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We know that employee engagement plays a key role for the success of any business. Engaged employees contribute to higher business growth, increased retention rates and an overall increase in satisfaction.
All of this is true, but if you really want your employee engagement strategies to hit the bullseye, you must understand the core purpose behind it. Your employees are not just a part of your business, they as folks with their own ideas, dreams, successes, and hurdles – both at work and in their personal lives. Each one of them is a valuable resource that has to be nurtured to bring out their best.
As per the Gallup Global Workplace Report, companies with 70% or more employee engagement rate experience significant growth and profit benefits over a period. An engaged employee won’t just clock in and out. They will go that extra mile to fuel the company’s growth and success.
15 Employee Engagement Activities
In this blog, we bring to you 15 employee engagement activities that every leader needs to know if they are putting the final touch to their employee engagement strategies.
1. Team Lunches
Let’s start with one of the one of the most loved employee engagement fun activities in office. Having team lunches, conducted by the office, is a great way for the team to casually connect, chat, and build strong relationships. It not only boosts team performance but also fosters a sense of camaraderie in the workplace, making it easier for everyone to toss around new ideas and brainstorm together.
2. Fun group Activities
Get the gang together with activity groups! Forming crews of people who love doing similar things, like creating a trekking group or a chess club is a great way to encourage a positive company vibe. It also helps people bond informally on activities they all love while helping you meet your employee engagement objectives.
3. Wellness Budgets
Offering employees budgets or coupons for wellness activities is a cool way to nudge them towards a balanced work-life vibe. These can be used on fitness classes, therapy, spa sessions, food — basically, anything that keeps the employee engagement ideas game strong!
4. Learning & Upskilling
Setting up a learning hub for employees is another great employee engagement idea. When the team gets chances to level up within the company, it adds a solid bond. They don’t have to hunt for growth elsewhere – it is all happening at their workplace.
It makes them feel valued, amps up their drive to hit performance highs. Internal promotions are also a great way to show recognition for building skills, pushing internal growth and getting commitment.
5. CSR Activities
To encourage workplace employee engagement, getting the team involved in volunteering through company-supported initiatives is key. It is a great way to get employees excited and align everyone with the company’s values. Research suggests that the perks of volunteering can really amp up productivity and engagement among employees. In fact, many companies even give paid time off specifically for volunteering.
6. Knowledge Sharing space
Having a dedicated space in the office or an online for group knowledge sharing promotes a culture of communication and collaboration, in turn, workplace employee engagement. Plus, it gives people a chance to take a breather from their tasks and connect with their colleagues.
You can have a mentorship program by pairing experienced employees with newly hired ones. Craft a learning program template which they should follow. Also, provide them with enough space to assess their own learning methods. Give them a timeframe and a set of objectives and let them share their ideas with each other.
7. Motivational Talks
Inviting external speakers for a pep talk can turn out to be a very well received employee engagement fun activity in office. It can add spark interest and open up communication. Different perspectives mean fresh ideas and new approaches to problem-solving, giving your team lots to chat about.
Another way is to let employees hold talks and share ideas to increase up the innovation vibes. Shift the vibe at your workplace from all about work to all about the awesome people there— their ideas, experiences, and dreams!
8. Flexible Work Conditions
Workplace flexibility is an important driver of employee engagement. Granting employees autonomy regarding their working environment helps against burnout and encourages work-life balance for them.
Of course, flexible work environments cannot be one-size-fits-all. While certain organizations flourish within a fully remote framework, others prefer hybrid. But it’s important to offer flexibility especially for non-profit work, childcare and so on.
9. Inspiring Managers
Managers who can motivate employees are the key to great employee engagement programs. They play an important role in making employee happy which means robust manager-employee relations are a critical driver of employee engagement.
Selecting managers who are good at inspiring and motivating employees can significantly improve employee engagement levels.
10. Employee Recognition
Recognizing employees is an important employee engagement strategy in the workplace. When you give a shout-out for a job well done, it is not just about saying thanks. It is a signal that the company sees and appreciates their hard work. Plus, it sets a clear example for others about what success in the company looks like. Host an awards night, like Long Service Awards, and make it a fun time for employees.
11. DE&I
Today, embrace diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) when assembling teams is not just a trend, it is now an imperative for workplace employee engagement. Cultivating diverse groups certainly boosts employee engagement but it also fosters a workplace culture that values diversity. In fact, making DE&I an essential part of the HR strategy also helps an organization benefit positively by drawing from a variety of perspectives.
12. Townhall Sessions
Every six months, or even quarterly, share the major challenges your company is facing. Also, talk about the steps taken to tackle them by holding townhall sessions. Engage your team in planning, exploring opportunities and generating improvement ideas for your business strategy.
By championing transparency and providing a strategic overview of the company’s management, you can cultivate loyalty and also meet your employee engagement objectives.
13. Enhance Excitement Levels
Keeping the team in the loop about upcoming developments related to the company is good employee engagement idea. Get them pumped up and curious for what’s coming next. You can drop the news in the internal newsletter, chat about it face-to-face or bring it up in a general update meeting.
When they are stoked about the future, chances are higher that they will bring their A-game to the table.
14. Fun Onboarding Experiences
Turning a typically dull onboarding process into a fun activity can work wonders for improving employee engagement, especially for new hires. Add elements like gamification or add company trivia to make it interesting.
Get other team members involved like maybe some veteran employees can share knowledge nuggets with the newbies. Employees can also craft their own self-guided onboarding journey. People tend to soak up information better when they discover it themselves.
15. Sport Events
Getting into sports is one of the most powerful employee engagement strategies out there. Hosting a friendly cricket or football match or a company marathon can unite your team and create bonds across the entire company. Supporting employee sports teams might even spice up the work atmosphere, boost focus, and deepen the sense of commitment to the organization. Holding board game events are also great opportunities for teams to bond and engage.
Wrapping Up
Boosting employee engagement is a sustained organizational commitment that should align with the long-term vision of the business. As a leader, your focus should be to first pinpoint your company’s specific needs and then craft an appropriate employee engagement strategy.
