When it comes to employee engagement activities, many companies are leaning on none other than team-building days or YEP (Year End Party), which take place once or twice a year. To be honest, businesses should regularly launch activities to improve employee engagement to remind their people that they are working in the best environment. Get ready to leave your old boring engagement methods behind because we will share with you the best fun employee engagement activities ever!
What is Employee Engagement?
Employee engagement, according to Forbes, is an employee’s emotional commitment to the firm and its aims. Employee engagement refers to how enthusiastic your employees are about their jobs at your organization. Are your workers dedicated, responsible, and passionate about projects?
Can they contribute equally to the team and respect one another? If that’s the case, you presumably already have a good level of employee engagement. If not, there are various things you need to do to enhance morale and motivate personnel.
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3 Key Times When You Need to Launch Employee Engagement Activities
Employee engagement activities are expensive. Are they worthy enough to spend a big budget? In 2012, Gallup conducted a massive study to examine if strong employee engagement made a difference. Gallup discovered that companies with engaged employees were twice as likely to succeed as those without.
So when does your company realize it’s time to develop engagement activities for employees? Some early signs which are easily recognized include:
- Reduction in performance: Poor outcomes may come from various reasons, which sometimes is disengagement with the leader, colleagues, etc.
- Lack of work motivation: Are your employees active in brainstorming sessions or weekly meetings? If not, though they meet the deadlines, they still do not try their best.
- Unhealthy activities: You can tell a staff does not focus on their job when they take too much time to eat snacks or frequently go outside to smoke.
TOP 9 Activities for Employee Engagement That Turn Your Employees into Happy And Loyal Ones
1. Integrate Gamification
Nothing motivates people to perform better and engage more than a prize at the end of a competition. Gamification is not the same as gaming. Gamification is the process of adapting the elements that make games so engaging and enjoyable to real-life circumstances. Below is one of F.Learning’s gamification using a drag-and-drop game to improve employee’s healthcare knowledge:
To put it another way, it’s the idea of turning duties into a friendly competition. And the employees seem to enjoy it! According to Gallup, gamification in the workplace has resulted in a nearly 147 percent boost in performance, a 65 percent reduction in attrition, and a 37 percent reduction in absences. So, if you’re looking for a quick way to keep your employees engaged, consider investing in gamification.
2. Offer Hybrid Work
Flexible day-offs offer a lot of benefits to improve employee engagement. First and foremost, it allows for a flexible work-life balance. Second, working from home in your pajamas is always a fantastic idea. Granted, not every organization can afford to have such work-from-home arrangements regularly.
So, instead of once a week, once a month, you may offer a day to work from home. For instance, Wednesdays at Doximity are dedicated to GLD (Get Life Done). According to Shari Buck (Doximity’s CPO), it’s the day when leaders allow their employees to work at home or outside space to tackle challenging problems with fewer distractions.
3. Provide Training
Training has a bad reputation for being tedious. That’s because… well, it’s frequent! You’ll engage your employees and teach them something new if you can bring in a distinguished speaker for a truly engaging and energizing training session. If done properly, training will bring out incredible goals, like improving employee retention and empowering work motivation, to name a few.
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4. Give Constructive Feedback
One of the most potent and underappreciated weapons in your armory of employee engagement activities is feedback. According to the Harvard Business Review, most people (57%) prefer corrective criticism to praise and recognition (only 43 percent).
Indeed, providing valuable feedback is essential for improving workplace communication and employee engagement. Feedback regularly is an excellent way to keep your staff informed about their performance and, as a result, is an essential aspect of your employee engagement plan.
However, there is a common phobia of receiving feedback. Maybe it’s because when supervisors say they want to “speak about something,” it’s thought to be negative. It’s L&D managers’ responsibility to change such fears.
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5. Leverage Personal Projects
You most likely believe that this is a waste of time and money for your firm. You’ll probably think that when our beloved worker is doing his projects, he is preparing for his portfolio and will leave the company soon.
Would you change your mind if we told you that most god-level firms (Twitter, Instagram, and GitHub) began as a side project? Critically speaking, one of the numerous advantages of these extracurricular activities is that they force employees to think outside the box, get their creative juices flowing, and manage their time correctly. Employees will be more thrilled to come to work and will be more engaged.
6. Foster Team Building Activities
The human resource department enjoys team-building events, especially those outside of the office. There’s laser tag, go-kart racing, bowling, brewery, and winery tours. These activities will help employees bond outside of the workplace and provide a common ground.
However, be careful what you plan for because not everyone likes gatherings, and your perfect team-building activity may give your employees anxiety.
7. The Employee of the Month
According to research, the biggest reason people leave their professions is a lack of appreciation. Recognizing hard effort and accomplishments at work boosts employee morale, encourages healthy competition, and fosters a great work environment.
For example, “Employee of the Month” initiatives are a terrific method to show your most exemplary employees that you recognize and appreciate their efforts.
8. Celebrate Birthdays, Anniversaries, And Personal Achievements
If your employees believe their workplace is devoid of soul, they will be less inclined to be engaged. Every employee has good days and bad days. Employees deserve to embrace these days in their own way. As an HR or L&D manager, you should make those days special for your staff.
For example, you can make plans to celebrate when an employee has been with the company for a year (or more) and adorn their workplaces when they achieve a target! Moreover, on their wedding anniversaries, give your employees and their spouses a token from you!
9. Time for A Nap
It may sound controversial to promote napping at work, but a 20-minute power nap at desks or in the staff room after lunch can boost employees’ energy and engagement. For a good reason, nap rooms and sleep pods are becoming more widespread in the office.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, insufficient sleep is a public health problem in the United States, with over one-third of American adults not getting enough sleep. For example, in Japan, most employers provide nap time to their employees, believing that it improves work performance.
Conclusion
Implementing effective employee engagement activities is crucial for nurturing a thriving workplace culture. By incorporating the 9 fantastic employee engagement activities discussed in this article into your strategy, you can enhance communication, boost morale, and foster collaboration among your team members.
This list of activities for employee engagement serves as a valuable resource for organizations looking to create a more engaged workforce. Remember, engaged employees are not only more productive but also serve as ambassadors for your organization.
Read more:
- Virtual employee engagement ideas to build a successful training program
- How To Make Training Videos For Employees (2022 Updated)
- Top 12 Amazing Training Video Production Companies in 2022
Sean Bui, the founder and creative director of F.Learning Studio, is a respected leader in the e-learning and multimedia production industry. With over 10 years of experience, he has dedicated his career to helping organizations create engaging and impactful learning experiences.
Under his leadership, F.Learning Studio has grown into a trusted partner for organizations in the education, healthcare, and corporate training sectors, producing over 2,000 minutes of educational animation.
