10 Creative Ways To Engage Your Employees in 2022

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According to a report published by SHRM, 'While  84 per cent of employees  appreciate what they do, 21 per cent are dissatisfied with their jobs.'

Why does this difference arise?

The most exemplary leaders understand that to get the most out of their employees' hard work and productivity, they must discover ways to keep them motivated and engaged. 

However, this is not always easy, particularly during times of transition, such as our collective shift to remote employment.

The most important thing to remember is that employees must love their work, the people they work with and the place of work.

Well, here's the good news. There are numerous innovative ways to engage employees. We've compiled a list of our top ten to get you started in this article.

Top 10 Ways that will multiply your employees' engagement levels in 2022

Employee engagement is more crucial than ever to track and enhance. Keeping your staff engaged will boost morale, motivation, and production, but the new normal has heightened the importance of employee engagement.

Starting from 2020, with the shift to remote work, managers find it more challenging to keep tabs on their teams. And the trend continues to be the same in 2022.

Employee engagement is more crucial than ever, and team leaders face challenges. Engagement issues may take longer to manifest because you have fewer interactions with your staff.

We put together ten ways to engage employees in a remote or in-person work environment to help you get the most out of every engagement with your staff.

1. Make 'building relationships' a priority and NOT an afterthought

Employees in today's world  expect more than just a salary. They want to feel connected to their work, the culture of their organization, and their colleagues. 

Managers must be more purposeful about maintaining strong workplace connections, especially when the physical barrier of remote work prevents team bonding.

For instance, make a recurring appointment. Each Friday evening, organize check-ins for everyone to share their week's highlights. 

Alternatively, set aside an hour each week and assign a different employee to lead an online event for your team, such as a team game. These activities are highly beneficial for keeping the employee morale high.

2. Enable your staff to reward themselves

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Employees love perks, especially when you give them the means to get the same. 

With employee engagement platforms like Perkbox, firms can take a holistic approach and give staff discounts that get everyone excited and improve employee engagement.

According to  Perkbox discounts, perks lower stress at work by 40% of employees. To preserve their benefits package, 75% of employees would stay at their current employer. For additional free perks, 32% of employees would change jobs.

It should not be tough to select the best bargain package, but it frequently is. 

3. Beware of micromanaging 

One of the essential aspects of employee engagement is your behaviour. Micromanaging is a bad idea! You show your staff that you trust their skills and abilities by allowing them autonomy in their work. 

Micromanagement is the fastest way to kill employee engagement and motivation. After all, modern workers prefer to work with a coach who can help them grow rather than a supervisor who tells them what to do. 

We don't recruit smart people to tell them what to do; instead, we hire smart people to tell us what to do.

Because having correct sight becomes more complex, you may have a more substantial need to supervise distant personnel.

Instead, establish weekly contact points on a team and individual level so that employees are used to having a conversation about their work. Rather than interrupting their flow by reaching out on the spur of the moment to "check in," make it a habit to hold periodic reviews.

4. Organize interesting online onboarding and hiring sessions

Ensure you have good communication options to keep your staff motivated and connected during the recruitment process.

To get people working together and develop relationships, you can improve your firm's onboarding methodology by incorporating innovative employee-collaboration technologies. Technology facilitates employee engagement by making work more accessible and improving communication.

Many people believe that recruiting and selection are unrelated to essential company tasks. However, this is incorrect. It's one of the most crucial responsibilities in any company, regardless of its size or industry. 

For a business to remain successful, it's vital to recruit the appropriate people. And success is built on the labour that goes into selecting your future employees.

This form of engagement implies you should always have a pool of people ready to fill positions created by restructuring, expansion, resignations, or retirements. A well-thought-out recruitment and selection policy and strategy will come to help. 

You can  click here  to learn more about the four cornerstones of a successful recruiting strategy.

5. Have an effective feedback system in place

Did you know that  managers are responsible for 70% of the variation in employee engagement? 

This variation implies that, regardless of how attached people are to their jobs or the corporate culture, their manager has the most significant influence on their experience. Asking for feedback is one of the most effective ways to learn how your employees feel about your management and where you can improve. 

Everything from how they feel about the regularity with which you recognize them to whether or not they have faith in your leadership.

The most valuable resource leaders can  unearth their team's genuine emotions and demands.

When employees provide feedback, thank them and be explicit about how you intend to address their concerns and solutions.

6. Encourage a wide range of viewpoints and ideas

Magic comes when people can show up to work truthfully and freely share their unique perspectives. Teams that are welcoming and safe are more likely to innovate.

However, at the moment, 20% of employees with good ideas don't share them with their bosses or coworkers. 

There is more that managers can do to encourage teams to question the status quo and share their ideas. People who can express themselves are more likely to connect with their work, which leads to engagement.

How to put this into practice is as follows:

• Organize a brainstorming session for unique ideas.
• There are no radical ideas or stupid questions. Write in your team's values.
• By actively searching out different viewpoints on your job, you can set an example for others to follow.
• Encourage employees to consider the views of others during team conflicts.
  

7. Meet with each of your staff one-on-one

One-on-one sessions, like pulse surveys, are a terrific method to talk with your team members and better understand their situation. It will be easier for you to engage your team members if you are more aware of their feelings.

Here are some questions to ask your employees during one-on-one meetings to increase employee engagement:

• What can I do as a manager to assist you in your professional development?
• Is there anything preventing you from making advancements in your field?
• Is stress causing you problems?
• Do you see any areas where you may need to improve your work? What can I do to assist you in getting there?
• Do you believe your current objectives are attainable? If not, what is needed to make them a reality?
  

Additionally, you can check out this  one-on-one meeting template  that highlights the ingredients of efficient 1-on-1 meetings. A meeting template helps you organize your thoughts and set the groundwork for your coaching relationship. 

8. Establish work hours to encourage employee participation

The conventional 9-to-5 schedule is detrimental to employee engagement. Instead, encourage staff to be increasingly motivated by implementing more flexible office hours. 

According to a research study, individuals who work remotely at least once a month are 24 per cent more likely to be happy and productive. Similarly,  73% of employees  believe that flexible working hours improve their job happiness.

In short, creating more open and flexible office hours results in more pleased employees, who are always more focused.

9. Launch a wellness program

Start a  workplace wellness program  to motivate your staff to be healthier and achieve their wellness goals. 

A program is perfect for employee engagement because it increases employee morale by fostering a strong business culture and bringing colleagues together. As a result, office morale is high, which leads to increased worker engagement.

You can reimburse your employees for gym memberships, massages, meditation applications, yoga equipment purchases, meal planning subscriptions through wellness programs.

10. Share music playlists

You can make use of music to enhance engagement.

Get your employees to share music playlists and contribute to the same. This process increases participation by imbibing a feeling of camaraderie.

It allows employees to express their taste via common musical interests while engaging in friendly banter with coworkers about their contributed songs. Sharing also allows employees to form bonds with coworkers through shared interests, such as music preferences.

It makes your staff look forward to coming to work, boosting overall engagement.

Conclusion

An engagement program will immediately benefit managers and employees by increasing communication and collaboration among peers. 

The development of internal talent and avoiding costly personnel turnover benefits the organization.