Simply put, being vulnerable, for employees, is all about being able to show other people that they are not perfect, that they make mistakes, and that they don’t have all the answers – that they’re human!

Embracing vulnerability can also be beneficial for a company to win over customers as well. While it’s never ideal that a company make a ton of mistakes, when someone at the company does, it’s best to get ahead of the issue by publicly admitting it, apologizing, and explaining how it will be avoided in the future.

While a company can do all of this with the help of an email marketing tool, it may be best suited as a video posted to social media if the budget calls for it and it’s a big enough mistake.

Why Is It Important to Embrace Emotional Vulnerability?

By embracing emotional vulnerability, employees will be able to authentically express themselves, establish strong connections with peers, and generate a sense of empowerment and freedom that will translate to increased productivity and retention.

This is crucial to workplace success.

Emotional vulnerability lets employees connect on a different level and leads to better collaboration and increased cohesiveness.

Below, we take a look at 5 reasons why companies should strive to embrace emotional vulnerability among employees.

1. Build a Culture of Trust

Trust plays a huge role in vulnerability. Employees need the courage to trust others and they, themselves, must have the integrity to be worthy of others’ trust.

There can be no vulnerability without trust. For growth to occur in a relationship, it requires both parties to open up and share all of who they are with each other – not just the good. For this to happen, trust must be present.

So how can this be done in the workplace?

Here are a few tips you can use to encourage employees to exemplify trust and trustworthiness:

Boundaries: Employees need to set clear boundaries and respect those set by their fellow employees.
Accountability: They must own up to their own mistakes, apologize, and fix them whenever possible.
Reliability: They must do what they say they’ll do, which means they shouldn’t over-promise at work but be clear about their limitations and deliver on commitments.
Vault: They should never share confidential information – especially when the information is not theirs to share.
Integrity: They should always do what’s right instead of what is easy and practice their values rather than simply professing them.
Non-Judgment: Employees should answer requests for help without judgment of those who are asking and be able to ask for help themselves.
Generosity: They should extend the benefit of the doubt to the intentions, words, or behaviors of other colleagues.

2. Enhance Rising Skills

This refers to the resilience of getting back up after a failure. Dr. Brown states that employees who are willing to risk being vulnerable, brave, and courageous are those who risk getting their ass kicked.

This is a natural consequence of courage and it’s also the reason why many find it so difficult to allow themselves to be vulnerable at work.

But, she further explains that it’s just as important to rise and pick yourself up after being knocked down. This is the inevitable suffering that comes with courage, and honing their “rising skills” can help employees weather those hardships.

Ultimately, those employees who have tried and failed – and tried again are those who develop resilience within themselves to find the true path to success.

3. Clarify Business Values

Source

This is what reminds employees of why they tried in the first place, and it’s a consequence of allowing themselves to be vulnerable.

The majority of businesses have some type of company values, yet relatively few actually live them. Our values define us in our deepest levels and businesses need to operationalize their values and translate them into specific behaviors that are not only observable but measurable too.

This gives employees who are willing to be vulnerable something to call on when they get knocked down.

It gives them the strength to try again and helps you build a more courageous culture where colleagues can have discussions that are crucial to your business even if they are uncomfortable.

Also Read: Creating A Positive Workplace Culture For Your Employees

4. Drive Workplace Innovation

Vulnerability in the workplace drives innovation, creativity, and change. Some of the best ideas are those that are cultivated in an environment of openness, collaboration, and meaningful exchange.

Each time someone brings a new idea to the table, there is vulnerability present. That’s why it’s crucial for businesses to create a workplace environment that not only accepts and embraces emotional vulnerability but also encourages and supports it.

That way, employees will have the confidence and courage to think creatively and express new ideas.

For instance, if someone at your company wants to begin hosting a podcast to share the company story, embrace the idea and try to have them explain the ideas before telling them no.

5. Foster Successful Teamwork

A foundation of trust is needed for effective teamwork. This requires the ability for team members to be vulnerable with others. Hardly anything of value will get done if employees don’t feel safe enough to be open with their coworkers.

Each person on the team needs to know they won’t be punished for speaking up, disagreeing, or taking risks.

Disagreements are inevitable when groups of people with different languages and cultures come together to create new things or solve problems.

But, people need to know that it’s all right for them to speak plainly and offer feedback. That’s why this is something that should be encouraged so you can have authentic, vulnerable communication that fosters more successful teamwork.

But, for such disagreements to be productive, it’s essential to have open, respectful, and honest communication.

Building a Culture of Vulnerability Among Employees

I hope by now you’ve seen that vulnerability in the workplace is an asset and not a liability, as most people believe. It’s something that is critical for both leaders and employees alike.

When you allow vulnerability among employees and remove uncertainty in the workplace, it’s a winning formula for creating a dynamic and sustainable culture of innovation, teamwork, and trust.

As a result, your organization will experience more security, respect, and engagement among employees, which will ultimately lead to improved business results.

But…

It’s crucial to note that as important as it is to encourage emotional vulnerability in the workplace, this can be seriously uncomfortable for many people.

There are many steps you can take to encourage more vulnerability among employees. One important step is to start with you.

Practice Sharing Your Own Feelings

Vulnerability is not about over sharing, but you should learn to acknowledge your own feelings and then practice sharing them in order to foster stronger relationships with your colleagues. This encourages other employees to do the same.

It can be as simple as sharing something that you’re feeling eager and excited about – or you could share that you’re feeling worn out, and a little disengaged – as opposed to answering “I’m fine” when someone at work asks you “How are you?”

This may be a little uncomfortable for you, but, with practice, you’ll get there.

Everyone has vulnerabilities, personality components, and emotions that make up good and bad.

Also Read: Understanding Employee Wellbeing In 2021

By hiding such vulnerabilities, employees are essentially denying a huge part of their personalities.

But, when you start taking steps toward embracing emotional vulnerability among employees, employees will feel comfortable taking off their workplace armor and everyone will benefit as a result.

There’s just one caveat to all of this…

The Caveat

Having explained how important it is for companies to allow employees to be vulnerable at work, it’s still important to note that companies will have to design processes and systems for the management of employees’ strong emotions.

Although vulnerability is still seen as taboo in many workplaces, things are changing as more and more employees and leaders capitalize on their own vulnerabilities in the workplace environment to build real connections, take advantage of the growth and opportunities that arise through engagement, respect, and trust.

Conclusion

The bottom line is that vulnerability isn’t something that only applies to personal relationships and personal development. It’s also a crucial aspect of the professional self employees bring to work.

By taking the plunge and embracing vulnerability among your employees, you’ll open the door to increased creativity, innovation, and productivity in your business.

Over to you. Do you think that your business could benefit from embracing emotional vulnerability among employees? Sound off in the comments below!

Author:

Ron Stefanski is an online entrepreneur and marketing professor who has a passion for helping people create and market their own online business. You can learn more from him by visiting OneHourProfessor.com

You can also connect with him on YouTube or Linkedin.

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How To Handle Teamwork Challenges?

Building up a strong team that contributes to outstanding achievements is one of the greatest challenges any manager faces. If you are looking to nurture a team that excels, inculcate the 3-fold responsibility approach on every team member.

You should align them with the following 3 responsibilities–

Connecting with teammates
Wiring up with work
Aligning with the company goal

In a research article published by The Harvard Business Review, they say, ‘‘over the past two decades the time spent by managers and employees in collaborative activities has ballooned by 50 percent or more.”

Given that we spend a significant amount of time communicating with our co-workers, this should ideally lead to enhanced teamwork. But there is an essential ingredient, without which teams fail miserably—Connection.

Also Read: Tips For Conducting Effective One On Ones

As humans, not just in our social or private spheres, we crave to be successful, satisfied, encouraged and valued even at our workplaces. When we cannot derive the connection, we disconnect from work and productivity.

Here are 5 simple ways to handle teamwork challenges.

Help Build Trust Among Your Team Members

In order to build trust, team members have to know each other, on the professional and personal front. Else they won’t connect, nor engage, and they obviously won’t trust each other. To instill trust, get your team members to spend time in some fun activities and interact with each other.

Manage Conflicts Well

Difference of opinion can be a good thing. It can prompt insightful debates, bring out different perspectives, expand knowledge and lead to innovation. If that difference of opinion grows to become a conflict, that can become a challenge. If you can handle the situation carefully, instead of the team breaking apart, it can enhance the team bond and inspire growth.

Build Transparency

There is no trust where there is no transparency. Important thing is, it has to start at the top. As a senior employee, it’s your responsibility to trigger and enhance it. Employees will automatically follow you when they see the good results.

Promote Knowledge Sharing

Every team member brings in distinctive skills, knowledge, proficiency and prudence to the table. A strong team would liberally share knowledge for the benefit of everyone. This strengthens the team and propels it forward.

Also Read: Why Do You Need A Real Time Performance Management Software?

Team Collaboration

Some teams require great focus and hence, working in silos is commendable. If you wish to build a strong team though, working in silos won’t get you very far. Every person has limited exposure and experience that can only get you so far. Power comes when the whole team is working together in earnest in order to achieve a goal. It’s a great feeling to be part of a team where every member is thinking of it as one and not just themselves.

So, if you wish to form and regulate an excelling team, notice behaviours. When you notice something that might put a wedge in the team, stir things towards clarity and transparency. It’s when we change the way we conduct ourselves; we can make the greatest impact and build an effective team.

Want to know how Engagedly can help you manage teams better? Request for a demo.

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360 Degree Feedback : A Guide To Get It Right

What Is 360 Degree Feedback?

Although considered to be new, but 360 degree feedback has been there for almost around 40 years! 85% of all the Fortune 500 companies use it as a building block for their leadership development process (Source: Forbes). Global organizations such as PepsiCo, IBM, GE, Amazon, etc.

360 degree feedback is a type of feedback wherein employees receive performance feedback not only from their managers but also from colleagues, vendors, customers, etc. It is an intensive type of assessment which involves collating a lot of data and is subjective in nature. There are numerous effective software available in the market with the multirater module that can help you conduct them with great ease.

6 Tips To Get 360 Degree Feedback Right

Do It With A Purpose In Mind

One of the biggest mistakes that organizations make regarding 360 degree feedback is not having a clear purpose in mind. Don’t do it because it is the ‘in’ thing to do, instead, do it if you actually believe in it. An important question to ask yourself before running a 360 degree feedback is what do you hope to achieve?

More information about employees? Accurate feedback from a variety of sources? A structured feedback process, etc.

Once the purpose of the process is clear, it will be easier to have a successful 360 degree feedback.

Set Guidelines For The Process

Giving feedback during a 360 degree feedback quickly becomes a vague activity if there are no rules beforehand.

Before you invite employees to participate in the process, share a set of feedback guidelines with everyone who is taking part. That way, they know what to say, what they shouldn’t say, how they should frame the feedback, what phrases they should avoid, etc.

Controlling how feedback is shared (not necessarily dictating the terms of what one has to say) goes a long way towards ensuring that the 360 review process smoothly.

Practice Constructive Feedback

The main aim of a 360 degree feedback is to be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of each employee, and work towards a wholesome growth, professionally and well as individually. So criticisms are definitely an integral part of them. Only worry is, criticism is one of the places where performance reviews tend to go horribly wrong. An employee is entitled to their opinion but before you begin the process, lay down the ground rules for what counts as fair criticism and what does not. For example:

Good criticism: Mark is not very punctual to work. However, I have noticed that he completes all of his assigned tasks on time.
Bad criticism: Mark is not punctual and spends a lot of time in the office doing nothing.

If you look at the first example, you will see that while Mark’s tardiness does not please the reviewer in question, he or she notes that Mark is dedicated and works efficiently. The criticism has some value to offer. The second example offers no information except for what seems to be a malicious observation. Mark does not have much to learn from it.

So train your employees and managers in such a way that they practice giving constructive feedback only. That is one of the most important things you need to keep in mind when carrying out performance reviews.

Also Read: 7 Video Conferencing Etiquettes For You To Follow

Ensure Confidentiality

Confidentiality is not the same as anonymity. If participants of a 360 degree feedback are not sure of how confidential their feedback is going to be or have previously been subjected to a breach of confidentiality, then naturally the results of the program will be skewed. You will get feedback that is tempered or diplomatic because quite naturally, employees are fearful about being pulled-up for the feedback they have shared.

If you want a 360 degree feedback to run smoothly, ensure that the participants’ feedback will remain confidential.

And more importantly, that you need to make that bit of information expressly clear to them.

Make It A Regular Process

360 degree feedback is not that impactful if they are not done frequently. Reviewing your employee less frequently makes them think that their work doesn’t need any improvement, and the organization is happy with their current working style.

When a 360 degree performance review finally happens, your employees might be astonished to find that everything is not alright. This usually leads to disengagement. If you decide that you are going to have a performance review yearly or quarterly etc, then do make sure that you have been having frequent reviews until then.

Also Read: Crucial Conversations: Strengthen Relationships and Contribute Better

Develop An Action Plan

When employees hear that 360 degree feedback is going to happen, they expect there to be some changes after the program is done.

There is no point in carrying out a 360 degree feedback if there is no follow-up action plan after the program. It simply becomes a useless exercise. Before the program begins, state how you expect to tackle potential problems or blind spots. And once the program is done, take action and invite employees to participate in offering solutions as well. Guide them on how to overcome the problems.

Want to know how Engagedly can help you with 360 degree feedback? Request for a demo.

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Employee Engagement Tips to Avoid Burnout

Many companies have recently adopted a hybrid model. This allows employees to work from the office and as well as from their homes. But, in the past year, most of the employees have worked remotely, and they will need to adjust back to working in an office. During the global lockdown, many employees got used to working from home and having more flexibility. Managers and employers need to take measures to minimize employee stress as they return to the workplace. Follow these tips to increase employee engagement across your entire company.

WHAT IS EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT?

Employee engagement is the motivation and emotional dedication an employee has to its employer and company goals. Employees need to understand the company as a whole, the purpose of the goals and where they fit into the big picture. Burnout happens when employees lose the motivation they need to keep working. Combating employee burnout is a constant struggle managers must fight, but it is necessary now more than ever. Forbes shared that 61% of employees report being burned out on the job, while 31% also report high levels of stress in the workplace. With employees entering the workplace once again, here are some tips to increase employee engagement and avoid burnout.

TRAIN YOUR LEADERS

A good organization provides training to employees at every level of the organization to make sure they are always improving. You can’t prevent employee burnout if your managers don’t know how to identify it. Train your c-suite employees how to recognize early signs and symptoms of burnout before it’s too late and you lose the employee. Communicate with your leaders the benefits of regular check-ins with every team member and how to make sure the team is functioning well. Educate and train your managers on tactics to best minimize stress and anxiety in the workplace. Provide workshops on skills like time management for every new employee during the onboarding process. Train all employees to actively create a work environment that fosters collaboration and open feedback.

Also Read: The Top 8 Leadership Skills You Need In 2021

Teach your managers strategies to keep employees efficient. A key element of employee engagement is employees must have a support system. Make sure each team member has all the tools and technology they need to perform at the highest level. Managers need to really think about what tools are necessary and helpful to each different job. Consider if you are overloading your employees with too many tools and too much technology. Trying to make their job easier with too many different softwares can actually add stress. Stress and anxiety can ultimately lead to employee disengagement.

IMPLEMENT GAMIFICATION

One of the most successful employee engagement trends of the past decade has been gamification. Applying game elements to the workplace, such as a point system, competition, and prizes will make work fun. This will increase employee engagement and motivation towards company goals. In a 2018 survey, 81% of the respondents say gamification provided a sense of purpose and belonging in the workplace. These objective measurements can help managers see exactly how employees are performing compared to their peers. Gamification drives desired behaviors to all levels of the organization and keeps employees in line with the larger company goals. Competition in gamification gives employees intrinsic motivation to directly combat employee burnout.

Gamification provides managers with employee performance data and goal benchmarks. Managers can quickly recognize and fix productivity issues on an individual team member level. But if a manager decides to implement gamification, they must do it right. If employees feel the gamification has been made unfairly or are not using accurate measurements for their position, this will decrease employee engagement. Too much competition in the workplace can create an unhealthy atmosphere to work. Make sure your gamification is well planned and fair to avoid unnecessary cut throat competition.

Engagedly’s real time performance management software has multiple gamification features integrated into their application. Managers can praise team members, and team members can publicly praise each other. Intuitive point system for certain gamified activities. For certain behaviours, system and custom badges can be awarded. Engagedly helps in promoting a culture of reward and recognition throughout the organization.

COMMUNICATION IS KEY

Many employees experiencing burnout claim a major cause is that they are not being heard by their managers. Increasing employee engagement is a constant struggle, and if there isn’t a constant flow of communication, then the team cannot function effectively. Managers should have regularly scheduled check-ins with their team, at a group and individual level. Remind employees of benefits they might not know about when working for your company. The most important step managers can take to increase employee engagement is to always communicate gratitude. Say thank you constantly! It is harder for employees to experience burnout when they feel valued and appreciated for their contributions. Thanking employees for their work and sharing how they directly contributed to the overall success of a company is critical.

Also Read: 6 Step Guide to Conduct Effective Stay Interviews

Large companies with many employees should plan and implement campaigns for employees. Consistently send out tips and tools your employees can use to combat stress. Make sure employees are aware of any perks or support which company offers them. Try to encourage feedback at all levels of company communication to see what is and isn’t helpful. If employees feel unheard and forgotten, employee engagement will suffer.

CREATE INTENTIONAL DOWNTIME

It is unrealistic for employers to expect employees to work at full capacity 100% of the time. This is an example of when more is less. To achieve our highest level of productivity, our brain needs breaks. Giving employees a short break throughout the day to relax and do whatever they want will make them feel calmer and more focused. While it may sound childish, consider setting a short free reading time each day. Harvard Business Review shares that only six minutes of reading can reduce stress by 68%. Promoting your employees to read and educate themselves will create a smarter workforce. Giving employees a dedicated time for leisure will combat procrastination in the workplace. It is worth giving up a small amount of time to cooldown. This will ultimately increase employee engagement during the rest of the workday.

Want to know how Engagedly can help improve and measure employee engagement? Then request for a live demo!

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What is an employee peer review process?

Also read: Getting Started With Real Time Performance Management

Simple Review:

Inspection:

Team Reviews:

How does an employee peer review process improve performance at the workplace?

Can the process be overwhelming for employees?

Also read: Signs That Your HR Department Is Overwhelmed

Is there a one-size-fits-all process?

Role of employee peer review process in performance management assessment

Supervisor/manager review:

Employee’s direct report:

Client’s feedback:

Peer to peer performance review process:

Also read: 10 Employee Performance Review Tips To Improve Performance

Advantages of the employee peer review process

Also read: Qualities Of A Good Manager: 10 Skills You Need

How to conduct employee peer reviews effectively?

Also read: How Performance Management Software Helps in Employee Development

Also read: 10 Actionable Tips To Boost Workplace Satisfaction

Also read: Employee Rewards And Recognition For An Engaged Workforce

Putting it all together

What Is Employee Satisfaction?

Also read: 7 Proven Ways To Become A Better Leader In The Workplace

10 Ways to Increase Employee Satisfaction in the Workplace

1. Flexible Work Schedules

2. Don’t Micromanage

3. Rewards and Incentives

Also read: Here’s Why Your Reward And Recognition Fails

4. Invest in Training and Onboarding

5. Prioritize Employee Health and Wellness

6. Conduct a Job Satisfaction Survey

Also read: The Ultimate Guide To Effective Employee Surveys

7. Employee Satisfaction Survey Questions

8. Improve Communication

9. Frequent Feedback

10. Identify a Clear Career Path

11. Celebrate Milestones

Also read: 6 Creative Ideas For Employee Engagement

Conclusion

Guest blog contribution by Saurabh Wani

Also Read: What Type Of Questions Should Your Performance Reviews Contain?

What is Employee Experience?

Recruitment

Onboarding

Retention and Growth

Exit

Also read: Why Are Exit Interviews Important?

Components of Employee Experience

Technology at the Workplace

The Workplace Environment

Company Culture

Also read: How to build a positive work culture and its benefits

Why Focus On Employee Experience?

A New Generation of Workers

Branding

Industry and Economic Volatility

ROI Of Employee Experience

Increases Employee Engagement and Productivity

Also read: The Impact Of Employee Engagement On Productivity

Reduces Employee Absenteeism and Turnover

Attracts Talent

Improves The Company’s Profits

Translate To Better Customer Service

Reduces Stress and Burnouts

Also read: Employee Burnout: What You Need To Know About It

Tips To Improve Employee Experience Today

Create a Memorable Job Application and Onboarding Process

Take Regular Surveys and Be Open to Employee Feedback

Also read: 8 Steps To Effective Employee Surveys

Be Open to Improving Existing Company Culture

Create a Career and Development Plan for Them

Equip Them with the Right Technological Tools

Team-Building Activities

Also read: Six Traits Of High Performance Teams

Bonus Point

Appreciate and Acknowledge Employees

Also read: 10 Best Employee Feedback Tools To Track Performance

Also read: 7 Video Conferencing Etiquettes For You To Follow

Understanding Self-Feedback

**But what is workplace anxiety?**

**Define the current culture and the ideal culture you want**