It is so important to any business to engage your staff. Gallup Analytics recently reported “87% of employees worldwide are not engaged”. That’s a lot!
When it comes to staff motivation and engagement there is no one size fits all approach. There are so many ways that you can engage your staff, and you have to find the best fit for your business and your people.
Typically the second half of the year is less productive than the first. This can be caused by the summer months approaching, staff workload can decrease or your staff could also be feeling a little burnt out and in need of some RnR. Regardless of the cause, a slump in productivity from your staff can lead to a dip in workplace productivity of up to 20%. So, as we are now well over half the year, don’t let productivity drop. Keep your staff engaged by considering the following:
1. Explain company goals for FY 2017/2018
Communicating where the business is heading what the current projects are, will make a difference to the business and can provide real meaning and help considerably to engage your staff. In some ways, business goals become employee goals. This is a great way to remind employees what they’re working towards and therefore engage them with “common” direction can encourage team behaviour and a sense of belonging.
2. Give encouragement and regular feedback
It has been reported that Millennials respond exceptionally well to encouragement and feedback. A simple “thank you”, “congratulations”, “great job” or “I appreciate your efforts” can go a long way in keeping your staff on track. The best news… It’s free!
3. Get to know your team
How well do you really know your staff? Do you know what drives them? Having more conversations with your staff will allow you to understand them better, which will motivate & engage them in the future. You can also look at Psychometric testing to identify underlying drivers for your staff.
4. Offer flexible schedules
This tip may not work for every business but still the concept of being flexible in the workplace can apply. Incorporating a flexible schedule in your workplace by offering employees alternate start or finish times or working from home days can show employees you care. Not only that but it shows employees, that you trust them to be productive without micro-management. This is a powerful way to keep staff engaged and on track.
5. Focus on projects
If you are having a downturn in workload, this is a great opportunity to focus on internal projects using the power of your people to engage your staff. Giving responsibility to staff members to focus on special projects. This is a great way to show staff that you value their input and what they have to offer. Special projects is also a great way for staff to develop skills which they may not utilise in their day to day tasks. For example, a team leader or supervisor could be given extra responsibility which could help them progress into a management role.
So now you have some tips to kick goals for the remainder of 2017! Your people are the success of your business and it is important to keep them engaged! Doing so, helps you achieve your organisational goals.
If you are interested in learning more about staff engagement, surveys or psychometric testing, talk to one of our HR Specialists!