Employee Engagement has long been a hot topic in the world of HR, but it means different things to different people. Google defines Employee Engagement as “property of the relationship between an organisation and its employees”. Not very catchy is it?
We understand that Employee Engagement has different definitions the world over but here at Personal Group we define it in three words. No spoiler yet but in the meantime, can you think about how Employee Engagement is defined within your organisation?
You may find that if you ask every member of staff, each definition will be different. It is so important for an organisation to have a universal understanding of what Employee Engagement should look like in their business. Once this definition is established and adopted throughout the business, HR then needs to ensure their strategy aligns with supporting this definition.
We have outlined some things to consider when aligning your definition of Employee Engagement with your wider engagement strategy.
One size doesn’t fit all
Senior staff may be under the impression that because they are engaged, so are all staff and that there is nothing to worry about. To them, staff may be happier than ever so there is no need to rethink their employee engagement strategy. If it isn’t broke, then why try and fix it? But what engages you might do nothing for me, it is important to understand that all staff are different. In order to fully understand how engaged staff really are, organisations need to get their ears on the ground and take in the opinions of all staff. You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Whether this be the staff survey, focus groups or engagement benchmarking, you need to understand how your staff are feeling and what can move the dial. At Personal Group, we have a group of Benefits Champions. The team is made up of staff from all areas of the business and from all levels of seniority. They let senior management know what benefits staff are using, which could do with a bit of TLC and they come up with suggestions for new benefits. This team is a great way to ensure the opinions of all staff are heard and considered when it comes to Employee Engagement practises.
Engaging remote staff
So you know that Employee Engagement can mean different things for different staff, it is now time to consider remote staff. With more staff working away from the office than ever before it is important that organisations help keep them engaged and understand what benefits would appeal to them as well as the wider workforce. This means that if an organisation introduces free fruit in the office, they need to understand that this might not get all staff engaged. It is so important when outlining a benefit strategy that you understand that, while it is near on impossible to keep everyone happy, you must consider the entire workforce, including those staff who aren’t in the head office. They don’t get to take part in the water cooler chats and if they are out on the road or without computer access you need to find a way to get them engaged and feeling part of the team. An employee app is a great way to make sure staff are engaged, no matter where they are - both inside and outside of work.
Quality over quantity
It can be tempting to either provide the widest range of benefits or to send out lots of communications in order to promote the ones you do have. From letters, to posters to staff announcements, there are so many ways to shout about the incredible benefits on offer. However there is a danger of disengaging staff if you spend a lot of time (and money) bombarding them with information. Not only should the comms be tailored, you need to make sure that the products on offer are relevant to the staff receiving them. If you have a plethora of benefits that have been available for years, you may want to have a sense check and see if these benefits are really the ones that staff will be thankful for. Honing your communications to promote these benefits is a great way to show staff you care and help drive those engagement levels up. A push notification or targeted email showing them only the benefits you know they like is a sure fire way to make them happy.
Now you have read our top tips it is time to reveal what our definition of employee engagement is at Personal Group: Unlocking Discretionary Effort. Through an advanced benefits platform and app we offer our staff, and our clients’ employees, access to a sophisticated range of benefits that they can access anytime, anywhere. The result? Happier, more engaged employees who will help your productivity levels soar.
