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Before plunging into the discussion, let’s take you through a short journey. Robert, a newbie software developer, had joined your organization two months back. He has received a good pay raise over his previous one. But recently you got to know that he has started looking for a job elsewhere and he is resigning from your organization. The reason which he stated for his decision was, he didn’t feel engaged at his work.
Robert is not the only one out there; there are many like him at your organization and at others, who are planning to leave because they don’t feel engaged at their work.
A recent study by Gallup presents some shocking statistics on employee engagement.
(Gallup is a global analytics and organization consulting firm providing solutions to problems of the organization)
Employee engagement not only considers how happy your employees are but also takes into account how well an employee understands the role, work, and organization, and actively works to fulfil the organization’s goal, leading it to the path of success. It is highly responsible for employee retention and improving employee productivity. But considering the current situation of COVID-19, employee engagement has become a concerning issue for all the HRs and managers worldwide. Here are a few tips to improve employee engagement in your organization.
Also Read: Getting Back To Work Post COVID-19: 7 Things To Consider
Connect with your employees as frequently as possible and let them know about the issues, and the actions taken to overcome them. In doing so, you will have an engaged and active team that plans, assess opportunities, and comes up with better ideas to improve the current business strategy.
By involving your employees in planning, your employees will be loyal to the organization and also develop leadership qualities by working on strategic issues of the organization. It will also keep the employees engaged and improve their productivity.
Fostering employee engagement is not a one-day activity, so you can start with it, right from the day your new employees join.
The best way to do so is to assign a mentor or a buddy to every new joinee. A mentor is someone who has worked in the organization for a considerable amount of time and understands the organization’s culture. The mentor will guide the new hire and answer their questions. In this way, the new hire will feel connected to the organization from the first day itself, and it will also help them build working relationships.
Also Read: Smart On-Boarding Practises That Go A Long Way
Employee innovation is a symbol that your employees are actually engaged in their jobs, so support it. Promote an open culture in your organization where employees are free to come up with process improvements, and innovations and they are being accepted and appreciated. It will make them think outside the box and will elevate their productivity to a whole new level.
As a manager, you should make it a point to recognize the efforts of your employees and also celebrate them. Do it irrespective of whether it is for an individual or for the team. It not only makes them feel that their efforts are being recognized, but will also motivate them to face any upcoming hurdle.
From public praise, a simple thank you note to a simple pat on the back; everything counts. Or even an email to the team mentioning everyone’s contributions, will do a great job in boosting the team’s motivation and improving employee productivity.
Engagedly’s public praise option allows employees to praise each other. It also allows managers and other leaders to award points to their employees for accomplishments. The praises and rewards are visible to everyone in the organization.
Also Read: 8 Simple Strategies For Employee Recognition And Rewards At Workplace
Learning and continuous professional development should be a plan for every employee in your organization. As a manager or the HR of your organization discuss with your employees about their professional development plans. It shows that their work is valued and want to see them grow professionally. Providing your employees with the opportunity for continuous professional development is highly engaging and motivating for them.
Organizations should use their internal LMS to provide training and knowledge sharing sessions to their employees so that they can hone their skills.
Engagedly has a dedicated Academy and Learning section that allows managers and HRs to create and assign relevant courses for their employee’s professional and self-development.
Often work-life balance is a major cause of employee burnout, which reduces employee engagement, productivity, and retention. As a manager, you should make it a point to not contact your employees after their working hours unless it is urgent. If an employee is achieving extra hours for meeting deadlines, then they should be given a day off once their target is achieved. A flexible work-from-home policy should be implemented for all employees. This will let the employee know that the organization cares for their well-being and not for their goals alone.
Also Read: Work Stress? 5 Easy Ways To Tackle It
Give your employees a break from their monotonous schedule and organize get-togethers, birthday celebrations, group, and family outings.
Organize team sports events such as football or cricket or a simple game of laser tag. Divide your employees into teams so that they learn how to collaborate and work together. This will help in creating a good working relationship within the team and the organization, thus fostering a positive work climate and engagement.
Engagedly is offering a suite of products part of its Remote Work Toolkit free to any organisation, until Sept 30th, 2020.
The Coronavirus has affected the way we work today and for months to come. Unprecedented events require unprecedented measures. We at Engagedly believe it is our responsibility as socially conscious corporate citizens to help equip organisations with additional tools and resources during this time of crisis.
Get in touch with us to know more about the free remote working tool-kit.
Want to know how Engagedly can help you with Employee Engagement? Request us for a live demo!
