Posts

Enhance Your Bottom Line with These 5 Employee Engagement Strategies

/in /by

StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Employee Engagement Strategy|Enhance Your Bottom Line with These 5 Employee Engagement StrategiesEmployee engagement is vital to the success of your company. Engaged employees work harder, stay with your company longer, and produce better results. It might cost you a little more money to create an environment that encourages strong employee engagement, but it’s well worth it in terms of the benefits it can have for your company culture and, yes, your bottom line.

But what exactly does it take to boost employee engagement in a meaningful way? You need to make sure you foster strong work-life balance among your employees, give them the tools they need to succeed in your company and in their careers, and give the recognition employees need to feel seen and heard.

1) Make Time Off Mandatory – And Give More of It

You might think that having employees at their work stations more often would result in more and better work. But the opposite is the case. Employees who slog through weeks and months without any time off get burnt out, and lose their enthusiasm for the work. That’s why it’s so important to make sure your employees have time for rest and self-care.

When employees have time to recharge, they’re 31 percent more productive at work and make 37 percent more sales. Revenues and creative output triple when employees are well-rested. That’s reason enough to make time off mandatory and give employees plenty of it – above and beyond the 10 days that the average employee gets. Work hours have been increasing over the past three decades, with many professionals feeling increasingly pinched for time in which to take vacations, handle family emergencies, attend to their mental health, and so on. Mandatory time off gives employees a much-needed sense of time affluence, and can ease feelings of burnout.

2) Recognize Achievements, Anniversaries, and Milestones

Who doesn’t want to be congratulated when they do well, or when they have an important milestone happen in their lives – including a work anniversary? Employee anniversary recognition helps employees feel seen, especially when deployed in connection with proud recognition of everything else an employee does to make the company a success. Recognizing employee achievements, anniversaries, and milestones (like births, marriages, or graduations) and employment anniversaries motivates your top employees and injects a fresh sense of engagement into the workforce as a whole.

3) Give Employees the Tools and Support They Need to Succeed

You can’t expect your employees to succeed at their tasks without the right tools and resources. In fact, if you don’t give employees what they need to do their jobs, they’re going to become resentful quickly. Engagement will plummet, and turnover will soar.

Your employees need modern, up-to-date software and hardware to do their jobs, and they need access to resources that will make their jobs easier – everything from office supplies to company cars and phones. Do your best to remove obstacles that might get in the way of employees’ ability to move agilely when doing their jobs. No one wants to navigate a complicated bureaucracy with lots of red tape in order to get something done at work.

4) Offer Some Scheduling Flexibility

Besides giving plenty of mandatory time off, you need to offer employees some scheduling flexibility to help them maintain a healthy sense of work-life balance. In the post-COVID world, maybe it’s appropriate to move to a work-from-home model, or a hybrid model in which employees spend some days at the office and some days at home.

Whether employees are working from the office or from home, give employees the option to flex their schedules so they can attend to family responsibilities, run important errands that can only take place during the day, care for their health, and so on.

5) Give Each Employee Individual Attention

Each of your employees needs individual attention from management to feel seen and heard. That means taking the time to check in with employees regularly – once a week or so, check in to see how their work is going, whether they need anything, and whether they have any complaints. You should also put the work into getting to know your employees as people. Take them out to lunch once in a while. Grab happy hour drinks together on a Friday. Ask about their families and pets. Employees will feel more loyal and committed when they feel like they have personal connections at work.

Are you looking for ways to make your company thrive? You need to encourage more employee engagement. You’ll be surprised at how much better everyone can do when they’re committed to doing the best job possible.

From the Top Down: Tips for Getting the Best Out of Your Employees

/in /by

StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Getting the best out of your employees|From the Top Down: Tips for Getting the Best Out of Your EmployeesEmployees are the lifeblood of any company. Without them, nothing would get done. Employee productivity is key to the success of any business. When employees are productive, the company benefits in several ways: lowered costs, increased output, and higher profits. But how can you ensure that your employees are productive? There is no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to getting the best out of your employees. Every business is different, and every employee has their own unique set of strengths and weaknesses. However, there are a few general tips that can help you get the most out of your team. This blog post will discuss four ways to motivate and inspire your employees from the top down!

Set Clear Expectations

One of the best ways to get the most out of your employees is to set clear expectations for them. This means making sure that they know what you expect from them and what their specific job duties are. It also means establishing standards for performance and behavior and communicating these standards clearly to your team. By setting clear expectations, you can help ensure that your employees know what they need to do to meet your expectations and succeed in their roles.

Encourage Employee Engagement

Encouraging employee engagement is another excellent way to get the best out of your team. This involves creating a workplace where employees feel engaged and motivated and can contribute ideas and suggestions that can help make your business more successful. In addition, an engaged workforce is more likely to stay loyal and productive for years to come, which ultimately translates into more robust profitability for your company.

Communicate with Your Employees

Another essential tip for getting the most out of your employees is communicating with them regularly. This means keeping an open line of communication so that you can discuss any issues or concerns they may have about their job duties or responsibilities. It also involves taking time each day to check in with employees individually (or as a group) so that everyone feels heard and valued at work! When workers feel like they are being listened to, they will be much more likely to put forth their best effort.

Create a Sense of Ownership Among Employees

When employees feel like they own their work, they’re more likely to take pride in their work and do their best. So encourage employees to take ownership of their work, and give them the freedom to make decisions and develop new ideas.

Reward and Recognize Achievements

Last but not least, one of the best ways to get the most out of your employees is to reward and recognize their achievements. This can involve anything from a simple “thank you” for a job well done to awarding them with bonuses or promotions for exceptional work. By recognizing and rewarding employee achievements, you are helping to motivate them to do their best work possible.

These are just a few tips for getting the best out of your employees from the top down. However, it’s also vital that you give the best team possible from the get-go. Apart from making sure your employees meet the requirements for the job and having a pre employment medical done, you can also add a virtual experience to the interview so that your possible employees know what they are being expected to do before signing the contract. Follow these tips, and you’ll be on your way to creating a successful and productive team.

How To Get The Most Out Of Your Employees

/in /by

StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Get the most out of your employees|How To Get The Most Out Of Your EmployeesThe whole purpose of employing personnel is to lower your personal burden and guarantee that jobs are done by those who have the necessary expertise and experience. Nobody can be brilliant at everything, and recognizing this and then recruiting individuals who are strong at certain aspects of your organization is critical if you want to drive things forward and be as successful as possible. So, after you’ve made your choice and hired someone (or many people), how do you know you’re getting the most out of them? Here are some suggestions.

Proper Scheduling

Scheduling your staff in the right way is one of the most useful methods to ensure you are getting the most out of them and operating the company as efficiently as possible. By utilizing scheduling software, you can keep track of who has to work when and who needs time off, ensuring that there are no misunderstandings and that someone is always booked for every day or shift. In this way, every job will be done, and you’ll have overall control of the entire business.

For this to operate well, you will need to know what hours your team can work and who is best positioned in which area, therefore you will need to have a solid policy of asking your staff what they need and working with them as best you can. Once you have this information, you can make a plan that the scheduling software will make it easy to stick to, ensuring everyone is doing what they do best.

Give Rewards

People from all walks of life, ages, and occupations will react positively to incentives and rewards at work. If they are rewarded with something, they will be aware that they have been seen to be doing a good job, and if that work is rewarded, they will be more inclined to continue working hard; they won’t want to disappoint after their efforts have been recognized. Rewarding employees has an additional benefit: others around them who see that hard effort is rewarded will begin to work harder as well, and the whole workforce will be more productive, efficient, and loyal in the end.

Rewards don’t have to be fancy or expensive (unless you want them to be); symbolism is frequently more important than anything else. Possible incentives include:

  • An additional vacation day
  • Gift certificates for a meal or a store they like
  • A position as ’employee of the month’ or a mention in the business newsletter.

The goal is to guarantee that outstanding work is recognized, and the ‘prize,’ although significant, is a secondary issue, so don’t be concerned if your company can’t afford to go all out; it doesn’t have to.

Make The Rules Clear

In this world, there are two categories of people: leaders and followers. Leaders create the rules, and followers, as the term implies, obey them. Because you will have more followers than leaders working for you, and you are the leader yourself, you will be responsible for establishing and enforcing workplace standards.

Rules can be difficult to obey, particularly if they don’t make sense and people resent having to observe them. To get the best out of your staff, any regulations you implement must be totally explicit so that there are no ambiguities, and they must make sense (or you need to explain why they are in place so people are happier to follow them).

9 Ways To Show Your Employees You Care

/in /by

StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Show Employees you Care|9 Ways To Show Your Employees You CareEmployees that feel valued are more productive. People who feel appreciated are more likely to go above and above for the company. They’re more likely to consider themselves responsible for their contributions to a project. Above all, they’re happy in their jobs, which means they’re less inclined to quit.

Leaders who ignore opportunities to engage with their team and show appreciation to their staff are robbing themselves of a valuable tool for establishing a loyal, long-term workforce.

Employee Appreciation Day is the first Friday in March each year, but don’t wait until then to show your appreciation for your most valuable asset. Make employee gratitude a daily habit rather than an annual occasion. Here are nine excellent methods to express your gratitude to your employees:

Take Small Steps That Add Up To A Significant Difference

Appreciation does not necessitate grand gestures. Send a handwritten note of thanks, an email, or a phone call of support. Even the smallest gestures can leave a lasting impression. Even providing details for services such as workers’ comp can go a long way to showing you care.

Open Up New Possibilities

Giving your staff as many possibilities as possible is one of the finest methods to win their hearts and minds. Allow them to take on major tasks, such as a high-profile project or a new leadership post, or pay for a workshop or conference.

Make It Unique And Personal

Make your statements of gratitude and recognition as detailed as possible. Don’t just say “nice work,” but elaborate on what impressed you. “Thank you for having the bravery to speak up in the meeting,” for example. When everyone else was afraid to talk about the subject, it made a tremendous difference in breaking the ice.”

Demonstrate That You Have Faith In Them

It sends a powerful message to your staff when you can demonstrate your trust in them. In other words, you’re telling them that their work is good enough that they don’t need you to keep an eye on them.

Make Modifications On The Inside

Ensure that your team gets the tools they require to execute their jobs, including up-to-date technology, adequate lighting and HVAC, and comfortable, ergonomic furniture. Consider adding features like a break room or a lounge based on suggestions.

Make Time To Communicate With Them

Leaders have a lot of responsibility, and it’s easy to become engrossed in your work and neglect your team. Making the time to connect with your staff is one of the best ways to show them you care. Find out how they’re doing at work and in their personal lives.

Make Mentoring A Part Of The Organization’s Culture

There are newer employees in almost every firm who would benefit from being matched with an experienced colleague. There’s no better way to transfer important information and give beginners a support system right from the start than to develop a formal mentorship programme or a more casual buddy system.

Assign Ownership To Them

Giving employees the keys to a project that is relevant to their knowledge and interests is a certain method to push them to do their best. Allow the project to be based on the employee’s ideas if at all possible. Other employees will be encouraged by seeing their colleague’s inventiveness rewarded, not simply because the employee will be empowered to grow and achieve.

Be Open And Honest

Honesty should be expected, although it is more difficult at times than others. Many people assume you shouldn’t discuss bad news, yet such conversations–as tough as they may be–show you care enough to share even the most difficult truths. Honest and straightforward feedback will earn you respect and help you achieve your goals.

The bottom line is that if your employees understand how much you value them, there is nothing they won’t do to help you and your team.

The Best Techniques for Running a Productive Workplace

/in /by

StrategyDriven Managing Your People Article |Productive Workplace|The Best Techniques for Running a Productive WorkplaceThe importance of consistent productivity in the workplace cannot be understated. While some small talk over a morning cup of coffee is fine, you want to make sure your staff are making the most of their time every single day. Otherwise, the business loses money. You don’t need ten staff members putting in the collective effort of five!

To make sure the business runs smoothly and makes the most amount of profit, use these techniques for running a productive workplace.

Encourage Additional Learning and Training

Your staff always have room to grow, whether that’s into a leadership role or something a little more specialized. Allow them to flourish by encouraging and providing additional learning and training opportunities. There are lots of options for training in the workplace, or you could opt for online courses. One that everyone should get on board with is first aid training, as it makes the workplace safer while teaching everyone something new.

Create a Mood-boosting Workspace

It’s hard to be productive in a cramped, poorly decorated workspace, which is why you should prioritize a mood-boosting environment. Lighting is a great contributor to this – use layered lighting mixed with enough natural light, and you will create a far more comfortable and mood-boosting space. On top of that, think carefully about your choice of furniture, color, and how much space you provide each employee.

Set a Great Example

Whether you are the business owner or manager, you must set a great example by being productive each day. After all, if you’re not putting your best foot forward, why should your team? By setting a great example, staff will be encouraged to follow suit.

Hire Passionate People

Hiring is a crucial step when it comes to running a productive workplace. No matter how excellent your leadership skills are, it’s hard to encourage great work from an unenthusiastic employee. So, to make sure you’re not stuck with people who perform poorly, focus on passion during the hiring process. Even if someone doesn’t have much experience, you can always train them, but you cannot teach someone to be passionate!

Set Achievable Goals

It’s hard to be productive when goals are difficult to reach. Likewise, you can’t put all your best efforts in if there aren’t enough challenging goals to reach. For this reason, you should set achievable goals for your team. You could put them into three sections – goals to reach for the month, goals for the week, and goals for the day. When your staff have something to work toward, they are more likely to focus.

Understand Employee Strengths

If you want a workplace full of uninterrupted productivity, you must understand each employee’s strengths so you can make the most out of it. There’s no point in putting a logical team member into a creative project when there’s another with far more imaginative ideas! Get to know each member on an individual level to get better at delegating, which, in turn, will help boost productivity.