10 ways to boost employee engagement in 2022

Never before has employee engagement been more important than today. The world of work and the way in which we operate, has had to pivot, change and adapt over the last couple of years, and it is important that we monitor how this may have impacted the people within our teams. Maybe people’s duties and responsibilities have changed. Maybe the location in which they do their job differs. Or maybe, there has been a change in the dynamic of the team entirely. Whatever change you and your team have experienced, there is nothing like taking some time to check in individually with your people to see where they are at. Having a clear understanding of your employee's goals and what drives them, makes engaging and motivating them easier and more effective.

With all of these recent changes, now is the time to have these conversations and understand your business's best asset, your people. This will allow your business to create effective strategies to enhance employees’ satisfaction and align with what is most important to them. Recent data has shown that employees list of priorities at work has changed. For example, 1 in 6 people said that they would sacrifice a higher salary for a job offering flexible working arrangements or other benefits. In some industries, particularly healthcare, salary has shifted from being the key driving focus for individuals. This means, that there are additional ways in which we can support the people that are currently within our team, other than offering additional financial compensation. Having this valuable information about your own employees is going to increase job satisfaction and ultimately assist in staff retention.

Of course, there are a vast array of ways in which you can look at boosting engagement among a team. So we have compiled a list of 10 effective measures that you can tailor to your team, and implement immediately, to increase employee engagement in 2022.

1. Team Events

Research shows that a collective spirit and a sense of belonging can significantly boost a company’s success by increasing productivity, motivation and engagement by as much as 350%! Hosting company events whether virtually, in person or a mix of the two, are a great way to do just that as they bring employees together, and enable the building of strong connections outside of the usual workplace environment. This time outside of the ‘office’ is an opportunity to connect and get to know the people you work alongside with everyday. Gaining an understanding of each other’s strengths, weaknesses and interests pays dividends when it comes to working together in the future. Team events can also be a great way to focus on team work, collaboration, creativity, communication, trust, conflict management, or a wide range of other values. Not to mention, they can be a chance for your team to let there hair down and have a bit of fun together.

2. Mental Health Initiatives

A focus on supporting and improving employees mental health and well-being is imperative. Over the last couple of years it has become evident that a key factor in maintaining employee’s overall health and wellbeing starts with looking after their mental health. It all begins with creating and fostering a positive work environment whether working in the office or at home. Some ways in which to create a positive environment include;

• Prioritise onboarding and training of staff
• Provide feedback regularly & promote open communication
• Encourage collaboration between colleagues
• Encourage lunch breaks to be taken and time off to be utilised
• Ensure individuals have an ergonomic work space whether in office or working from home.

Alongside with creating a positive environment, offering Employee Assistance Programs can be a great way to enable employees to access a range of mental health support services.

3. Member Recognition

It can be easy to get caught up in the day to day tasks of managing the team, that sometimes celebrating success and recognising individuals gets forgotten. However, statistics show that one of the major reasons for current resignations is due to employees feeling that their management and their company didn’t value their contributions to the business. Knowing this, there needs to be a clear focus on building recognition of your team day-to-day. Try to do this in a number of ways;

• Highlight exceptional contributions during team meetings (virtual and/or in person)
• Provide positive feedback during one-on-one meetings as well as in group settings
• Encourage team members to also provide positive feedback to colleagues
• Provide rewards/incentives for specific milestones. This could be in the form of bonuses, team lunch, bottle of wine, paid time off etc.)

These actions highlight to each employee that they are valued and that their individual contributions to the team are recognised.

4. Regular Team Meetings

These days the importance of regular team meetings has increased. The frequency of these meetings may also need to increase as well, particularly in a hybrid working environment. Without your team all working together in the same room, there isn’t the general office chit chat whether work related or otherwise. This is why, effective team meetings need to be held regularly. It gives the team a chance to discuss complex issues, and to brainstorm ideas and solutions. It also brings everyone onto the same page and it is a quick and easy way to discuss various projects, team and/or business updates. These can be done virtually using online software to ensure that everyone is in attendance and recorded for those that may not be available to attend. The word effective was used earlier, and this is an important part to note. The meetings need to be purpose driven and succinct to stay engaging. No meetings, for the sake of meetings. However, having a clear agenda, or key points to cover and setting the expectation as to what each meeting will entail, will enable each meeting to be an effective way of communicating and keeping your employees engaged.

5. Work Flexibility

Over the past couple of years the need to offer a greater degree of flexibility within the workplace, arose. We now see teams working on projects virtually and we see the option to work differing hours or locations other than the stock standard 9-5 job within the office. Although some of these changes may have been initially out of our control, it is now time to embrace the change and adapt with it as our employees can thrive on this flexibility. Having options on where and when employees can work is now to be expected. It has even been shown that businesses not offering some degree of flexibility in this space may be seen as less desirable to new hires and also have an increase in staff turnover. If you can ensure that your staff have the tools and the knowledge to work autonomously, then having a degree of flexibility will enable employees to be happier and more engaged and you can increase your employee retention.

6. Communication

When it comes to communication, the more the better. People love clarity. When there is confusion or uncertainty there is inefficiency and dissatisfaction. Whether we are talking about individual roles and responsibilities, or company wide transitions, make sure you communicate clearly, document the conversation and confirm the details. Utilise various technology to make this job easier. This could be done by;

• Utilising online tools to survey your team
• Recording team meetings on your online platform
• Utilising live documents to work collaboratively on for brainstorming activities.
• Setting up shared calendars to make booking meetings and 1-on-1’s easier

Clear communication allows for a clear purpose and ultimately more engaged employees.

7. Empower your employees

Whilst having regular communication is important, that doesn’t mean it needs to lead to micro-management. Not having your team all together in the same space, can be a new and potentially daunting challenge, however empowering your employees by promoting autonomy is a positive way in which to face this challenge. Promoting autonomy doesn’t have to mean you are totally hands off. Instead, consider asking or surveying your employees about their needs and their wants. Give your staff the opportunity to also provide you feedback and suggest ideas to better the business. Ensure you are able to provide your team with the resources to collaborate and creatively solve problems as well. Employees who feel empowered, trusted and valued are more likely to thrive within their role and when each individual thrives, so does the business.

8. Training/Upskilling

It has been identified that career growth and professional learning is the top trend for job seekers in 2022. This statistic isn’t just for people seeking work, but it is the reality for the people currently within your team as well. It has been shown to be the biggest driver in company culture in recent years, so it is worth taking time out to offer these opportunities to your people. Learning and development can occur in the everyday workday too. The more support you are able to provide to assist and grow your employees desire to learn and further their abilities, the more engaged and satisfied they will be. This support can be shown in a number of ways including;

• Regular feedback sessions
• Providing appropriate resources
• Getting staff involved in complex projects or secondments to other divisions etc.

9. Sense of Community

As we continue to evolve and adapt to the hybrid ways of working, attention needs to be paid to creating space for collaboration. The office was a great place to bond with your peers, so without that we look to making these connections with one another online. There may be a number of ways to do that so ensure you find something that works for your team dynamic. This could be from encouraging virtual ‘office hours’ where everyone is working at the same time, to creating channels on your communication software devoted to social chats/clubs. Another great way to come together as a team and have a sense of unity is to create team values. It’s been shown that 70% of employees feel that their sense of purpose is defined by work, so it’s vital for businesses to ensure their people feel connected to the mission statement or value proposition. Discuss these values, tie specific actions to them, and in doing so this builds overall company culture.

10. Respect work-life boundaries

Whilst having technology that keeps us connected to each other 24/7 is an incredible thing, boundaries need to be set in place. It is important to set expectations with your team around when it is required that they are to be contactable.  Whether that is done by creating the ‘virtual office hours’ previously discussed or a more individualized approach, this allows for transparency between all team members when working in a hybrid environment. On the flip side of this, when it is ‘out of hours’ or your employee is on leave, respecting their down time away from work needs to occur. Of course, there may be an exception to this rule at times in an emergency, however we all need time to switch off and leave work at the office (albeit a home office or otherwise). Setting these boundaries and respecting our employees life outside of work, will result in a a more engaged team when it is time to work.

Conclusion

In order to not only retain your staff, but keep them motivated to continue to succeed within the business, it’s imperative we look at the ways to increase employee engagement. Staff are the best asset to any business, so ask the questions and take the action on what it most important to the people within your team.