Building a startup can be challenging, especially with the number of things you need to look after. Apart from ensuring that you can deliver well to your customers, you also have to look after your employees’ engagement to increase productivity and employee retention.
Employee engagement is vital as it helps determine how they would like to participate with your company and how well they’ll perform their roles. A high team member engagement means they care about their job and feel important in the company. With that, it’ll only be wise if you could try to boost it within your business as much as possible by doing the ways listed below:
1. Host Virtual Team Building
Luckily, the world today now allows people to work right in the comfort of their homes. This way, they no longer have to worry about commuting to work as they can complete their goals comfortably at home. It can provide maximum convenience and be cost-saving as they can save on gas or public transportation costs and food expenses.
As you go with a remote working option, you might want to ensure that you try to keep everyone engaged as well. Hosting virtual corporate entertainment is a great way to keep your remote employees engaged and entertained even if they’re not visiting your office. This way, they can take time off work and have a little fun with their workmates. You can find many activities or games to play online. For example, Escapely offers a variety of games you can play with your team. Just choose something your employees would enjoy.
2. Make The Onboarding Experience Exciting
When a person gets hired by a new company, working in a different environment might excite them. To help them boost their enthusiasm, you should consider making their onboarding experience fun and engaging as much as possible.
For your new hire’s first day of work, consider hosting an onboarding day wherein you’ll orient them about what to expect from the company. It should include the benefits you offer, building features, events in your company, and everything they can do inside the office. Additionally, making your new hires participate in games and activities allows them to get more excited about the day while helping them develop acquaintances.
3. Schedule A Quarterly Meeting
Employees may find it uninteresting to work for a company that doesn’t care for them. To show your employees that you are willing to listen to their concerns and feedback, have a one-on-one meeting with them monthly. During this meeting, you can ask them how the company’s treating them and if they have any suggestions in mind.
A quarterly meeting allows the employees to discuss their work environment and career goals. It can help you determine how to help them advance their career and be more productive at work. Scheduling a quarterly meeting lets you be updated about your employees’ progress and see which areas you can work on with them.
4. Listen And Act On Feedback
Along with scheduling a quarterly meeting, give your employees monthly feedback forms so you can have a more updated response on how they feel working inside your company. You can send them the feedback forms they must submit within the week, including their overall satisfaction and some feedback they have in mind.
As soon as you receive your employee’s feedback, you should listen to their sentiments and take action. For example, if most of your employees suggest adding a coffee maker inside your pantry, look for one that best fits your company’s needs. Doing so can help your employees feel more heard and important.
5. Provide Proper Recognition
Nothing feels better than being recognized for all the hard work you have been doing for the company. While your employee may not be doing it for recognition, allowing everyone to see their efforts can make them feel appreciated. Moreover, seeing how much you value it can encourage all employees to do better. And so, you should provide proper recognition to your industrious and diligent employees.
For your employee recognition, you should host a meeting wherein you invite everyone inside the room and recognize every hardworking employee you have. You can give them a certificate of recognition, along with some incentives which they can use to treat themselves after all the effort they made for the company.
6. Invest In Wellness
While you might design your startup office to be a productive place for your employees, you shouldn’t forget that they also need time for themselves. To avoid overworking and make them feel happy and comfortable inside your office, consider investing in wellness, allowing your employees to relax, especially during the busy season.
Ideally, you should build a wellness room where employees can sit back and relax. You can even host a yoga session every Monday morning or a quick afternoon massage every Friday. The more you can make the space relaxing, the better it’ll be for everyone.
7. Be Their Best Coach
Not everyone enjoys having a boss that’s too strict. People would be more comfortable working with a boss that has a pleasing personality. The more you become a leader than a boss, the more your employees can enjoy working with you, as they may feel you’re someone they can follow and run to whenever something happens.
As their boss, you should be their best coach. You should motivate your employees to be better as much as possible. Try to be their friend, but keep professionalism as much as possible. This way, your employees could enjoy working under your care.
8. Ensure Work-Life Balance
Your employees are humans, too. They’re not robots that don’t get tired and need socializing. To provide a good work environment and allow your employees to be productive and engaged, give them a work-life balance.
You can begin by giving enough leave credits and preventing giving your employees overtime. Also, you can hire an additional workforce if your staff falls short. You may also encourage breaks during work hours or flexible work schedules. Allowing your employees to have a life outside work is extremely important.
Takeaway
Improving employee engagement is highly important as it helps your employees be productive, resulting in better work output that’ll benefit your company. The more you take care of your employees, the more they can provide you with quality work. Just ensure that you give your employees equal care and give them the chance to relax and relax once in a while.