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Employees are an integral part of every business. To run smoothly, a company needs a productive, skilled team that’s motivated to work hard.
Employees that are engaged in what they do create a better working environment. High engagement also increases productivity, reduces staff turnover, and builds stronger customer relationships. These improvements can have a significant knock-on impact on companies’ profits in a positive way.
So what do you do if you feel that you need to increase employee engagement? In the below guide we aim to answer exactly this.
You may already be familiar with the term employee engagement. But what does it mean? The term is most often used as a concept in Human Resources (HR).
Employee engagement describes the level of passion and dedication that a worker feels towards their job role.
For example, an engaged employee is proactive in their role. They’ll feel like their efforts contribute towards the success of the company as a whole. On top of that, an engaged employee will care about the work that they do and the wider business itself.
Engaged staff are an extremely valuable asset to your company. They tend to outperform at work and can help to create a positive working culture that enables business growth.
Not only this, they are more likely to be loyal and stay with your company for the long term. This can help to reduce employee turnover and the associated costs that come with it.
Engaged employees can also improve your customers experience. Often they provide better service which can lead to higher levels of customer satisfaction.
Employee engagement is a key driver for business success. It should be a top priority for any business looking to thrive in today’s competitive market.
Joseph Toft
Senior Consultant, Employee Benefits
Just as your business has certain needs that need to be met in order to be successful, so do your employees. As Maslow stated in his theory of human motivation, people have five sets of needs they need to fulfil:
Individuals start at level one, fulfilling their immediate, physiological needs. As they begin to satisfy each need, the desire to then fulfil the next arises.
Maslow’s hierarchy can also be applied when it comes to employee engagement. Just like the different levels of human needs, there are different levels of engagement. As individuals satisfy each of their engagement needs, they move onto the next level.
Nowadays, many business owners realise the importance of improving employee engagement. Disengaged staff can lead to a negative company culture and low business performance.
Luckily, there are many things you can do to ensure you have engaged employees. From recognition to employee benefits, we’ve picked the top ways to increase employee engagement.
You may need to try a few employee engagement strategies to see which ones work best for your company. There are plenty to try, and you’re sure to find a solution to improving engagement within your team.
Effective communication is a great way to increase employee engagement. It also boosts productivity levels and allows your business to grow.
When staff are aware of your organisation’s mission, and their part in it, they can feel a strong sense of purpose. So, you can drive employee engagement by being clear about your goals and challenges.
Make sure you’re using several channels to communicate with your staff, such as:
Too many employers fail to give their staff recognition, resulting in employee disengagement. Celebrating important goals or milestones can make a huge difference. In fact, 42% of employees said that recognition for their efforts is what makes them feel happy.
Recognition helps to motivate your staff and provides a sense of accomplishment. Employees can feel appreciated, resulting in a substantial increase in productivity and loyalty. This often leads to higher retention.
You can give employees recognition in several different ways:
An employee benefits package can be a great way to show your team you appreciate them and get them more engaged. However, it’s vital to understand what benefits your employees really want.
Offering staff valuable benefits has a range of advantages. They can boost staff morale, lower stress levels and improve productivity. Most importantly, they can help to create a more engaged workforce.
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Group Risk products often come with a range of FREE additional benefits, including virtual GP, second medical opinion, counselling and mental health support. These can boost employee engagement further.
Good interaction between team members can help to reduce errors while increasing productivity. As well as improving teamwork, interaction can also alleviate stress during high-pressured situations.
Luckily, if your team needs better interaction, there are several things that you can do to help. Team building activities are popular in workplaces throughout the UK. Not only do they engage employees, they also build trust and encourage collaboration.
It can also help your business to hold regular social meetings outside work. These allow your employees to switch off from work and get to know each other better on a personal level. Friendly interactions like this can lead to stronger team bonds and increased loyalty. In turn, this can reduce employee turnover.
Flexible working became the norm during the Coronavirus pandemic, and doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. In fact, in flexible working and work-from-home options are two of the most sought after employee benefits.
If you provide employees with a choice over their hours and where they work, it can help them get a better work life balance. This can improve their focus, reduce levels of stress and increase happiness, which can lead to higher levels of engagement.
Part of making sure you have engaged employees is getting the right candidates in the first place. If you employ people who aren’t aligned with your company goals or values, they’re unlikely to become engaged employees. When hiring, try not to just look at a candidate’s skills but also question if they would fit into your workplace culture.
Once you have the right candidates, it’s vital to get the onboarding process right. Doing so will help employees to integrate quickly into your company and clearly understand what is expected. This will set the stage for a positive employee experience.
When developing or reviewing your onboarding process, you need to think about:
Employees will also want to know what they can expect when it comes to training and development, so it’s important to set this out from the start.
It’s likely they’ll be excited to learn new skills and keen to perform well. You need to be clear about what their progression looks like and manage any expectations.
Employee wellbeing should be a top priority. Employees’ engagement depends heavily on their health and wellbeing. Nowadays, employees worldwide are facing issues with stress and poor physical and mental health.
In fact, our 2023 Employee Benefits Survey found that stress impacts almost 50% of workers. Not only that, but 1 in 5 felt their performance at work was affected by causes of stress. This has a knock-on impact on employees’ ability to perform their role.
One way to support your team’s overall wellbeing is to encourage a healthy lifestyle. There are a number of ways you can do this as an employer.
Prioritising employee health and wellness is essential for improving employee engagement. When employees feel supported and cared for, they’re more likely to be motivated, productive, and committed to their work.
Feedback is an essential part of communication. In fact, many employees crave feedback. It plays an essential part in them achieving their own goals and progressing the company’s mission.
In order for employees to self-actualise and benefit from career growth, they need to understand and develop their skills. As a result, it’s important to provide staff with regular review sessions.
When it comes to feedback, management should lead by example. Managers need to encourage regular feedback as part of their everyday role.
Positive feedback celebrates success, motivates your team, and helps employees feel valued. Staff can use constructive criticism to set goals, learn new skills, and work on their career development.
We recently found that 22% of workers felt unhappy because they didn’t feel they had a voice at work. So, it’s important to empower employees by listening to their ideas and concerns.
Joseph Toft
Senior Consultant, Employee Benefits
Here at Drewberry, we understand the importance of employee engagement and how it can affect business. In this article, we have discussed the importance of employee benefits and how they can have a positive impact on employee engagement.
Our team of specialists at Drewberry can help you clearly communicate employee benefits and make the process of accessing them easy and straightforward.
With the help of our employee benefits dashboard, both employees and their staff have a clear overview of the benefits that they have access too, helping them to really make the most of the free additional benefits which come with cover such as Group Life, Group Income Protection and Group Health Insurance
Employee benefits can be a headache. But our specialists do this day-in, day-out, offering first class service when you need it most. Here’s why you should talk to us:
If you need help reviewing or setting up an employee benefits programme for your team, email help@drewberry.co.uk or call us today on 02074425880 and speak to one of our friendly specialist advisers.
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