The term “Employee Engagement” gets thrown around a lot, but what does it really mean? In its simplest form, it means the level at which employees are happy about the work they do, where they do it and who they do it with and for. Employee engagement isn’t something that just happens; it’s created by the leadership of the company through specific and purposeful acts that ultimately create the company culture and level of employee engagement.
When it comes to employee engagement, the details matter. And a lot of the time the details don't cost a lot or cost anything. The specifics of employee engagement can mean something different for different companies and different people, so figuring out what this means for your small business and the employees is key to keeping costs low and engagement high. Let’s explore some ways to rethink Employee Engagement in your small business:
· Company events, parties, and celebrations – Think outside of traditional happy hours, events that revolve around drinking and events that are after hours or on the weekends. Consider doing team gathering events during working hours or during times that are less burdensome on their personal lives and family situations. Rethink gatherings overall with the team and create opportunities that bring people together in a way that is fun, supportive, and interactive. Some ideas: Bring the team together for some physical activity like pickleball or a team yoga class with a nice lunch and camaraderie. For larger groups that may not have the opportunity to rent space, it’s always fun to bring in a chair massage company and a food truck during a designated period of “no work allowed” time.
· Employee gifts – Think outside of the company branded tumbler and notepads. I'm not a fan of giving employees company branded items or swag as gifts. Certainly, provide those items to the team as a new hire packet, but not as a gift for employee engagement. Gifting should be more specific and personalized so that it shows that you know each employee and you care about them as an individual. When it comes to gifting, it's not about how much it costs, it’s about how it makes them feel. Some ideas: Gifting websites that allow people to choose what they like within a dollar value that you designate. Themed gift boxes based on their interest and/or the culture of the company.
· Focus on the individual – Think outside of the work standard of their professional goals. Find out what their outside interests and activities are and support those. Whether it’s subscribing to their podcast, sharing their children’s fundraising information, or even just asking about how an outside project is going. Showing interest in them as an individual is a no-cost, high reward employee engagement win.
· Assigning workload and tasks – Think outside of their traditional job description. Talk with the team to identify their strengths and areas of interest to see if there are projects or areas of the company that need attention that they can incorporate into their work. The important thing to keep in mind here is to not force people to do something they don’t want to do; it’s to engage those who have an interest in doing more and gaining more experience/exposure. Letting employees know that there is the space and opportunity for stretch assignments to be completed gives them a level of comfortability in knowing they can ask for that when interested.
If your small business isn’t thinking about employee engagement, it’s an area of focus that needs to be on the top of the list for 2024 and beyond. Want to explore ideas for your small business?
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