How To Encourage Employee Engagement & Increase Retention As A Result

Employee engagement is good for business. That’s certainly the evidence from the likes of Gallup and Deloitte. Not only are engaged workforces up to 21% more profitable, they also have lower staff turnover and higher customer satisfaction. As companies return to workplaces following the lockdown, maintaining competitive advantage is more important than ever. An engaged workforce could well give your business that all-important edge. But how do you go about encouraging employee engagement? Here we share some good practice tips to get you started. 

• Employee Engagement Starts With Onboarding

Employee engagement isn’t just a tick-box exercise. It needs to be incorporated into everything you do, starting with onboarding.

Effective onboarding helps staff to appreciate how their efforts contribute to the bigger picture. And it’s also critical for developing social relationships, camaraderie and a shared sense of purpose. It’s the recruit’s introduction to the company culture and what’s important to you. 

A great onboarding experience is a proven way to reap the maximum lifetime value from your employee. Invest in this crucial process to get off to the best possible start. And see your employee engaged from day one. 

• Involve Staff In Setting Company Goals

Feeling involved, valued and appreciated is fundamental to employee engagement. Involving employees in goal setting is a sure-fire way to boost engagement. Be sure to set annual, quarterly and monthly goals, so staff have clear boundaries and know what’s expected.

Get team members’ input into departmental and corporate goals. That way, they will be invested in the company’s overall success. One of the best ways to do this is by running pulse surveys on a consistent basis.

• Acknowledge Employees

Acknowledging employees goes beyond saying thank you – important though that is. It’s more about recognising their hard work and demonstrating that their contributions matter. 

Employee recognition schemes are one easy-to-implement and low-cost way to acknowledge employees’ efforts. Reward those employees who go the extra mile with a public thank you and a write-up in the staff newsletter. And start up a company tradition of birthday shoutouts as well as celebrating anniversaries and achievements outside work. 

• Develop Employees

Opportunities to develop and grow at work are essential drivers of employee engagement. In fact, according to one recent study, for 9 out of 10 millennials, career development is critical to them. And the good news is that employers also stand to benefit from employees’ continuing professional development. 

Development doesn’t have to be of the traditional classroom variety. Technology has opened up new opportunities that are a better fit for modern lifestyles. Take your pick from webinars, podcasts, wikis and distance learning as well as mentoring, work shadowing and secondments. 

Working with the employee, set up an individual development plan that will enhance their skills and provide a challenge. Book in regular reviews to track progress. These meetings will also signal to staff how much you value their career growth. 

Invest In Engagement

Use these easy-to-implement ideas and kick-start employee engagement in your company. The rewards on offer will be well worth the investment.

About Zenopa

Zenopa is a service organisation that offers flexible, rapid and effective recruitment solutions within the scientific and healthcare industry. The vacancies we specialise in include sales, technical support, applications specialist, service engineers, marketing, management & directors in the Scientific, Medical Devices, Pharmaceutical, Physics, Chemistry,  Laboratory, Consumer Healthcare, Animal Health, Dental and Healthcare Communications markets. With over 25 years’ experience in the industry, we have built strong relationships with SMEs and multi-national healthcare & scientific companies within the UK as well as Europe, and are able to match your specific needs and requirements for both permanent and contractual roles.