The Employee Engagement Journey: This is where you begin
Engaged employees are more confident and content, and they are capable of making better and more innovative decisions. With an engaged workforce you boost morale, increase productivity and improve the prospect of achieving your company’s goals.
Once you have decided you want engaged staff members, follow these seven steps to ensure you have a well-planned employee engagement programme.
1. GOALS
Your first step is setting clear goals and long-term objectives. What do you hope to achieve? Some examples include: improving your company’s culture, increasing staff productivity and attracting and retaining top talent. It’s crucial to engage with leadership to get their input and commitment.
2. BUDGET
Employee engagement programmes can be operated at very little cost, it’s up to you to decide what programme suits your budget. When considering your finances, it’s important to weigh up the cost of a programme versus the price of a disengaged workforce.
3. COMMITTEE
Appoint a team that will be responsible for running the programme. By having one point of contact it streamlines the entire process. Make sure that the team you pick is small but efficient.
4. RULES
What are employees recognised for? Is it length of service, milestones achieved, or team accomplishments? Set the criteria for the programme and ensure that the rules are fair. They must be applicable to everyone from top management to entry level staff.
5. REWARDS
How you choose to reward your employees will depend on your company. It could be a financial contribution, such as a gift card or a cash reward, or public recognition in your monthly staff newsletter. The essential thing to remember is that one size doesn’t fit all, and rewards must benefit the person receiving them.
6. COMMUNICATION
Now that you’ve worked out all the details of your employee recognition programme, it’s time to share the information with your staff. This needs to be done in a clear, transparent and detailed way. Not only do you want staff to completely understand how the programme works but you also want them to be excited about it.
7. CONTINUITY
For a programme to be successful you need to run it efficiently over a long period of time. One way to keep staff engaged and enthusiastic, is to continually add in new rewards as this maintains their interest in the programme.
An employee engagement programme is a major change initiative, and if you want it to become a part of your corporate culture, you need to make a long-term commitment. Employee engagement takes time, but it builds a strong, committed workforce and you become an employer of choice.
If you want any information about employee engagement, speak to PLP Group – leaders in the employee engagement industry. Phone us today on 011 449 7300 for advice and assistance.
