Employee engagement is everything when it comes to organizational improvement, but you have to understand where you are starting from before you can achieve your objectives.

Once you have measured the engagement levels of your staff, you need to develop strong employee engagement initiatives and an action plan to address the gaps. These days, we know that employee engagement looks different to different generations and has changed due to pandemic and post-pandemic working conditions.

I suggest tweaking your established protocols for improving employee engagement to meet the needs of today’s workers.

‍What Employee Engagement Tools Will Work for Your Organization?

What employee engagement initiatives do you need to implement for your organization? That depends on your business, what you hope to achieve, and the current engagement levels of your staff. However, I can offer some examples of initiatives that I have seen work time and time again, with our changed workplace in mind.

1. Structure and Support

The first employee engagement initiative you should consider adopting is to establish an infrastructure within your organization that encourages coaching, mentoring, communication, accountability, and feedback. If you are not accustomed to regular interactions with your employees, you might want to consider adjusting your approach. It is critical that you show that you are invested in your employees development and well-being and demonstrate that you are there to empower and support them. 

2. Communication

Develop and refine process and policies that allow for open, constructive two-way dialogue. You need to be able to convey your expectations clearly, but you also need to ensure that your people have a means of sharing their concerns openly with you. If something is not working within your organization, you will likely be the last one to know unless you encourage your people to speak up. Doing this not only keeps you in the loop with your finger on the pulse of your business, but it also gives your staff a stronger feeling of ownership and responsibility and make them feel valued. 

3. Shake Things Up

As humans, we tend to be creatures of habit, but routines can sometimes become mundane and create a lack of engagement as a result.  Unfortunately, the status quo is not going to help you improve engagement. Take yourself out of your comfort zone and encourage your employees to step out of their comfort zone too and spend time in other areas of the business to expand their knowledge and shake up their day-to-day routine. Initiatives like this encourage development, teamwork and can embolden your people to talk freely and share what is really on their minds.

4. Keep Your End of the Bargain

Establishing these employee engagement initiatives will energize your workforce, but you must remember that this is an ongoing process and needs to become part of the way you do business if you want to create a high-performing organization. Your job is not done once you have asked your people what they think about their role, leadership, and the business. Show your staff that you have listened by taking action that they can see and appreciate. If someone has a good idea that just will not work with your organization, explain why. If someone has an amazing idea that you plan to implement immediately, make sure they get the credit they deserve. Remember, your people look up to you, and are also watching every move you make, so role model the behavior you want to see.

Take Action Today!

Establishing effective employee engagement initiatives isn't about setting up new policies and procedures, it's about creating an environment where people feel comfortable sharing their thoughts openly and freely. It is about being engaged in your business and with your people. When it comes to improving employee engagement, you cannot be passive and wait for it to happen – you must be proactive and lead the charge. 

What employee engagement initiatives have you tried for your company? What has worked? What hasn't? If you need help sorting out your new path to employee engagement, feel free to reach out to me at joanne.trotta@leadersedgeinc.ca or call me at 1.855.871.3374. I am looking forward to hearing from you!