Reignite the Spirit Within Your Company Culture

by Cindy Biter, Managing Partner/ Executive Recruiter

Lately, there's been a lot of discussion about how to improve employee engagement. Employees that are engaged lead to better business outcomes, including higher profit margins, and greater shareholder returns. Employee engagement is the emotional commitment the employee has to the company and its goals.

Employees are a company’s most important asset. But in reality, that is only true when the majority of the workforce is fully engaged in their work. If not, they are either adding minimal value or actively working against the organization.

Since the job market is at an all-time high, candidates are now enjoying the luxury of being choosy. Don’t get me wrong, good compensation is still important, but it’s no longer enough to attract the best employees, let alone keep them. 

It’s important to employees to feel passionate about their work, have access to learning and career development opportunities and pave their own career path.

But, the question remains; “How do I engage my employees?” 

First, let’s look at a few budget-friendly employee engagement strategies:

1.      Create an Employee-Led Committee. Keep your employees involved in company decisions and let them know what’s happening behind closed doors. This lets the team know that their input is valuable, it builds trust and boosts morale. Create a committee with a member from each department on the board. This way, you get input from all angles, every department knows what’s going on, and people from different groups get to know each other.

2.      Host monthly mini-celebrations. Show the team that you care about the little things. Anniversaries, birthdays and employee-of-the-month initiatives are all great opportunities to show you care. Brighten the employee’s day with a card and a cupcake. It doesn’t have to cost a lot to brighten someone’s day.

3.      Put up an “achievement board”. A lot of employees get discouraged when their hard work goes unnoticed. Keep an eye out for those over-achievers, like the employee that’s never late, the one that’s got an excellent attendance record, someone that reactivated an old client, those that go the extra mile without being asked. This will encourage other to follow suit. Some no-cost incentives ideas for this would be an extra hour at lunch, or the option to leave early on a Friday.

4.      Give away a day off. I know, this costs the company money, but think of it like this; if employees know there’s an opportunity for an extra day off, chances are, they’ll work harder to achieve the goal. Did a team member have perfect attendance for six-months, straight? Did a team member get a glowing compliment from a client? Did someone work extra hard (without being asked) to complete an especially difficult project? Surprise and excite the team with the opportunity to earn a day off (with pay, of course).

Remember, studies point to the fact that employee engagement has a direct impact on the productivity and profitability of your company. Great managers ensure they acquire and develop great talent and they are proactive when it comes to engagement.  

In the meantime, if you’re looking to add new team members to your company, reach out to us. We offer a no-obligation consultation to assess your hiring needs.