For new generations entering the workforce, a healthy environment and positive work culture are top of mind. Employers that want a productive, loyal workforce should prioritize these qualities, too.
However, there are endless ways to engage your employees, and some strategies will fit your business better than others. To help your business discover engagement programs that can be tailored to your organization’s unique needs, this guide will explore six ideas for creating a work culture where employees can thrive.
Change up day-to-day tasks.
49% of workers report feeling bored or experiencing monotony at work, with nearly one in five respondents saying they feel that way “all the time.” Monotony is linked to performing repetitive tasks, and while not every workplace is able to change up employees’ day-to-day responsibilities, some can.
Engage your employees by giving them new types of work, encouraging them to challenge themselves by taking on new responsibilities, and trying new strategies to complete daily tasks.
For instance, Gingr’s dog daycare ideas list shares how these businesses can engage their employees and canine clients with a range of new activities, like:
- Frisbee toss
- Bubble machine
- Hide and seek
- Dog TV
- Outdoor adventure
These ideas run the gamut of high-energy to relaxed activities so dog daycare workers can change up how they approach their basic responsibility—taking care of dogs—depending on their own energy levels. Consider where you can shake up the day-to-day workflow to engage your employees.
Implement a peer-to-peer recognition program.
A little recognition can go a long way toward making employees feel appreciated, supported, and motivated to do their best.
Many workplaces have a top-down appreciation model where managers recognize top-performing employees. However, your business can create a culture of appreciation and promote social wellness by implementing a peer-to-peer recognition program.
With peer-to-peer recognition, any employee can show their appreciation for any other employee. This method results in more employees’ work being recognized, as co-workers are more likely to notice small but important contributions than a supervisor who occasionally checks in.
One structured peer-to-peer recognition program is eCards. Appreciation eCards are digital greeting cards employees can send to one another along with a message shouting out their accomplishments.
For example, eCardWidget’s guide to employee appreciation shows how one business created eCards that align with specific company values, like trust:
This approach empowers employees to recognize each other when they embody one of your workplace principles, encouraging all of your team to follow suit.
Promote autonomy.
The number one way to motivate your employees? Let them make their own decisions. Psychologists have found that external factors, such as money, only impact motivation so much, when compared to intrinsic motivation, which is fueled by self-determination.
For your business, this means employees will be most engaged when they feel a personal investment in their work. Often, the best way to achieve this is by letting employees take the reins on projects so they feel a sense of ownership they wouldn’t otherwise have if their every action is directed by someone else.
When compared to other employee engagement strategies, where and how to promote autonomy can require extensive forethought. Without proper planning, letting employees do whatever they want with no oversight is more likely to make them directionless than motivated.
A few structured ways to promote autonomy in the workplace include:
- Dedicated free periods where employees can work on whatever they desire but are expected to have some end project
- Pitching sessions where employees can submit suggestions for new projects, and if their idea is chosen, they get to oversee it
- Providing flexible working environments where employees have the freedom to decide when and where they’ll work
Along with motivating employees, providing your team the autonomy to suggest and pursue new endeavors can generate creativity and improve your business’s operations.
Provide health-related resources.
Employees can only feel engaged at work when their basic needs are met. This means promoting employee well-being by providing health-related resources both in and out of the office.
A few ways to encourage employees to live healthy lives include:
- Issuing health challenges. Encourage employees to be active participants in their health journey by creating workplace challenges related to health. Tools like Givhero make it easy for employees to join and participate in these challenges, no matter where they are.
- Reimbursing health-related purchases. Some businesses promote employee health by alleviating the financial burden with reimbursement programs. For these initiatives, employees can purchase equipment, attend classes, or buy memberships related to health. Then, they can provide the receipts to your business for proof of purchase—and to verify the purchase is health-related—and get reimbursed.
- Providing resources. To improve their physical and mental health, most of your employees will need to look to external services. Empower them to find the help they need by providing a list of resources, such as contact information for local gyms, health food stores, physical therapists, psychiatrists, and mental health helplines.
Also, always ensure employees have a safe work environment. This will reduce workplace accidents and stress, increase employee trust, and ensure you maintain a productive, supportive work environment.
Support learning opportunities.
Employees feel engaged and provide more value when they have the ability to grow in their roles. Empower them to continue learning about your industry and improving their skills by supporting various training opportunities.
For instance, you might:
- Create mentorship programs. Ask employees to volunteer to mentor their colleagues, whether they are new employees learning a role or existing team members looking to branch into a new department. By shadowing their fellow employees, your team can get practical knowledge of their roles and form strong professional relationships.
- Encourage conference attendance. Conferences and workshops are prime opportunities for employees to make connections, learn new skills, and discover emerging industry trends.
- Invite team members to host presentations. Create a culture of support and learning by encouraging team members to share their knowledge with one another through structured presentations. For example, an employee might learn some new digital marketing skills after attending a conference. Then, when they come back to the office, they could host a presentation to share what they learned.
Talk with employees about how they want to grow their careers at your business. This can help you identify and connect your team to relevant learning opportunities.
Encourage social responsibility.
Employees working in socially conscious workplaces are more likely to be responsible, giving, and socially conscious themselves. Plus, employees will feel more loyal to and motivated to work hard for employers whose values align with theirs.
Consider implementing corporate giving programs that enable employees to give back to their communities. A few popular options are:
- Matching gifts. In a matching gift program, your business will make an equal donation when an employee gives to an eligible nonprofit. This demonstrates your commitment to the causes your employees care about.
- Volunteer grants. Similar to matching gifts, volunteer grants involve your business donating to the nonprofits your employees support. But instead of requiring employees to donate themselves, volunteer grants are based on hours volunteered. For example, you might donate $10 for each hour an employee volunteers.
- Volunteer time off (VTO). VTO is a special type of PTO where employees receive time off specifically to volunteer. Draft a VTO policy that outlines what types of activities qualify for VTO, how far in advance employees should request VTO, and if VTO hours carry over from year to year.
This is just scratching the surface of potential corporate giving programs. Talk with your employees about the causes they support and what types of social responsibility initiatives they would like to see.
Engaged employees are more loyal, productive, creative, and motivated. Survey your team to learn what types of engagement programs they are interested in, and start brainstorming how these initiatives can fit into your unique workplace.
