6 Ideas For Employee Engagement

The link between employee engagement and increased productivity, higher retention rates, and ultimately greater profits has been well-documented.

And yet, in the State of Employee Engagement and Experience report (2020) less than 50% of employees and HR managers feel that the employee experience at their organization is good. That tells us, we are still struggling with the how of increasing employee engagement.

First 90 Days

It’s easy to underestimate the impact of an employee’s experience with the company at the recruitment stage - after all, they haven’t even been hired yet! But being mindful of the experience you create even before their first day not only helps to attract top talent but sets the candidate up to be engaged and excited about a role in your company. Their experience likely starts when they read a job description or get a call from a recruiter. Great, positive, engaged recruiters and interviewers make a world of difference.

Recruit Right

Here are some ideas how you can make the recruitment process more engaging:

• Stay in touch. Keep the candidate apprised of where they are in the process. Let them know the next touchpoint or next step - this is critical in a competitive hiring environment.
• Be open, honest, and responsive to questions. Give feedback in a collaborative way, even if it isn’t a good fit.
• Design a candidate recruitment communication cadence to help future employees feel engaged from the start. We’ve heard terrible recruitment stories from colleagues, coaching clients, and peers. Stories like that can deeply impact a company’s reputation and ability to hire top talent in the future.

Onboard Well

So you’ve made an offer - make it a positive experience! Make sure your new employee feels immediately welcomed. Your excitement is contagious and will help them to feel like they belong.

Try out the following ideas:

• Break out the bubbly or confetti - this is a celebration!
• For remote workers consider celebratory calls or emails from HR, the hiring manager, and the team leader.

These ideas will help the employee feel valued, inspired, and excited to get to work as they come on board.

First Year

One of the most important relationships an employee has is with their individual manager and numerous reports have underscored the role that managers play in employee engagement and retention.

Coaching

Establishing a coaching relationship that recognizes the unique needs of the employee can help them feel engaged and excited about their future at the organization. This style of management is less prescriptive (what the manager wants the employee to learn) and more collaborative.

When employees have input on where and how they want to grow they take ownership of their future and feel more connected and confident around the growth that’s possible within the company.

Of course, without feedback nothing shifts, and a manager who can provide honest feedback with empathy and awareness of the employee’s motivations, values and goals are essential to supporting their engagement and growth.

Questions managers might want to coach around include:

• What are you most proud of?
• What’s challenging you right now?
• What help do you need to be successful?
• What have you learned about yourself/ the situation in the last week (or month)?

Introduce Mentorship

Another key relationship you could consider is a sponsor within the organization. This person is generally not in the employee’s reporting line-up. They’re well established, with a great reputation, plenty of experience, and in a more senior position.

The sponsor should be culturally savvy and serve as support and advocate for the employee. The sponsor can help identify appropriate connections, navigate office politics, give general advice, and even discuss the next steps around a role or career. Ideally, they would be available to new employees, would meet at least twice annually for a formal check-in, and be free to address any additional needs that might arise throughout the year.

Seasoned Employees

Giving employees the ability to grow and expand their skills is important to employee engagement.

Provide Leadership Opportunities

Whether this includes opportunities for more formal leadership training, a chance to head a committee or special project, or perhaps shadow someone a level up to learn more about what their role and responsibilities look like, it’s important that the opportunities for leadership align with the goals the employee has set for themselves and their preferred learning style (for example in-person workshops, online courses, job shadowing, reading, etc.)

Foster Connection Opportunities

For employees of all levels, and even potential recruits, the company culture and engaging with others can be a key attraction factor in their interest. The best choices for your organization should align with your mission and vision. 

Are you focused on inclusion? Perhaps, identity groups, educational programs, and volunteerism is a great choice. Do you focus on introducing fun? Perhaps affinity groups or non-work-oriented classes such as cooking, beer brewing 101, or Zumba could be a good fit. For those focused on wellness, walking programs, meditation classes, and yoga would be a fantastic idea for engagement. For those who are committed to social impact, setting up volunteer days, supporting a fundraising drive or a charity event, or even reimbursing for time spent on community engagement can be a great connector.

And of course, for those who want to offer times to simply connect in a get-to-know-you way - team meals, happy hours, and coffee catchups are a great idea. If you want to take it one step further, we recommend planning an offsite.

Allow for Gracious Goodbyes

Not everyone will stay forever. And the way your organization sees people off says volumes about the organization’s identity and culture. Be gracious and respectful when someone offers their resignation. If desired and appropriate you can make overtures to keep them on onboard. For those who do decide to move on, provide an opportunity for an exit interview allowing HR to understand and fix any issues that may impact employee engagement. And when things are ending well, celebrate the departing employee. This could look like an announcement, a gathering, or a gift. You can celebrate the employee’s accomplishments, personality, or the wonderful relationships they've fostered. This supports the staff who are remaining to feel a sense of connection and completion. 

When designing an employee engagement program it’s important to offer enough choice so that employees can get what they need, the way they need it. For example, some employees will love yoga every month, some will love connecting socially with colleagues, and others will prefer a clear line of sight to a promotion. With a little thoughtfulness and planning, we can create a culture and organization that respects the differences of employees and keeps them engaged from the first 90 days and for years down the road.