Employee engagement hit an 11-year low in the beginning of 2024 with only 30% of employees actively engaged at work. This is concerning for most businesses, seeing as companies with engaged employees are 21% more profitable.
It’s clear that employee engagement is something businesses need to focus on, but how? Today, we’re going to look at why team engagement is important and employee engagement ideas to get your team to perform their best.
What is Employee Engagement?
If you want to learn how to keep employees engaged, step one is understanding what employee engagement is and how it works. Employee engagement is the level of commitment employees have to their organization and its goals. This is separate from financial commitment as well, and employees who are engaged aren’t just there for the paycheck.
For example, say there’s a company that sells affordable running shoes. An engaged employee would be invested in the business, passionate about selling running shoes, and committed to the company’s goal of providing affordable running shoes.
Ultimately, employee engagement is a fairly simple concept. It’s just how dedicated employees are to the company and its mission. However, it is incredibly important and has a huge impact on a business and its success.
Why is Team Engagement Important?
Keeping employees engaged is essential for any business that wants to achieve its goals. Employee engagement is one of the most impactful aspects of a business, and it can separate a struggling business from a booming one. Engagement increases workplace productivity. In fact, Gallup found that businesses with high employee engagement are more productive and 21% more profitable.
Because of this, keeping employees engaged with the right people engagement activities is a critical aspect of running a business. Engaging disengaged employees can help you increase productivity, develop a stronger workforce, and get a leg up on competitors.
Top 10 Employee Engagement Ideas
Though it’s clear that employee engagement is essential, finding the right employee engagement ideas can often be a challenge. What will engage my team? What activities or strategies work best? These can be tough questions to answer.
However, we’re going to provide 10 of the best staff engagement ideas to help get you started. Just remember to consider your team and their preferences. These are all great ideas in general, but individual teams respond differently to various forms of engagement.
1. Give Back as a Team
One of our favorite team engagement ideas is giving back as a team. Charitable events are a great way to encourage bonding, develop relationships, and get team members more engaged with the organization.
Two examples are Team Teddy and Just Roll With It. Team Teddy has teams create and customize teddy bears for kids in need, coupled with exciting challenges. Just Roll With It is a similar event but is timed and involves making skateboards for kids in need.
Both of these events are great employee engagement ideas. We also have a suite of other charitable events that are perfect for employee engagement, so give them a look.
2. Prioritize Employee Health
When it comes to ideas for employee engagement, something that often gets overlooked is employee health. An employee’s physical and mental health can play a big role in their ability to stay engaged with their work, and prioritizing their health can make a big difference.
Happy and healthy employees are much more likely to be invested in the business and their coworkers, and work their hardest to help the company achieve its goals.
Our employee wellness program is a great option for those who want to prioritize employee health. This three-stage program includes a variety of wellness activities that help employees with their health, while also creating a healthier and more positive work environment.
3. Four-Day Workweek
Though this may seem like one of the most radical employee engagement ideas, improving work-life balance via a four-day workweek can greatly improve engagement. It can also help prevent burnout and increase retention.
Since the pandemic, more and more employers are leaving behind their 9-to-5 office jobs for more flexible and employee-focused opportunities. As a result, companies across the globe have begun piloting four-day workweeks.
Despite working fewer hours, most trials have seen an increase in productivity. In fact, Microsoft Japan saw a 40% productivity increase with a 4-day workweek. Buffer reported an increase in employee autonomy and overall work happiness, as well as reduced stress levels.
4. Creative Compensation
Benefits and compensation are some of the many things that impact engagement, and trying out some new ideas can help you keep employees’ attention. Get creative with compensation and offer fun perks to your workers.
Consider introducing an arts and culture stipend for local theatre shows, museums, and concerts. You could also give your employees a wellness stipend for a monthly gym membership, sports classes, or equipment. This signals to the employee that you care about them and their personal lives even when they’re not on the clock, which in turn can make them more dedicated and engaged with their work.
5. Effective Communication
If you’re looking for simple employee engagement ideas that can be implemented immediately, effective communication is a great option. Clear and open communication is key for business in general, so it’s no surprise that it can help with engagement too.
Employees are more engaged when they feel like they can ask questions, talk things through, and have open conversations with those around them—including management and leadership.
An open door policy is a great start. That encourages employees to voice their concerns, talk to their bosses, and be more involved in the business as a whole. In turn, that increases employee engagement.
6. Incorporate Team Building
For more creative ways to engage employees, team building is a good choice. There are many reasons for team building, and employee engagement is one of them. Team building is an effective way to increase engagement while also improving other key skills.
Team Mixology for example involves teams working to create their own unique and creative cocktails, potentially as part of a friendly contest. Giving your team the chance to let loose a bit can be a very effective way to get them more engaged.
Another option is the Corporate Tonite Show for remote teams. It is a virtual Tonite Show-style game show with a live host and exciting activities, all of which help increase engagement.
7. Invest in Growth
One of the many reasons employees get disengaged is that they aren’t challenged and don’t see room for growth, promotions, etc. Directly investing in your employees’ growth—whether that’s through team building, upskilling, or other training programs—helps them be more focused and committed to the organization, increasing engagement.
8. Mentorship Programs
Tying into the last option, mentorship programs can be another great way to increase engagement. Developing a cross-departmental or senior management mentorship program can encourage collaboration, learning, growth, and engagement.
Employee mentorship programs are especially beneficial, as they help engage both the mentor and mentee. They can also increase trust, efficiency, and job satisfaction which provide their own benefits to your business.
On top of that, mentorship programs help you develop a stronger, more skilled, and flexible workforce that can help push your business forward.
9. Recognize and Reward Employees
Employees want to feel valued, which is why employee recognition is one of the best engagement strategies for any company. However, we often focus on results rather than the effort the employees put into their jobs.
A sincere “thank you” at a team meeting or via email will make your employees feel appreciated and respected, increasing engagement. Taking the time to recognize your employee’s work and efforts will be sure to increase employee loyalty and performance.
And don’t be afraid to get creative with recognition, rewards, and incentive ideas. Consider all your options and find rewarding, exciting, and engaging ways to recognize employees.
10. Focus on Inclusion
Wrapping up our list of suggestions for employee engagement is inclusion. Though this is one of the employee engagement ideas that often gets overlooked, it can have a huge impact on engagement.
We discussed the importance of inclusion and its role in employee engagement during our recent podcast episode with inclusion activist Ash Beckham, Inclusive Leadership 101. She emphasized the importance of inclusion, saying:
If you have a team, you thrive when you’re getting the best from everyone. Everybody has to feel empowered to be their true version of themselves. If they don’t feel valued for who they are, then you won’t get their best.
Employees who aren’t included are much less likely to be engaged, and vice versa. So take the time and make the effort to focus on inclusion.
Staff Engagement Ideas Made Easy
Employee engagement is closely tied to efficiency, productivity, retention, and more. Keeping employees engaged and utilizing the right employee engagement ideas is essential for any successful business. If you’re struggling to find ways to engage your employees, partner with TeamBonding. We have two decades of experience and can make your team building events easy, effective, impactful, and memorable.
So take the first step and engage your workforce with TeamBonding. Check out our events and get in touch with us today to boost your employee engagement.
