A strategic employee engagement process is one of the most valuable tools an organization can invest in. Heightened performance, efficiency, innovation, and retention are just a few of the positive flow-on effects of engaged employees, making it a top priority for organizations of all shapes, sizes, and niches.
“High performing organizations recognize that a highly engaged workforce can increase innovation, productivity, and bottom-line performance while reducing costs related to hiring and retention in highly competitive talent markets.”
At 3radical, we understand the importance of having an engaged, highly motivated workforce. That’s why we’ve developed an eight-step guide to driving formidable employee engagement processes tailored to the complex and digitally powered modern workplaces of today. Use it to transform your workplace and recapture the attention, loyalty, and potential of employees not engaged at work.
Step 1: Understanding employee engagement
Before you can start to leverage the benefits of employee engagement, it’s important to understand what the term means. Generally speaking, employee engagement refers to a collective attitude of positivity held by employees towards an organization, coupled with a genuine appreciation for its beliefs and values. More than a sense of commitment and dedication, employee engagement is driven by an intrinsic feeling of value, involvement and appreciation.
Key behaviors exhibited by engaged employees include:
- Authentic belief in the ethos and values of the company
- Willingness to work hard and put in extra effort when required
- Sense of pride in the organization and its products and services
- Eager to offer help and support to colleagues
- Proactive approach to learning and development
- In-depth understanding of the context of the business
A deep understanding of employee engagement will allow you to develop and execute strategies that drive positive change and deliver tangible results. Employees that aren’t engaged will have a negative impact on all aspects of your organization.
Step 2: Gauge your current level of employee engagement
When developing a strategy for your employee engagement process, it can be extremely helpful to carry out a survey to gauge the current level of engagement between the organization and its employees. With a recent Gallup survey revealing the number of employees not engaged, or actively disengaged, at work is 85%, chances are there’s room for improvement. Armed with an accurate measure of current employee engagement, you will be able to identify areas that need to be strengthened. You can also use the survey to develop an idea of what matters to your employees, then use this information to developed tailored engagement solutions.
For example, you may find your employees value a work-life balance, which would suggest flexible work-from-home options could be well received. Or maybe your employees are socially motivated, suggesting monthly social events could help boost engagement.
Step 3: Commit to taking action
One of the best ways to compromise employee engagement is asking all the right questions, implying you’re going to implement change, then failing to deliver. Once you’ve compiled survey results it’s essential to commit to taking action. Dedicating a good chunk of time to analyzing survey responses and brainstorming relevant employee engagement strategies that match these responses is essential.
Step 4: Clear communication
Encouraging communication in the workplace is one of the easiest and most effective ways to increase employee engagement. This incorporates all company activities, including new hires, project updates, annual growth plans, and social updates. The more transparent you are with your communication, the more engaged and immersed your employees will feel.
For example, when back at the office, encouraging managers to work with their doors or blinds open can be a good way to boost communication. Issuing a monthly employee newsletter highlighting birthdays, social events and employee milestones can also help to involve and engage your staff.
Step 5: Embrace digital transformation
From oil and gas to politics and HR, digitization has reinvented the way workplaces and their employees communicate. For organizations that want to move forward and implement genuine positive change, embracing digital transformation is critical.
Gamification is an enormously powerful tool, applying long-established game science principles and game-design elements to non-game contexts. The goal is to transport employees beyond the traditional realm of the workplace and into an environment that’s engaging, stimulating, and fun.
For example, an organization may want all employees to complete a 10-hour training module on health and safety procedures. In a normal context this may be considered a chore; however with a gamification approach the module can be transformed into a fun and enjoyable task. These sorts of team engagement activities could include interactive leader boards and the opportunity to win prizes, such as gift cards and local restaurant vouchers.
Another example could be educating employees about the unique features and benefits of a new high-value product. Incorporating gamification into the online learning portal could drastically elevate engagement and help build enthusiasm and knowledge. Again, these sorts of team engagement activities can translate to better sales and increased customer satisfaction.
Step 6: Employee personalization
All good employee engagement processes start with a commitment to personalization. This encompasses four key areas:
– Access to resources
– An understanding of workplace culture
– Building connections
– Skill development
Each area contributes to the personal experience your employee has within your company, which directly influences engagement.
Step 7: Implement employee engagement drivers
Another key step to transforming employee engagement within an organization is implementing the three key employee engagement drivers:
- Reward
- Fun
- Recognition
This step ties in closely with the principle of gamification and includes drivers such as rewards for consuming content, team engagement competitions, and developing custom tactics.
Step 8: Define your immersive employee journey
The final step to developing a hard-hitting engagement process is to clearly define your immersive employee journey. Just like you would for customers, you need to develop an understanding of the experiences that shape and influence your employees.
This encompasses the entire lifecycle of an employee, from recruitment, onboarding, training, promotions, and team engagement to the resignation process and final exit interview. It’s important to note that the employee journey is continually evolving and needs to be understood and mapped to maximize engagement.
Perfecting your employee engagement process
As highlighted in step 5, gamification can be a huge driver of engagement for your employees. At 3radical, we use our innovative Voco platform to create bespoke gamified experiences for businesses (and employees) in almost any sector. And we’re ready to do the same for you!
To find out more about our platform and how it can boost engagement for your employees, get in touch with the 3radical team.