It’s fall, and you know what that means: WORK! You must be frowning. Let us rephrase that for you. Well, fall means taking a break from your usual routine and doing something new, something that will get you engaged.
Employee engagement is the fall’s hottest topic. It’s a term that gets thrown around a lot, but do you really know what it means?
“Employee engagement” is defined by Forbes as an employee’s emotional commitment to the company’s mission and objectives. In other words, it’s how much your employees care about what they do.
But how do you make sure your employees are engaged? How do you know if they’re not engaged? Most importantly, how do you keep them interested throughout the fall?
Is employee engagement important?
Is it important if an employee is engaged if they can do their job? Yes! According to research, employees who are happy and productive are more likely to stay with a company.
While many studies have looked at the impact of employee engagement, Gallup conducted one of the most comprehensive in 2012. According to Gallup, businesses with engaged employees are two times more likely to succeed. More importantly, those that had the most motivated employees were four times more likely to succeed.
The study also found that high levels of employee engagement led to better attendance, fewer safety incidents, increased productivity and profitability, and lower employee turnover.
That’s where The Job Shoppe comes in! We’ve got some tips for making sure your employees are happy this fall.
- Plan ahead
Create a plan for the fall: We understand that sometimes this can feel like a lot of work, but it will definitely help if you have a plan in place before things get crazy with fall vacation schedules. You can start by identifying what kinds of activities your employees enjoy during their free time (hint: maybe they don’t just want to lie around on the beach all day).
- Party. Party. Party.
Everybody loves a party. Who doesn’t? Most businesses host fall get-togethers to commemorate the passing of another calendar year of operation. Incorporating holiday gatherings like Easter and Thanksgiving dinners into the corporate calendar shows employees that the company cares about their well-being. You only need two parties a year, but they should be memorable ones. Invite your loved ones, such as wives, friends, and family members, to these celebrations. A daytime celebration or bartering with other companies can save you some cash.
- Lunch meetings with a twist
In order to foster communication and knowledge sharing among your staff, learning lunches are the ideal solution. Encourage colleagues from different departments to collaborate on projects, celebrate birthdays, and solve new challenges together. One lunch and learn a week is a way of fostering community, education, and openness. You just have to make sure they are not too long and tedious. Meetings over lunch tend to be dreaded by all participants. Lunch should be fun and entertaining, so keep it that way!
- Host a competition
Games, tournaments, and competitions do not have to be expensive to be fun for employees. Try organizing a tennis or basketball tournament or an art exhibition with the rest of the employees of the company. These events have a positive impact on the morale and productivity of your employees. Other sporting events, such as track and field, are also held by some workplaces.
- Create a unique day
Create a unique day. Outfit of the Day, for instance, is a fun way to break up the routine and encourage employees to look forward to something on a regular basis.
A fun and easy way to do this is by having an “outfit of the day” (OOTD) theme every day. You can make your own rules—maybe it’s just that everyone wears a different color, or maybe it’s something more specific like “sockless” or “black and white.” Whatever you choose, it’s sure to be a hit! Do you have any other suggestions?
- Invite a special guest
We all know that training sessions are… well, boring. They’re long, they’re repetitive, and they’re not very exciting. They’re a necessary evil, sure—but more often than not, they’re a pain in the neck (or at least in your backside).
Invite a special guest speaker to spice up your training sessions! Yes, you read that right. And no, we don’t mean someone from HR who’s going to drone on about policies and procedures or some other mind-numbing topic. We mean a celebrity! A comedian! A musician! An athlete! Someone who knows how to keep people engaged and excited about learning new things.
Your employees will never forget this training session—and if they do, they’ll always be grateful for the fun memories it created for them!
- Team building
It’s no secret that employees enjoy team-building activities that take place outside of the office. Employees will be able to form bonds outside of the workplace by participating in activities. But there are other benefits to these activities, too: they can help you strengthen your workplace culture.
Team-building activities help employees feel like they’re a part of something bigger than themselves and can help them connect with their coworkers in ways that aren’t possible when everyone is holed up in their offices all day long.
- Night-outs
Have you ever been working late and thought, “I’m so tired I could drink my own weight in alcohol”? Well, we’ve got just the solution for you: throw a bar night! We’re not talking about just any old bar night—we’re talking about an epic party that will blow your employees’ minds and leave them begging for more.
If you’re an employer, you know that a little bit of fun makes the work day go by faster. A night-out party is the perfect way to give your employees a chance to have a good time once in a while. Hosting this event will make you look like a cool boss, and it’ll give your employees an opportunity to bond and relax together.
- Events to Raise Money for Good Causes
It’s time to give your employees the opportunity to organize events in support of causes that are important to them. This can be anything from a bake sale for charity, to a coffee break where they’re all in costume, or even just a company-wide book club. It doesn’t matter what the cause is—what matters is that it gives them an opportunity to participate in something meaningful and get their minds off work.
This way, you can show your employees how much you care about their passions and give them a chance to advocate for what they believe in while still promoting harmony within the workplace.
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It is time to put your plan into action now that you know how to do it. Visit our website to get more job-related information. We will help you find your next job opportunity. The Job Shoppe can also help your company with our sourcing and recruiting services. Email us for inquiries: jobs@thejobshoppe.com.