Engaged employees are more creative, more productive and more likely to stay with your company – getting all those great results. In an especially competitive market for top talent, employee retention should be a key goal, and engagement is a critical factor. To put it simply, employee engagement is critical to your short- and long-term success.
Employee engagement is a cost-efficient way to retain talent.
Creating an engaged workforce doesn’t have to mean massive budgets and initiatives. There are creative ways you can keep your employees engaged, motivated and retained, including:
- Flexible work arrangements. Research shows that remote workers can benefit employers as well as employees, but telecommuting situations aren’t always a fit for every role. Still, it’s a highly desirable benefit for many employees who struggle to balance their work and home lives. Whether it’s split shifts, work sharing, or telecommuting, assess various positions within your company to see if the potential exists to offer more flexible work arrangements for your employees.
- Continuing education opportunities. Investing in your employees’ futures with your company demonstrates a commitment to their success and longevity within your company. Who wouldn’t want to feel valued and invested in by their employer? Continuing education opportunities offer an easy way to demonstrate that long-term commitment your employees need. If you can afford tuition reimbursement for college credits, that is certainly an excellent way to do it, but it certainly isn’t the only way. Online training in various disciplines is an easy way to offer education opportunities (and it can be completed outside of the 9 to 5). Lunch training sessions can be a great way to cross train between departments or offer advanced training to specific teams. You could even start your own library of materials for employees to “check out.” The point is to keep your employees learning and to show them that you are invested in their futures.
- Keep them informed. Big business decisions like mergers and acquisitions mean advanced employee communications – that’s a no-brainer. But keeping your employees informed on what your company is working on is another way to help them feel invested in your future (and your “now”). Quarterly or bi-annual “state of the business” conference calls are one way to include employees in news and company happenings. You could also send out an email in lieu of the call (but it should come from someone in leadership). You could even start an employee newsletter or e-newsletter, with contributions from within the team. Keeping your employees informed on company news helps them take ownership in your company, and can often make them feel more secure about their careers and futures.
How are you creatively developing an engaged workforce? What other ways have you found create a more invested team environment? Here at Helpmates, we work with talent to help determine the right cultural and skills fit within your organization. We place talent that is committed to your short- and long-term success. Contact our team to learn more about our staffing services in Southern California.
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