5 Approaches For HR To Increase Employee Engagement

“Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers.” Stephen R. Covey

The contemporary corporate world is all about revolution. Everything in the corporate world is changing and it is becoming increasingly a better version of itself. For example, remember the times when employee engagement was a concept that was not given even minor importance in the workplace? But see now, it is one of the key priorities of almost every organization that aspires to be on the list of top businesses of the world.

Businesses have realized that employees are their biggest assets so treating them badly will become one of the biggest obstacles to their growth. When employees are not engaged, they will either work just for the sake of salary or until they find a better job. Besides, we all know that when employees leave, it not only disrupts the workflow but also costs employers a huge amount of money. To validate, according to the report, it can cost 1.5-2 times the employee’s salary to a company when they lose an employee.

This is the reason why HRs are constantly looking for ways and actionable strategies to engage their employees. You are also looking for the same right? Of course, you are, that’s why you are here! So, without further ado, let’s dive right into the blog to understand 5 different approaches that can assist HRs in enhancing the engagement of employees in a workplace. 

5 Strategies For HR To Enhance Employee Engagement

1. Optimize Employee Onboarding

The whole engagement experience of employees starts right from the first day they enter the office. It does not matter whether you are operating remotely or on-site, your employees’ onboarding process is the most crucial element in shaping the engagement experience of the employees. In fact, did you know as per BambooHR’s survey, 31% of new hires quit the job within 6 months of joining? Moreover, the majority of them cited the poor onboarding process as a major reason for the same. 

So, to effectively solve this issue, the first strategy that can assist HRs in managing the engagement rate of the organization is creating a worthwhile onboarding process. Whenever new hires enter the organization, they should feel welcomed and valued irrespective of the fact that they are experienced or fresher.

For an effective onboarding process, you can take various steps mentioned below

1. Introduce your new hires to all your team.
2. Give them clear instructions regarding all their work responsibilities and duties.
3. Communicate with them often and ask for their experience at regular intervals which will ensure that you care for them.
4. Happy faces in the organization always go a long way.
5. Invest in their functional training in the initial days.

All the above-given tips and tricks can effectively be implemented in the virtual environment as well by using effective virtual working spaces such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or through personal communication software of the organization.

2. Invest In Employee’s Personal Growth

Everybody aspires to grow in the future and be at the top. So, how do you think employees are going to get engaged in the organization if they do not see ample growth prospects in your organization? This is the reason you need this below-explained strategy in your organization to keep them engaged.

The need is to effectively and rightfully invest in providing growth opportunities for the employees. To successfully attain that you can

1. Organize various reskilling or upskilling sessions that can assist employees in enhancing their personal effectiveness and efficiency of performing.
2. You can organize workshops virtually or onsite providing practical knowledge to your workforce
3. You can give them access to paid or free resources such as educational learning apps that can assist them in gaining knowledge as per their comfortable timings.

Using these actionable strategies will assist you in enhancing the engagement of your workforce. The reason is that when you will put the effort into your team, it will ensure your employees that you care for them beyond profits, So, this will assist in encouraging them to work more dedicatedly in the growth of the organization which will ultimately enhance their engagement in the workplace.

3. Implement Policies Offering Flexibility

As an HR, some things are directly in your hand such as implementing new and strict policies that will ensure that your employees do not get disengaged at any point in time. One thing you need to make sure that the policies you implement should complement the needs of employees.

After the pandemic one of the popular demands of employees is greater flexibility. In fact, as per Forbes, flexibility is the new currency that can easily attract and engage the employees of the modern world.

So, another effective strategy to engage employees is to offer greater flexibility in terms of work and different projects.  offering flexibility will not only enhance the engagement of employees but will also assist in enhancing the productivity of the employees in the workplace. To substantiate, as per Forbes, 43% of employees said that flexible working hours assist them in working more efficiently and productively.

Furthermore, especially as the remote culture is becoming the new normal of the modern world, it is even more important to trust your employees and offer them the flexibility of time. This way you will be able to engage employees by filling their major demands. Moreover, you will also be able to attract new employees to work for the growth of the company because flexibility is the major EVP contributing to the employer brand of your company.

4. Cultivate empathy in the workplace

Empathy is one of the major factors that is missing in the modern corporate world. Till now many businesses have not realized that being empathetic toward employees can do wonders for enhancing the engagement of their employees.

Empathy is both a skill and a trait that gives people the ability to understand the emotions and the feelings of other people around them. You should not only be empathic but you should cultivate a culture of empathy in the workplace. When you will be empathic with your workforce, you will be able to understand their emotions before reacting to the situation.

Moreover, when you foster a culture of empathy in the workplace and everybody will be empathic toward each other’s feelings, it will assist in boosting the employees’ sense of belongingness in the workplace. Besides, as per statistics, 91% of the employees who belong to an organization feel highly engaged in the workplace. So, do we need any other reason to convince you why you need to be empathetic towards each other?

5. Support mental wellness

It does not matter whether you work in a 50-employee company or a 10-employee startup you can not deny the fact that every employee has a certain type of pressure or stress in a workplace. Also, stress is one of the major factors that can cause the disengagement of employees in a workplace. If the stress remains unchecked, it can lead to serious burnout. 

So, you have to make sure that you should do something to eliminate this factor of stress among employees in the workplace. This can effectively be done by supporting the mental wellness of employees.

You can organize various mental health supporting sessions or organize stress management activities that can assist employees in maintaining their mental wellness. Moreover, if employees are able to manage their stress, it will keep them active which will assist them in performing better for the growth of the company.

Furthermore, if employees are assured that their company is supporting them in terms of their mental wellness, it will reflect the company’s concern towards its team. This will altogether assist in engaging their engagement and motivation in the workplace.

To encapsulate, employee engagement is one of the crucial determinants that decide the growth and success of a business. Hence, it is crucial for HRs to engage and retain their workforce which will ensure that the company will only grow in the future using its biggest asset, its workforce. Moreover, the above-given strategies will effectively assist you in engaging your employees in the workplace.