Denise CourtneyIf you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a thousand times; the greatest asset of a company is its people. To be a success, it’s absolutely vital that your workforce is engaged and invested in the future of your business.
Here at Courtney Associates, we’ve put together our advice and top tips to boost and maintain employee engagement within your company.
Set goals
For employees to be happy and engaged, they need something to work towards. Make sure that your people know what their roles are. If you’re a leader or a manager of a team, set achievable targets and share your company vision. Your employees will be far more productive if they’re made to feel like they’re more than just a cog in the wheel.
Does your business have a clear mission statement? If not, write one. It’s important that your team is working towards a common purpose which ultimately benefits everyone.
Always check in
Everybody needs to feel cared about. Make sure that you conduct regular appraisals and take the time to catch up with your team members on a one-to-one basis.
Create a supportive working environment, with an open door policy that encourages open, honest and fear-free communication. For your employees to care about your company, you need to care about them. They need to feel able to talk to you about any worries or concerns they might have. Waiting until the obligatory yearly appraisal simply won’t cut it when it comes to true engagement.
Offer opportunities for training and development
There’s nothing worse for staff morale than the feeling of stagnation. People need to learn new skills and keep up to speed with industry developments if they’re going to stay motivated.
Training and development is important in order to keep your staff happy. Encourage them to attend industry events, training sessions and webinars. This will make them feel that they’re progressing within the company and potentially earn new responsibilities or a promotion.
Have some fun
As Andrew Carnegie beautifully said; “there is little success where there is little laughter”. Leadership and management isn’t just about work, it’s also about making sure you provide opportunities for you and your staff to socialise together outside of work. It’s a great way to keep people engaged.
Drinks after work, team away days, summer fetes, they’re all great ways to help your team relax, get to know one another and make some friends. If your employees enjoy one another’s company, they’ll work better together and are more likely to enjoy coming to work every day.
Recognise achievements
When people work hard, they expect, and deserve, to be compensated accordingly. But in today’s world, where a great company culture is of the utmost importance, this means more than just a bonus.
Say thank you. Implement an employee of the month scheme, mention any achievements in a newsletter, or send a small token gesture. Rewarding success is crucial for employee engagement so make sure you’ve got it covered.
If you want your business to succeed, then you’re going to need people around you who share your vision, believe in you, and are committed to your company’s journey. Those businesses with a fully engaged workforce see increased productivity, reduced staff turnover and are generally happier places to work. All in all, employee engagement promotes success, and you can’t argue with that.
To see how we can help your people be the best they can be, contact us now.