One of the biggest threats to a company’s efficiency is disengaged employees. Low employee engagement is so damaging because it shows very clearly when an employee isn’t fully involved in the work they’re producing. In order to prevent this, keep reading for 5 things your HR department can do to boost employee engagement.
By actively investing in your employee’s wellbeing you’re showing them that as a company you care about them as individuals rather than mere workers. One way you can invest in wellbeing is to train mental health first aiders within the company so that your employees always have someone to turn to when they’re in need.
Similarly, promoting the benefits of healthy lifestyles can go a long way towards improving employee engagement. Rather than focusing on healthy eating and exercise, take a look at your company as a whole and see how you can promote a healthier lifestyle across the board. Maybe there’s a general culture of working long hours. If this is the case, encourage taking full lunch breaks and leaving on time.
HR in particular are in a great position to be able to show their appreciation for employees because they can show their recognition of hard work across the entire organisation. By recognising their efforts within the organisation, individuals are likely to want to engage with their work more because they’re noticing that the work they do matters.
Again, this comes down to making employees feel valued as people. Rewarding employees for their efforts is a great way to boost engagement, but another way to really ensure employees are engaging in their work is to offer employee rewards in general. Things like free gym access and mental health and wellbeing support show the employees how important they are to the company which will result in them being more engaged.
If companies want to keep their employees, it’s important that they show there are growth opportunities within the organisation. One of the reasons employees become disengaged is because they feel that their work is futile, and they don’t see a reason to be fully engaged. To counteract this, make sure there are a range of training opportunities available for employees who wish to advance their skills.
The first few weeks in a job are vital when it comes to ensuring employee engagement. By making sure you’re providing an effective onboarding process, make it clear to the employee that they’re important. Make sure they’re aware of the company’s goals and purpose so they’re engaged with the company from the get-go. Not only does this set them up to succeed within their new role, but it also expresses to them how important and valuable they’re going to be within the company.
Final thoughts
So, with these 5 things in mind, your HR department has the base knowledge to begin improving workplace culture. Now it’s time to put these steps into practice and boost your employee engagement. Good luck!
