One of the most important elements separating successful businesses from their competitors is a strong company culture. The lifeblood of a strong culture is the active engagement of employees who are not just satisfied with their jobs, but feel inspired, connected and motivated to perform at their highest level each day. For this reason, it’s critical that you implement employee engagement strategies that will improve your company culture and empower your team to thrive.
A strong company culture and high levels of employee engagement have been shown to directly impact your team’s performance in a variety of ways. When businesses get their culture right, it results in higher:
While these factors are critical to your success, it’s shocking how few businesses get company culture and employee engagement right. According to Deloitte’s Global Human Capital Trends report, only 19% of executives and 15% of employees believe their company has a strong culture. The primary takeaway from these statistics is that most businesses need to do a better job in these areas in order to set themselves up for success.
The following employee engagement strategies will help you build a stronger culture that attracts and retains top talent, provides a great work environment, and elevates the success of your business.
Everyone on your team has a unique set of strengths. When employees are empowered to leverage their strengths in their daily work, they’ll find their job more fulfilling, and they’ll be able to more effectively contribute to the success of your business.
Make sure your managers are actively engaging your team to identify these strengths. Some of these are related to their skill set, while others are more associated with their innate personal qualities. Ideally, these strengths should drive the evolution of each employee’s role over time. This will allow them to continually feel challenged and engaged at work.
Your employees will be more engaged when they are kept in the loop regarding important items associated with your company’s growth and success. Sharing your multi-year growth plan and explaining how each team member will contribute to the success of this plan will create the kind of transparency that builds trust. It also helps them understand how their role fits into the larger context of the company.
But for a culture of transparency to be truly effective, communication must go two ways. Your team should also feel empowered to provide feedback to their managers regarding the direction of your business. They should feel comfortable sharing concerns and be encouraged to present ideas that can make your strategy stronger. This will provide a deeper level of engagement that allows each employee to feel like their ideas directly contribute to the results you achieve.
Most people want to work in a place that is truly invested in their ongoing development. If your employees don’t see a path to growth and an upward trajectory at your company, they are less likely to remain engaged in their work and motivated to reach their potential. In addition, they are more likely to seek a new job at a company that will provide the growth and development they’re seeking.
To ensure your employees remain connected to their work and committed to your company, outline any development opportunities that exist. Make sure your employees regularly receive constructive feedback that will help them achieve any internal promotions that may exist. In addition, take any steps possible to help them cultivate additional skills they may need to achieve these professional growth goals. This may include establishing an internal training program, having senior team members mentor less experienced employees, or paying for third-party educational opportunities, such as courses or conferences, that align with their interests and goals.
It’s important to recognize employees when they produce quality work that contributes to the success of your business. This recognition helps your employees feel valued, increasing their engagement in their work. The more you recognize and appreciate your employees, the more they will be motivated to perform at a high level.
There are several ways you can create an environment that recognizes success. It can be as simple as creating an employee shout out board that lets people praise their coworkers for a job well done or for providing help on an important project. You can also highlight accomplishments of team members during staff meetings. If you want to take this recognition a step further, you can establish a set of perks and incentives that reward employees when they produce high quality work.
Regardless of the method(s) you choose, this recognition should be authentic and align with your company’s values in order to foster a stronger culture.
Your managers play a critical role in your ability to improve employee engagement and create a strong culture. They interact with your employees on a daily basis. As a result, your managers have the ability to keep their finger on the pulse of your team. They should know which employees are performing at a high level and which are struggling. They should be able to identify the support struggling employees need to improve.
Beyond impacting performance, the interactions your managers have with their team can significantly affect their engagement and satisfaction at work. Do your managers have the ability to properly motivate your team, identify the best ways to leverage their strengths, and provide employees with an outlet to voice their ideas, concerns and frustrations?
While you can train managers to perform their jobs more effectively, you’re more likely to keep your team engaged and cultivate a strong culture when you take the time to hire capable managers who have the skills and experience to excel in their role. For this reason, you should always dig deep into a manager’s professional background during the hiring process to make sure they are equipped to set your employees up for success and cultivate a positive environment that aligns with your company’s culture and values.
More than ever, employees are drawn to companies that align with their own personal values and beliefs. When you’re able to achieve this alignment, it creates a greater sense of purpose in their work that will improve their overall engagement.
While employees still want to feel that they’re receiving proper financial compensation for their work, this isn’t enough to maintain high employee engagement and cultivate a strong company culture. When employees also feel an emotional connection to your company’s purpose and values, they will be more invested in their work as well as in your business.
While the strategies discussed above are important, they aren’t necessarily easy to implement. Often, it’s helpful to work with a third-party employee engagement professional who can help you navigate this process. At PassioHR, we have you covered.
Our team has extensive experience helping a wide range of businesses implement employee engagement strategies that will cultivate a strong company culture. Our Elevated Engagement Plus™ Approach ensures our recommendations will always be customized to address the specific needs of your business. We’ll spend the time necessary to learn about your unique company culture and workforce dynamic. We’ll then collaborate with your management team to develop policies that will help you foster a company culture that improves the success of your business.
Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.
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