How To Improve Employee Engagement: Your Guide To A Happy Remote Or Hybrid Workforce
Employee engagement is a key factor in the success of any organization. It’s not just about creating a workplace that employees enjoy, it’s also about creating a workplace where employees feel like they are making an impact and contributing to the company’s success.
Remote and hybrid workforces present some unique challenges when it comes to employee engagement. The lack of physical contact means that as a company, you can’t rely on regular one-on-one meetings or casual conversations at the office to keep your team feeling connected and committed. Team leaders have to be proactive in finding new ways to engage them and make them feel like they are a part of something bigger than themselves.
Before we dive into the employee engagement strategies to implement, let’s understand what it’s about and why it’s so important for your company.
What is employee engagement?
Employee engagement is the degree to which employees are committed to, involved in, and enthusiastic about their work.
Employee engagement is a state of mind. It’s based on how employees feel about their job, coworkers, and company. It’s not just about how much money they make or what benefits they get.
Improving employee engagement affects practically every significant area of your business, such as profitability, sales, customer satisfaction, employee turnover, and more.
In recent years, organizations have begun measuring employee engagement with surveys. These surveys typically ask questions about an employee’s feelings on their job, how likely they would be to recommend their employer as a place to work, and whether or not they think they’re paid fairly.
A lack of employee engagement in the workplace can have a negative impact on an organization’s performance and profitability.
Why does employee engagement matter to your hybrid and remote teams?
Higher employee retention
Increased productivity
Happy and fulfilled employees
Produces innovative employees
Great customer service
Engaged employees can be a competitive advantage for your company. They are more likely to stay with your company, contribute to it, and recommend it to other top talent as a great place to work. Here’s why you should build a highly engaged remote or hybrid workforce.
1. Higher employee retention
Employee engagement drives better retention and reduces turnover because employees who are engaged with their work are less likely to leave. Companies that have implemented a culture of engagement have seen positive effects on their retention rates and turnover rates. The best way to create this culture is to understand what drives employees, what motivates them, and what makes them happy in the workplace.
2. Increased productivity
The key business outcomes of an organization are directly impacted by employee engagement. It aids in developing a talented, motivated, and dynamic workforce that is equipped to meet difficulties head-on. Additionally, a motivated workforce helps to enhance a company’s reputation and makes it more appealing to potential employees.
3. Happy and fulfilled employees
Again, employees that experience better engagement at work are undoubtedly more productive than their less engaged peers. They are also happier and more content with their careers. They frequently exhibit greater diligence, motivation, and zeal for their jobs. Employees boost their overall performance when they are happy with their job duties and put more effort into what they are doing. It’s important to build a productive workplace culture that promotes organizational success and worker productivity by concentrating on employee engagement strategies.
4. Produces innovative employees
Employee engagement drives innovation at work because when employees are engaged, they will be more willing to take risks, learn new things, and try new processes. Engaged employees also have an increased sense of responsibility for the success of their company. This gives them the urge to explore and contribute to unconventional initiatives that will create excellent products, services, and a better working environment.
5. Great customer service
A company’s worth can be increased by a customer-centric strategy. You may close the gap between how your firm treats its employees and how your employees treat your customers by concentrating on employee engagement. Employees that are engaged tend to be happy, which benefits the client. Customer satisfaction with the services received eventually contributes to the success of your company.
What are employee engagement strategies?
Recognize their accomplishments
Work on improving communication
Build and encourage meaningful interactions at work
Encourage feedback
Take employee wellbeing seriously
Invest in workplace efficiency
Employee engagement strategies are important for the success of any organization. They allow employees to feel valued and appreciated, which in turn increases their productivity.
In order to improve engagement, organizations should start by identifying what the root cause of any issues may be. They can then address it by using one or more of these strategies:
1. Recognize their accomplishments
One way to increase employee engagement is through employee recognition. This can be done in many ways and it doesn’t have to be expensive. Some companies offer incentives and rewards, while others do it through peer-to-peer recognition. What matters most is that employees feel appreciated, recognized, and valued by their employers. Recognizing employees for their hard work and dedication will not only make them feel appreciated, but it will also motivate them to do better in their job.
2. Work on improving communication
Communication is one of the most important factors when it comes to employee engagement. The better you communicate with your employees, the higher their level of engagement will be. Communication can take many forms, such as face-to-face meetings, video conferences, emails or even social media channels or workplace tools like Slack. But it goes beyond just the channels - since communication is so important, it should be a priority for managers and leaders to make sure that they are communicating clearly and effectively with their employees. This includes things like being respectful and encouraging feedback from employees.
3. Build and encourage meaningful interactions at work
The workplace is a social environment, and it can be easy for employees to feel isolated. As such, it’s important to create spaces that promote interactions between coworkers. The first step managers should take is to understand what barriers exist that prevent interaction between remote employees and their co-workers.
For office teams, managers should start by adding more communal spaces in the office, such as break rooms with tables and chairs. This will encourage employees to take a break from their desks and chat with their colleagues. Another way of encouraging interactions at work is by adding more informal meeting places, such as coffee stations or outdoor patios. This will give employees the opportunity to interact with one another in a less formal setting than their desk or conference room.
It is also important that remote workers take advantage of the tools available to help them feel less isolated at work and increase their level of engagement. Some ways to encourage interactions:
Consider video chats: When possible, video chat with your coworkers so that you can see each other’s faces and interact more easily.
Schedule regular calls: Schedule regular phone or Zoom calls with your coworkers so that everyone stays in the loop on what they are working on.
Build a community of sharing: Build a community with your coworkers by sharing relevant articles, videos, or other media that will help them be more productive in their work.
4. Encourage feedback
It is important for companies to encourage feedback from their employees. This will help them improve the work environment and make sure that the employees are happy with what they do.
Feedback can be a powerful tool for developing a company’s culture and by providing an environment where people feel comfortable giving feedback, companies can ensure that they are on the right track. It also helps them understand what their employees want to see in the workplace and how they would like things to change.
Feedback can be given in many forms, such as verbal, written, or through tools like surveys. It’s important that employees know they are being heard and understand the impact their feedback has on the company.
5. Take employee wellbeing seriously
Employee wellbeing and engagement go hand in hand. Engagement is the key to employee wellbeing. Engaged employees are more likely to be happy and satisfied with their work. They are also more productive and less likely to leave their job.
The most effective way of increasing employee engagement is by investing in their happiness, which can only be achieved by improving their work-life balance, providing them with opportunities for professional development and helping them feel valued at work.
6. Invest in workplace efficiency
Workplace efficiency is a measure of how well employees are using their time and skills to do their work. It is not just about the number of hours worked, but also about how much value is created.
Workers are often disengaged due to the monotonous nature of their jobs. They might be bored, unfulfilled, or both. In order to improve efficiency in the workplace and to improve engagement levels, companies should embrace the right tools and invest in a great culture.
Master employee engagement in your remote team
Improving employee engagement is an important goal for any company looking to grow. It starts with the hiring process and continues through onboarding, training, and ongoing development.
It can be hard to get employees engaged when they’re not in the office. The distance can make them feel disconnected from their team, which can lead to lower morale and productivity. But luckily, there are ways you can keep your remote employees engaged by using virtual trivia games.
Virtual trivia games are a great way to build camaraderie among your remote team members because they allow them to interact with one another in a fun way while feeling connected and included. They also help ease boredom or disengagement, which can be common for remote employees.
