Employee engagement should be the number one priority for HR departments in 2016 according to Deloitte in their Growing Human Capital Trends Report November 2015.
So how do you boost employee engagement?
Here are five tips on how to increase and measure employee engagement in your organisation:
- Engagement must come from the top: Any initiative to improve employee behaviour and performance has to be driven from the top. Without senior management talking the talk AND walking the walk, a program to improve engagement will not work. If purely initiated as an HR initiative, it will be seen as such and will not carry the weight of authority it needs. After all, improving engagement, which can lead to reduced staff turnover, improved productivity, increased customer experience, reduced absenteeism and more can have a major impact on an organisations bottom line, so it really does need to be driven by senior executives.
- Measure your programs effectiveness: Do not make assumptions based on informal employee comments or what you hear from managers. According to a report by SHRM, surveys are used by 49% of employers to “take the temperature” of their employee engagement program and can deliver key information. This is important to keep your program on track and to elicit a constant stream of feedback from employees. This not only maintains a successful program but helps to constantly improve and enhance it.
- Make engagement important: As already stated, it’s important, so treat it as such. Make it an executive and managerial priority and weave it into other company initiatives. Make employee engagement a top priority, keep it constant in your employees and managers everyday lives, and it becomes less of an initiative and more of the fabric of the culture within your organisation. Once culture and behaviour changes start showing through the organisation, and people feel valued and appreciated, the momentum will grow exponentially as it becomes a way of life rather than something unusual or something to be worked at.
- Replace cash awards: Despite what employee engagement programs may have looked like 10-15 years ago, cash is absolutely no longer king in employee engagement. Cash bonuses that lack long-term trophy value are now being replaced with rewards that have a much longer “shelf life” including products, services, experiences or good old time off in lieu. Give your employees something memorable that will stick in their minds and have a lasting impact as this encourages improved positive behaviours.
- Audit your program: I mentioned a bit about feedback in point number two, but its importance cannot be emphasised enough. There should be a constant, if possible real time (not annual or biannual) information stream on your program through a variety of sources. Set up an email alias, or an always-on survey, or even an old-fashioned suggestion box. Just make sure your employees’ voices are heard and heard often. Leading online engagement platforms will usually provide this within the program.
These five simple but effective steps will help you to grow and monitor the level of engagement within your organisation.
Brownie Points is seen as a leading solutions provider in employee engagement, and our platform is being used by many organisations large and small, commercial and Not for Profit, to maximise return on investment by inspiring their people. After all, your employees are your only true competitive advantage. If you don’t look after them your competitors surely will. Fail to engage them at your peril!
If you would like to learn how Brownie Points could help your business, call us today on 03 9909 7411 for a no obligation discussion, or email us at info@browniepoints.com.au
