Companies go to great lengths to attract “the brightest and best.” However, what is your retention and staff engagement strategy beyond the thrill of the chase? Will top talent simply leave for the next company that offers them higher money, responsibilities, and benefits? Will top talent simply leave for the next company that offers them higher money, responsibilities, and benefits? Should employers be trembling in their boots because of this? Yes, if you don’t do something about it. If you’re still not convinced of the necessity of interaction, here are three intriguing things to consider:
Absenteeism is reduced when employees are engaged. Employers who take action to engage their employees experience a 41% reduction in absenteeism. Employees who are engaged perform better than those who are not. In general, businesses with strong employee satisfaction are more efficient and lucrative by 21%.
Your company will pay a high price for low involvement. Hiring new staff costs an average of $4,329, with onboarding costing an average of $1,058. This can be easily saved by involving your existing employees. To be prosperous, you must elicit the finest performance from each employee and keep them on board. How are you going to do it? By committing to successful strategies, regardless of where your teams are located.
What can you do to boost remote worker engagement?
Tim Parker, Director of Marketing at Syntax Integration explains, why this should be high on your priorities list. But then how do you ensure that every member of your team is engaged, pleased, and productive daily? According to Tim, “Participation, communication, and appreciation are the three most important factors:
Participation:
Remote workers will not feel isolated if they participate. Encourage cross-team collaboration, provide virtual ‘office’ beverages, and create a virtual shared environment so distant employees can join in recreational activities. You should notice improved involvement during the workweek if you can create social interactions between your staff!
Communication:
Communication with employees who work from home is essential. Chat applications make it simple to stay in touch with team members or to organize regular video meetings so that everyone is on the same page with the responsibilities at hand. These online face-to-face meetings are also advantageous since they enable remote workers to see their coworkers, albeit through a screen, making them feel more connected to the team.
Appreciation:
When it is about remote workers, many firms fall short of appreciation, yet it’s the most straightforward method to show you care about them, which is a significant driver of engagement. Could you offer them customized gifts for their birthdays or work anniversaries? Do you allocate funds to help them improve their working environment at home?
The link between a company and its remote workers is strengthened by these three key pillars of remote engagement. Employees’ feelings of worth are influenced through participation, communication, and appreciation.” Adds Tim.
The secret to an engaged workforce Feeling Valued:
Employees who believe they are valued are much more likely to give their all for their organization. Employees should be treated with the same respect as customers. Coworkers and collaborators should be included in your client retention plan. Below are a few ways to boost employee engagement and productivity
1. Begin by actually caring about who they are outside of what they can achieve for you:
“Customers are more than just wallets, and employees are more than just “assets”;” says Sasha Quail, Business Development Manager of Claims UK, “they’re humans who want to be respected and communicated with daily. Arrange regular video sessions with employees in your staff who work remotely to keep in touch.”
2. Provide a fantastic product experience: provide employees with the tools they need to accomplish their jobs well:
“You ensure that your service or product answers an urgent problem for your buyers and fulfills its promise, as well as being simple and intuitive to use. Make the same attempt for your staff as you do for your customers. Customer service representatives, salespeople, and store clerks greet customers as though they are significant individuals. The outstanding product experience you provide is the company itself: a fantastic corporate culture, a nice location to work, and the sense of being able to accomplish a good job without being hampered by annoying impediments.” says Mathew Bowley, Director of Marketing at Solmar Villas.
Doing what you enjoy in a meaningful situation is a critical component of engagement. People’s engagement and retention can be greatly increased if they spend time studying a topic they love and can apply in the business. Establish a professional development strategy with your staff and encourage them to continue their education. Education isn’t just for new employees. It can range from online e-learning classes to enroll in a professional certificate.
3. React rapidly to problems:
According to Daniel Carter, UNAGI Scooters, “Employees are unlikely to slam the organization on social media in the same way that a disgruntled consumer could through sites that now provide them with a platform to do so!. Responding immediately to problems, on the other hand, shows that people are respected. Just as you’d with client complaints, listen to all of them and attempt to solve their difficulties. People want to accomplish meaningful work, move the needle, and produce results for their company, so providing them with what they need is a major win-win.”
4. Show your appreciation for their workforce in a substantial manner:
Do you provide incentives and presents to your customers? Could you do the same with the members of your team?
“Presents, especially small ones, serve to solidify happy feelings by commemorating successes and milestones. Recognize personal milestones (birthdays, weddings, etc.) as well as team milestones (a huge sale, a brand new client, or a completed project),” said Daniel Foley, Founder of Daniel Foley SEO Consultancy. He adds, “Employees are healthier and less agitated, and they are appreciative because they feel valued, thus company-wide activities like giving nutritious food alternatives and delivering (virtual) fitness sessions have been shown to enhance wellbeing, morale, and productivity.
5. Look for significance in the big picture:
Robin Antill, the Director at Leisure Buildings says, “Employees desire to make a positive influence in the world, just as customers are becoming increasingly concerned about a company’s impacts on the human and natural environment. It’s critical to emphasize how their work benefits the organization, the local community, and the world as a whole.”
Is there a certain amount of money you can give each worker to give to a charity of their choice? Is it possible for the corporation to contribute a set number of days for the person to volunteer? Could your employees, on the other hand, donate their unused sick leave to a coworker who is going through tough times?
6. Use a tool to recognize your employees:
Recognizing employees’ accomplishments is one of the simplest ways to boost engagement while also improving the bottom line: “Recognition not only enhances individual employee engagement but it’s also been found to have higher productivity and loyalty to the organization, leading to higher retention,” says, Anthony Mixides, Director at The London Vape Company While it may not appear difficult to say “good work,” in today’s digital age, technology may make it easier and even more enjoyable.
“Employee recognition software frequently incorporates gamification features (badges, leaderboards, and awards), which motivates the employees to be using the tool more frequently. Employees can give cards, “high-fives,” personalized messages, and, in many cases, public accolades to everyone in the organization using this type of platform.” says, Matthew Dailly, Managing Director at Tiger Financial.
7. Encourage people to bring their own devices:
Overall workplace morale and staff satisfaction are two crucial factors of engagement. Employees who are forced to utilize ancient, cumbersome laptops or are compelled to use a company Blackberry phone are likely to be unhappy. This is where BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) comes into play.
“At the end of the day, BYOD can make work life a whole lot more exciting for employees,” says, Daniel F. Carter, the CRO Specialist at Visual Ping. “They’ll be able to break away from the constraints of Excel and the like and genuinely get delighted from the jobs they’re performing.”
Finally, when you implement these changes within your organization, make sure that the rest of the world knows about it by applying for “Great Place to Work” prizes and the Investing in People Quality Standard Puff Pakistan, so that your efforts are acknowledged both internally and externally.
