3 innovative ways to increase employee engagement
Employee engagement always tops the polls when it comes to spotting the biggest issues in any business.
According to a 2016 report by AON global employee engagement rates are falling. According to their survey just 24% of employees said they were highly engaged and 39% said they were moderately engaged.
So, how do you keep your employees focused on upcoming targets in an innovative way?
We here at Glandore we are passionate about finding innovative ways of driving motivation at work. Here are three creative ways in which you can bring a fresh approach to employee engagement in your workplace.
1. Create a friendly, competitive atmosphere amongst your workforce
A slight air of competitiveness around the office is never a bad thing.
If your company is looking to expand, or design a new product or service, organise a group brainstorming session. This gets the creative juices flowing. Follow this with a small competition to see whose idea/design is the best. Offer to pay for the winning team’s lunch as an incentive.
This is something that may seem so simple but it is incredibly effective. You receive a dossier of plans or ideas, while your employees feel valued for their opinion.
By sharing your goals with your workforce, they become their goals too. This is a crucial step in ensuring that your workforce remains on target and approaches every possible angle with a fresh pair of eyes.
2. Allow for flexibility
One of Apple’s most ingenious HR tactics was the launch of their Blue Sky programme. This allows select Apple employees to spend 20% of their time at work on personal or side projects, outside of their normal responsibilities.
The idea here is to keep interests peaked. Give your employees a break from their routine tasks and allow them to work on things which they would prefer to be doing.
They might find inspiration in their own work which can be brought forward in other aspects of the company. Also, motivation from one department bouncing ideas about could be carried over to another department, revitalising spirits and boosting overall morale.
3. Hold more on-site events.
Before your employees can devote their time and engage with you, you need to invest in them.
Managers can help with this by giving staff something they can look forward to. Be it a themed office day, a candy cart or even offering morning activities. If your staff don’t feel some way appreciated, you can’t expect them to remain engaged on any given project.
Less engagement leads to lower levels of productivity. So, putting together a small event to let your staff blow off some steam is not just beneficial for them, but also your company.
Offering a range of exercise programmes tends to be the most popular for companies. According to a study conducted by the American Psychological Association, exercising before work can lead to a 15% boost to productivity levels over the course of the day.