Attracting and retaining the best talents is among the top priorities for every manager. Contrary to common practice, employee management is not a one-time activity. Rather, it is a continuous process that includes activities that show your employees that you care. It should be part of every company’s culture.

With most businesses shifting to remote work in the aftermath of the pandemic, the need for improving safer connectivity options became a priority. Cyberattacks became a clear and present danger and prompted businesses to opt for pgp android encryption communication on company and employee devices. Most organizations invested in such technologies so that they do not fall victim to snooping on unsecured networks or data thefts.

There is a reason some of the world’s best companies are investing heavily in Employee Assistance Programs. Finding, attracting, and retaining the best talent is not easy. This is why companies are going out of their way to ensure that they are building the strongest teams possible. Salaries, incentives, and perks are just one aspect of the endeavour. Great employee assistance programs can ensure that your team members not only stay with you but are motivated to put in their best for the company’s future.

Highly engaged teams report 21% greater profitability, while the most successful companies prioritize employee engagement. Additionally, engaged staff will result in improved innovation and productivity and a healthy bottom line.

Every company wants employees who are excited to report to work and contribute to organizational goals. However, you need to design a workplace environment that encourages employee engagement and motivation. Thankfully, there are many new ideas for employee engagement activities, including:

1. Prioritize Work-Life Balance-

Work-life balance is a popular corporate buzzword these days, especially among millennials. Younger workers are increasingly seeking flexibility when looking for jobs, forcing HR professionals to restructure their protocols.

Work-life balance is essential because it affects stress and burnout among workers. Stressed-out employees will have lower job satisfaction and affect your company’s productivity. As a result, you will experience increased employee turnover, which can be incredibly expensive.

Work-life balance means that your employees want to thrive both at work and in their personal lives. Some ways to achieve this include:

Offer Flexible Schedules:

Employees value managers who support them in managing their own time. You can offer remote working options and a flexible schedule for your workforce. Consequently, workers will deliver their work on time and attend to emergencies and family obligations.

Encourage Vacations:

Contrary to popular opinion, an effective worker does not mean one who works too hard. On the other hand, an efficient and productive worker knows that breaks are vital for continued productivity. Therefore, you should encourage your workers to take vacations. For example, you can initiate a ‘use it or lose it’ policy, where workers must use their vacation days before the year’s end to avoid losing them.

Restrict Working Hours:

Remote employees often struggle to regulate their work hours. You can address this by restricting the number of hours an employee can log in to the company’s system.

2. Organize Team-building Activities-

Team building programs are some of the best employee engagement ideas. Sometimes, team members can fall into a rut with their responsibilities, but you can rejuvenate their creativity with fun activities. Additionally, the workers will get to mingle with colleagues from different departments and build long-term bonds. Popular activities include:

Scavenger Hunt:

A scavenger hunt is a wonderful activity to boost collaboration between coworkers. Start by dividing your employees into equal-sized groups, and task them with locating and bringing back specific items. Include twists and clues and set a time limit for their return.

Office Trivia:

A session of office trivia will boost morale in the office. You can test employees on how well they know the company, inside jokes, mission statements, and random facts about your organization. You can add a reward to make things exciting.

Escape Rooms:

An escape room is a brilliant way to enhance your team’s communication and collaboration skills, and with the pandemic and more people working from home came a new age of virtual escape rooms. Online escape rooms are known to be less expensive and still just as fun. You can choose from a fun-themed room like an ice palace or a desert island. Your team will have a blast as they decipher clues, collaborate, and race the clock to escape the “room” in time.

Virtual Event Gift Boxes

Businesses recognize the importance of high-performance teams and how critical they are to operational success. In this regard, awarding team members with virtual event boxes can go a long way in motivating them to perform even better. This helps in establishing recognition of their effort and makes them feel worthy and cared for. You might think that this is a small step, however, for employees, something like this makes all the difference.

3. Invest in an Employee Experience Platform-

Digital communication has become essential in the workplace. Employee experience platforms are increasingly becoming popular among companies that want to boost peer relationships. These tools will increase digital interactions among your employees and build trust. What’s more, the platforms are mobile-centric and mirror popular social media networks. The benefits of an employee experience platform include:

Build Connections:

Your workers can share anonymous feedback and transcend hierarchies during group chats. This transparency level will boost employee engagement and make every employee feel like they are part of a team. Additionally, workers will engage with their company on a personal level.

Attract New Talent:

You can use an employee experience platform to update the aesthetics of your company systems to match your external brand. As a result, new hires will be attracted to the fresh experience of using a central portal for all their needs.

Share Relevant Information:

An employee experience platform lets you share relevant corporate news. Your workers will be able to do quick searches for local news and notifications, corporate policies, handbooks, and FAQs.

4. Organize Office Potlucks-

An office potluck is perfect for managers looking for new ideas for employee engagement activities. By giving your employees a chance to share their special dishes, you will encourage bonding and creativity. Besides, everyone loves delicious food. Additionally, potlucks are a cost-efficient way to bring everyone together since everyone chips in on the preparation.

Potlucks are especially ideal for the holidays, where people can play around with season themes. Such events encourage employees to take much-needed breaks and engage with one another. The steps below make potluck planning easy:

Check with the management:

Since the office will not be working during the potluck, you need to seek permission from the CEO or other authority figures. The management will also need to approve any costs for the event.

Pick a Date, Venue, and Time:

The day, time, and venue should suit the attending members. For example, holding the potluck during the Christmas week may be unfavorable for most people as they will be with their families. Next, ask high-ranking managers to send out the invitation email. People will be more likely to go to the potluck at the request of their boss.

Post a Sign-up Sheet in a Central Location:

Ensure People Mingle:

You can start the potluck with popular topics that will ease the tension and make people comfortable. Also, you can encourage people to sit with workers from different departments.

5. Give Gifts-

Employee rewards in the form of gifts show thoughtfulness. Instead of limiting gifts to birthdays and holidays, you can give them throughout the year. For example, you can give new team members a welcome kit that includes:

• Branded shirts and t-shirts
• Coffee mug
• Lunchbox
• Drawstring bag
• Notebook and pen
• Cap

A new employee will be anxious to start a new job among new coworkers, but onboarding gifts will show that you care. Moreover, you can use the gifts to showcase your company’s culture.

Every company wants to attract the best talent, but the task lies in employee retention. Gifts can help you create a workplace where members feel valued, seen, and appreciated. Some best practices for gift-giving include:

Remember Employees’ Families:

Send thoughtful gifts for your employee’s anniversaries or their children’s birthdays. By recognizing your workers’ families, you will show that you appreciate their lives outside of work.

Give Employee Recognition Gifts:

Reward employees when they hit productivity goals, sales goals, and other accomplishments. Sometimes, simply giving them affirmation cards can boost their confidence and foster their positivity. Diligent and dedicated employees who have made great contributions to the company. Company custom medals can be awarded to boost employee morale. When you show team members that they are seen, they will work harder for your organization.

Personalized Gifts:

Add special touches to gifts for individual employees. For example, you can customize blue light glasses for that worker who complains of eye strain.

In Conclusion:

An engaged worker is a happy, motivated, and productive employee. If you want better employee engagement in your workplace, you need to look at your workers as more than resources to achieve business results. Instead, recognize your workforce as real people with aspirations, fears, problems, and ideas both at work and outside of it. Then, design a work environment that makes them feel appreciated and cared for.

Read Also:

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• How To Establish Yourself As A Business Leader In The Digital Age