Looking to boost employee productivity, decrease turnover, and create a more positive atmosphere in your office? Focus on improving employee engagement. According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), companies with engaged workforces have an average of 19% higher operating income than the average employer. When your employees are engaged, they’re happier in your workplace and more likely to make a positive impact on your organization in the long term.

Creating an engaged workforce doesn’t have to break the bank or become a big company project either. Begin with our recommended steps below, gauge feedback, and proceed in the direction that works best for your organization.

1. Start with your employees. Consider creating a survey asking employees to judge various aspects of your business and suggest improvements. Making the survey anonymous and using a third party to administer it will ensure you get the most participation and honest answers as well.
2. Communicate, communicate, communicate. One of the top reasons given in exit interviews for why employees leave an organization is poor communication. Spend time with employees individually to ensure their questions are answered and their needs are met. Be as transparent as possible to avoid miscommunication.
3. Provide training and coaching. Employees who don’t feel they have the right tools or knowledge to do their job will become frustrated. Providing training opportunities can alleviate this frustration and in turn make your employees feel more valued. Training programs don’t have to be too complex either — consider having teams or individuals spend time out of their department learning how other parts of your company operate, for example.
4. Have fun. Get to know your employees on an individual level. Try planning more fun events at work like potlucks and company outings to keep your staff enthusiastic and engaged.
5. Reward and recognize. Saying thank you in a variety of ways means that you’ve noticed a job well done, or going above and beyond. Catch people doing things right, and thank them, no matter how small the contribution. Recognizing these actions is motivating to employees and encourages them to perform at their best.

Interested in developing an employee engagement survey? We can help! To learn more about our services, please contact us.

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