According to Forbes, there are three types of employees at any organisation: engaged, not engaged and actively disengaged. With 67% of a workforce falling into the ‘not engaged’ category, this leaves a lot of room for improvement surrounding employee engagement.
Employee engagement is a critical approach that aims to see all members of an organisation giving their best every day, resulting in their own sense of achievement and well-being as well as the overall success of the company.
The more disengaged an employee is, the more likely they are to leave the company. So, here are a few ways your business can prevent such a negative impact, and improve employee engagement.
An employee-centred approach
Without your employees, your business literally could not run. With this in mind, it’s fundamental to note that keeping your staff happy is rather important. Whilst it may seem unnatural to deviate from the classic 9-5 working day, encouraging flexibility may actually create more productive employees.
Not only will they will feel trusted to do the work they’ve been set, but they may feel much more comfortable doing it at their own pace. Encouraging breaks can further aid productivity; even a short 5-minute walk or stretch allows your employees to take a break from their work and actually improve their focus in the long run.
Finally, a simple way to help your employees feel like a valuable member of the team is by providing regular social gatherings. After all, ‘all work and no play’’ is a recipe for low employee engagement. Social gatherings will also help build relationships between employer and employee, creating a better work environment for all involved.
Employee Assistance Programmes
LifeWorks offers a modern Employee Assistance Programme to help employees feel cared for, and provides support in problems that may affect their performance and well-being. Such a programme is fundamental in developing healthy working relationships as employees are obtaining the support that they need directly from you, their employer.
LifeWorks can help with concerns surrounding health and safety to finance and relationships. With 24/7 access to such forms of assistance means employees are more likely to deal with issues sooner rather than later, leaving a lesser impact on their working ability. A simple move like this can really help boost the engagement of your employees, resulting in them wanting to remain at the company and enjoy watching it grow.
Be an approachable employer
If your organisation is set out in a hierarchical order, with you, the employer, at the top and your employees at the bottom, it is likely they will become disengaged pretty quickly. Listening to them about what needs updating and improving creates a task force that feels trusted and engaged.
Reversing the roles and asking your employees for feedback is a very simple way of ensuring this, as they will feel like their opinion matters and that they’re an important member of the team.
Providing clarification for employees will further help build trustworthy relationships. If they can come to you with questions about their work, they are more likely to complete the task to a higher standard, helping to improve their sense of achievement as well as the overall success of the business.
