4 Ways Human Resources Can Boost Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is one of the core contributing factors to every company’s success. HR departments must make sure to have an employee engagement strategy in place from day one as opposed to creating one as crisis management. We take a look at 4 ways HR can boost employee engagement.

The basis for every successful business is that it harbors active and engaged employees. An actively engaged employee will do what is necessary to get the job done with enthusiasm and dedication. To be unmotivated will reduce productivity by almost half, and the workforce will not collectively work towards achieving a common business goal.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Engaged employees are loyal employees, engaged employees are brand ambassadors, engaged employees are the secret to success. Disengaged employees can potentially cost companies in the US up to a whopping $550 billion a year. Many times when businesses recognize the drop in engagement, it is then that the human resources department decides to develop an engagement strategy to combat the drop in productivity. This shouldn’t be the case. There should always be a strategy in place, and HR must look for ways to enhance the strategy to keep improving engagement levels as opposed to developing a plan to avert a crisis.

According to Gallup, just 33% of American workers are engaged in their jobs. 52% percent say they’re “just showing up,” and 17% describe themselves as “actively disengaged”. These numbers are truly shocking. HR departments definitely have their work cut out for them to unlock the true potential of their employees. Understanding what specific set of activities can help to boost employee engagement.

Here are 4 ways human resources can boost employee engagement:

1. Establishing an open line of communication
2. Make the onboarding process have long-lasting effects
3. Promote every opportunity to grow
4. Redo your compensation policy

Your employees should never feel like they cannot come and express their true feelings and opinions or share their ideas with their superiors. Improve all avenues of communication between employees and management. There are a few ways that make this effective. Ensure that company policies include an open communication policy that is visibly exercised. Let everyone know that this policy exists and develop activities to promote communication to show the value in it. Hold town hall meetings once a week for everyone to catch up and talk about everything going on that doesn’t have anything to do with work or projects or anything of the sort. An internal communications platform helps for quick and convenient communication between employees and management.

The onboarding process should be more than just a process to onboard employees. If not done right it can make a new employee feel like an alien in a new world completely unaware of how they can approach their new role. On the other hand, when done right, a new hire can enter the workforce highly engaged and ready to tackle everything in the most optimal and productive way. Communication is of course as always key to it all. Provide as much reading material as possible to help them learn and acclimatize to their new work environment. Material that talks about company culture, morals, what the company mission is, and how they envision achieving it. Have the first couple of days be completely focused on orientation and having them learn all the procedures of the company. Make sure that their office or desk/workstation is completely set up with their email set up. Fill in their calendar with the necessary training sessions and meetings needed for the first week. It’s all the little things that help every employee realize that they are valued and looked after. This will motivate them to remain engaged, to always put their best foot forward, and be productive.

After spending a certain amount of time within a certain position, it is natural for an individual to feel stagnant and want to know that there is a possibility for change and growth. It is important for companies to show their employees that their ample opportunity to grow within the organization itself and management favors such growth. Offer ample employee training opportunities for employees who want to advance in a specific area. Keep them in the know every time there is an opening or possibility of an opening and help them work towards it. This shows that the company is rooting for its employees and would support them as much as they can.

Compensation doesn’t only have to revolve around bonuses. Try to be creative and find other ways to reward your employees that go beyond monetary compensation. Set up an employee recognition program that recognizes employees for doing more than just their job. Reward employees for showcasing their skills or doing something over and above their job jurisdiction. Outline a wide array of rewards like a free meal, a day at the spa, or simply points that they can collect and later redeem a larger prize.

These 4 tactics are just some of the things your HR department should include in the employee engagement strategy. It’s the small things that make all the difference. While it may take a while to see results, rest assured all the measures taken will prove to be effective in boosting productivity.