20 Ways To Boost Employee Engagement And Put A Stop To Quiet Quitting
Few in HR think that a pay cheque alone each month is enough to keep employees engaged and motivated; however, as the trend of quiet quitting continues this indicates that significant gaps still exist between employer and employees expectations. Now very much a buzzword, quiet quitting continues to gain traction. Emma Salveson, MD, The Hub Events, noted, “Whilst passive aggressive in its execution. Quiet quitting is fundamentally about establishing a work-life balance. If employers are having issues with employees not wanting to go above and beyond for their company, then it is up to the company to provide that additional motivation.” Salveson shares 20 ways in which HR can help boost employee engagement in the company and take action against the trend of quiet quitting.
1. Listen to needs
You will not be able to follow any of the following tips if you do not listen to what your employees have to say. You can provide a forum or a channel for your employees to express grievances and ways to improve the company. Feedback is critical when managing a business and many problems can be avoided by taking on what your employees have to say. To encourage your employees to give feedback, you need to do a few things. First of all, you should provide a method for your employees to provide feedback. This can either be an email or a meeting - both can be effective ways of gathering information. Another thing to take into consideration is an anonymous means of communication between your employees and yourself.
2. Provide training
As a manager, you need to spend time and energy coaching your employees to get better at their jobs. An employee who believes there is constant forward momentum and progression will be far happier than those who are stagnant. That’s why training, either through third parties or in-house, is essential. Not only will your employees be happier, but the work they do will also be of a higher quality and will be completed more efficiently. That’s why investing in their future is a no-brainer to improve employee engagement.
3. Supply the right tools
Giving someone a fork and telling them to dig a hole will only end in frustration and an undug hole. Managers need to make an employee's workday as stress-free and efficient as possible. Why waste their time remembering 5 different passwords when you can provide them with password management. Effectively cutting wasted productivity in one fell swoop. The same goes for any and all essential tools that can alleviate frustration and boost productivity. An employee who is constantly getting bogged down in mundane busy work is not going to feel fulfilled. Particularly, when there are simple and cost-effective solutions that will allow them to achieve their full potential.
4. Provide individual attention
One challenge to boosting employee engagement is figuring out which approach will work best and then tailoring it to the individual. Workplaces are more diverse now than ever before, which means you should have a diverse way of boosting employee engagement. Start by getting to know your team and find out which communication style works for them. As a manager, you should identify the employees that want public recognition and the ones who want to be left to their own devices. Figuring out what makes your employees tick and then accentuating their best qualities will do wonders for their morale and the company. There’s no cheat or hack to get past this step. You just need to work at building a relationship with your team or at the very least be understanding of their needs and wants. Some preferences, however, appear to be almost universal. For many people, increased autonomy and responsibility in their jobs can lead to higher levels of engagement. Often, the flexibility to decide when and how they complete tasks also motivate them to do better.
5. Add social element
Engaged workers are generally more emotionally invested in their jobs. A simple way to help employees care more about their workplace is to foster closer connections to colleagues. In a workplace where teams are important. Healthy personal relationships are a key ingredient in fostering a good work environment. And there’s no end to the types of events HR can sponsor, so keep an open mind. When we say ‘add a social element’ we are not talking about enforced fun. That means you shouldn’t start an after work Zoom call for employees to drink and chat. Nobody enjoys enforced fun. If you want people to chat then you should be encouraging interaction in the office, which is a point we will get on to next.
If you want to create a social element in the workplace then you should first ask your team what type of activities they would like to be a part of. This could be anything from going bowling to doing an online murder mystery. Regardless of what it is, make sure it is something that people want to do. You will also have to keep in mind that not everybody drinks. This means you should try to alternate between drinking socials and sober socials. That way everyone is involved equally.
6. Encourage interaction
The workplace doesn’t always have to be about the work. Whilst hitting targets and deadlines is critical to any business, it shouldn’t be used as an excuse to not allow any interaction between employees. Interaction breeds innovation, even when they are talking about nothing in particular. Even with remote working being square in the mainstream, it is still possible to have free-flowing conversations in the workplace. For example, having a group chat on teams, WhatsApp or slack could give employees the space to discuss topics they want. This effect can be achieved in the office by not clamping down on talking during working hours. A good technique to get the conversation flowing is by providing some form of background noise, be it the radio or a Spotify playlist. This makes people more willing to talk as they are less conscious of being overheard by everyone. Playing music also means those who normally put on headphones might be more willing to listen to the ambient music and keep them off.
7. Recognise good work
It’s no secret that rewards and recognition can increase engagement. To that end, organisations need to clearly broadcast the meaning of the company’s work. because that message gives people a clearer idea of how they fit into the mission of the company and what kinds of behaviour will be rewarded. At Disney, for instance, workers know that the customer experience is paramount, and they’re recognized for creating a magical atmosphere. That, in turn, helps them connect to their jobs.
8. Invest in health & wellbeing
Workplace benefits aren’t a replacement for paying employees what they are worth. However, benefits could be the boost some people need to improve their health and wellbeing. For example, offering free gym memberships and free counselling could be an effective way of improving employee morale.
9. Foster positive environment
It’s important to recognise that everyone is human and everyone makes mistakes. If you don’t accept some level of mistakes and oversights then you risk feeling constantly frustrated at the work produced by everyone. This negative attitude does filter down and can affect the morale of the people working under you. Avoiding scare tactics is the predominant way in which you can ensure your employees feel happy in the work they produce. Instil in your employees that mistakes are just opportunities to develop. This ensures that they feel comfortable bringing up when something goes wrong. The ability to try and fail without fear of repercussions will eventually lead to success.
10. Pay people on time
There is nothing worse to employee morale than not paying them on time. Out of everything on this list, paying people on time is by far the easiest and most important way of boosting employee engagement. Or at the very least, you won’t tank everyone’s morale. Getting paid is the reason why people work, so messing with their core motivation will mean that work will slow down to a crawl. This lack of morale will continue to happen well after they’ve been paid.
11. Give salary increments when due
An Employee’s value is often equated with how much they are being paid. It is one of the few concrete values available to them. That means, if you want them to know that their value to the company is increasing then you should increase their pay to match that added value. Whilst you may want to increase everyone's wages, you simply cannot because you are running a business. That means you have to put in the effort to find that sweet spot of making your employees happy and keeping your business afloat.
12. Don't micromanage ... empower
If you wouldn’t hire somebody who was completely inept at their job, then why would you treat someone like they cannot do their job? Micromanaging might work for some people, but building a team that can act independently is important for any business. Granting autonomy also allows for greater confidence in one's own abilities.
13. Enhance workplace communication
The less your team talks together, the less your team will work together. It’s important to foster an environment where teams can communicate outside of scheduled times. But what many managers miss is that effective scheduled meetings are one of the key ways to creating that environment. You have to create opportunities for good workplace communication if you want them to begin happening spontaneously. You can also have infrequent 1:1 meetings with team members. It’s always important to keep track of how they are feeling about their job and how motivated they are. This way, you can improve their overall experience before they become disillusioned with their job and the company.
14. Provide onboarding experience
There’s nothing more daunting than starting a new job. You’re placed in a room with dozens of strangers who are well acquainted with one another. You will have a short time to get used to the company culture, the other employees and the way that things are done. This is why an onboarding experience is critical in getting people integrated into their team and the company at large, which will improve employee engagement. An onboarding process should include an overview of the new employee's role and responsibilities. It should also be an opportunity for them to get to know their new team and others within the company. The more integrated they feel, the more engaged they will be.
15. Create time affluence
Reward employees with time in addition to money. Working hours have been steadily increasing. That means rewarding employees with time on top of money represents a direct way of increasing productivity and overall employee engagement. You can do this by granting more paid vacation time. It’s not like people have been able to travel in the last year, so giving employees a bonus week will be appreciated. Another way of granting more time affluence is by decreasing the number of hours worked in a day. You can do this across the board and allow employees to come in or leave half an hour earlier or later. At the very least you can give them an earlier finish time on a Friday so that they have more time to themselves over the weekend.
16. Up workplace benefits
Workplace benefits come in many forms. For example, you can encourage employees to invest in time-saving investments. This can take the form of house cleaning and meal delivery services. These simple services allow for more leisure time which in turn translates into higher levels of productivity. Time debt can often leave employees stressed and overworked as they cannot do the things they want to do. Facilitating leisure activities through work benefits is one way of increasing engagement.
17. Volunteer as a team
Finding purpose through work is a cornerstone of what makes an employee engaged in what they do. So, you shouldn’t miss an opportunity to get the team together and do something worthwhile. There’s nothing more rewarding than volunteering as a team. Planting community gardens, building homeless shelters or baking cakes for a sale are all worthwhile acts that break up the work week. It also shows that you as a company care about your local community as well as your employees' wellbeing.
18. Promote regular breaks
Nobody should be expected to stay ‘on’ non-stop throughout the workday. That’s why taking five minutes at regular intervals to grab a coffee, scroll through social media or have a chat is important for overall productivity. It allows employees to take their minds off of work and then come back to it fresh. Sitting down and looking at a screen for hours is not great for your overall health and wellbeing. Sitting affects your posture, mental health, and stress levels. It may also contribute as a factor to certain medical issues, such as cardiovascular diseases and carpal tunnel syndrome. Stretching your legs once in a while and avoiding screens for extended periods of time is one way of avoiding these negative effects.
19. Clarify goals & company culture
Every employee has a set of goals and responsibilities they need to work on. When employees become overwhelmed with how much they are doing, they often lose sight of what their role within the company is. That’s why condensing job roles into something that can be easily understood is paramount. If you don’t understand the job, then you won’t be that engaged with it. Each employee should be able to achieve the goal they are assigned. If they cannot achieve it, there may be a lack of leadership, support, resources, skill level and confidence. All of these can be improved on by the manager. A great leader is one who is there to help their employees set goals and assist them when problems arise. You cannot be there for them all the time, but you should show them that you are there to help.
20. Embrace transparency
Honesty is always the best policy. If an employee feels like their manager isn’t being honest with them, then that would have a detrimental effect on their overall performance. Having open communication with employees will assure them that the company is hitting their goals. If it isn’t then they will know that something needs to be done about it. Honesty also goes both ways. If an employee believes that they can talk to a manager without serious repercussions, then they will do that. When employees understand that telling the truth comes with no major consequences, small problems that occur can be identified and dealt with earlier. Meaning that the impact will be minor.
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
