Let’s be honest! Your employees don’t only work for you. They are your brand’s ambassadors. People talk about what they do and where they work. Those experiences give an impression to others as to whether they want to be connected to your brand.
It can be a challenge to motivate teams. Think about it how you integrate new technology and how quickly the company adopts a new system or process. It may lead to a shift in company culture to get employees more involved beyond their day-to-day responsibilities.
Here are 4 ways to increase employee engagement:
- Be the example. You cannot expect employees to engage, if you’re not willing to do it yourself. “If you build it, they will come” is not enough.
- Ask honest and relevant questions to begin conversations
- Set up a wireless presentation for teams to share work, ideas, etc.
- Share your ideas and be open to others sharing theirs. A great opportunity to test new concepts and approaches to work
- Know your people. While employee feedback surveys and polls can give some insights, it’s what you do with that information that will show employees that you care about them:
- Put faces to names, and learn what they do for your business
- Create an employee social network and share contacts through your unified communication system
- Host internal “focus groups” to understand your team members’ vision and future goals for your business
- Promote professional development by coordinating classes and workshops, based on team interests
- Acknowledge efforts and successes. Take “a job well done” to the next level.
- Create a team newsletter/blog to recognize team and individual achievements
- Highlight your team’s work to executives and share the feedback with your employees
- Say “Thank You”
- Developing incentives can increase motivation and productivity.
- Reward employees with company-sponsored event, like free lunch or an early dismissal
- Feature employees on company blog. For example, show how employees are using the latest presentation software
- Develop employee referral programs to attract new talent
The common denominator will be authenticity. Employees are attracted to managers and colleagues who are genuine in their interests and work. That encourages motivation and helps employee feel like they are making a difference at work, and not just a hired hand.
It is extremely important to build solid and loyal relationships with your employees. To do that, you should engage with them from gaining feedback on a proposed campaign to developing new ideas to optimize your business. As your business grows, so will your employees.
