Why is staff engagement important?
It’s well-documented that engaged employees are far more productive. Some estimates suggest it’s as high as 21%.
And highly productive staff make for much more successful businesses!
In this blog, we'll explore the other reasons why staff engagement is vital and look at how you can encourage your employees to engage with their work.
But first, how can you recognise if your staff are engaged or not? What should you look for?
Are your staff engaged?
There are common characteristics that make up an engaged employee. They…
- Take the initiative
- Take very little time off
- Build relationships with other employees
- Collaborate well with others
- Go above and beyond
- Produce high-quality work and deliver it on time
- Invest in their own professional development
Many of these characteristics all lead back to one thing - engaged employees are really easy to work with, take on board the aims of their employer and work hard to meet those objectives.
Why is engagement important at work?
1. Improves Retention
Firstly, it’s well documented that high staff engagement leads to lower turnover rates for businesses. It seems that when employees are engaged in their work, they're much less likely to look for greener pastures elsewhere.
The financial benefits of holding on to employees are huge. It’s no secret that recruiting and training new staff is expensive. Some estimates place it over £30k. Not only does the recruitment process rack up costs, but new employees take a while to build up to optimal productivity levels.
Also, there is an additional benefit - you get to retain the skills, experience and expertise of that individual. A win-win for your business.
2. Boosts Productivity
As we have already seen, the data also suggests that engaged employees are 21% more productive. There’s no denying that higher productivity leads to better business performance.
Plus, engaged employees are far more likely to contribute creative ideas and suggestions, which can lead to innovation within the company.
3. Improved Customer Satisfaction
Finally, engaged staff members provide better customer service. Satisfied employees are more likely to go the extra mile to ensure customer satisfaction. Inevitably, this leads to benefits for your business as you develop your brand.
Consumers who get a great experience are more likely to become advocates for your business, spreading the word amongst their friends and family. They are also more likely to use you again, allowing you to grow your client base.
How to improve staff engagement
So, we understand the importance of engagement, how do we make it happen in our workplace?
There is no easy answer to this question.
There can be multiple factors affecting how engaged an individual employee is, ranging from personal health issues to the working environment, to overall company culture. As such, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to improving engagement.
To complicate matters even more, each workforce is unique, and so what works with one company might not work with everyone else.
Therefore, you should not expect to apply one strategy and solve the problem.
But, there are things you can do to make sure you are doing everything you can to allow your team to engage with their work.
Talk to us
If you would like to find out more about our solutions, get in touch.
Step 1 - Open Communication
No one wants to feel unheard. Employees who may be naturally inclined to engage well can easily become demoralised if they feel obstacles aren’t being identified and removed or their contributions aren’t valuable.
Instead, foster a culture of open communication where employees feel comfortable sharing their ideas, concerns, and feedback.
This might involve formal and informal opportunities for communication. Some ideas include:
- Workshops with key staff
- Employee surveys
- Ideation meetings
- Individual line manager meetings
- Suggestion boxes
Step 2 - Recognition and Rewards
Secondly, make sure you acknowledge and reward employees for their hard work and accomplishments.
This can be in the form of bonuses, promotions, or simple words of appreciation.
This can be tricky to do consistently in today’s modern workplace.
Remote, hybrid and flexible working can stop you from interacting with your team regularly. Team members may rarely see each other, and interact even less.
This is where digital platforms can really help.
Platforms such as our Reward and Recognition platform allow you to publicly and privately praise your team by creating a centralised online space for your workforce.
The tool also allows you to issue rewards, such as Discount Savings Cards or eGifts, so that your team really feel your appreciation.
Step 3 - Training and Development
One of the characteristics of a highly engaged employee is their constant striving to better their own professional performance. Giving your whole team an easy way to develop their skills is a great way to invest in your employees' growth and encourage engagement.
This could be training opportunities that are linked to your industry, other interests, or a mixture.
If you’re not sure where to start, a Learning and Development platform is a great first step.
Step 4 - Work-Life Balance
It goes without saying that a good work-life balance ensures that employees are working optimally when they are at work.
Encourage a healthy work-life balance by offering flexible work arrangements and promoting the importance of downtime.
Step 5 - Employee Involvement
Involve employees in decision-making processes. When they have a say in the direction of the company, they feel a stronger sense of ownership and are more likely to work hard to meet the company’s vision.
Step 6 - Wellness Programmes
Finally, make sure you’re caring for their wellbeing. Happy, healthy employees are going to be far more likely to engage at work. In fact, studies show that employees who maintain strong mental health are 23% more productive.
To do this, implement robust wellness programmes to support physical and mental health.
If you’re not sure where to begin, download our wellbeing toolkit.
The toolkit includes:
- audit template (to help you figure out what’s working well at the moment)
- a step-by-step guide on how to build a wellbeing strategy for your workplace
Download the toolkit here.
Our Consultative Approach to Staff Engagement
At Bravo Benefits we understand that each workforce is unique, and know that one solution won’t solve your staff engagement problem.
As such, our Client Success Managers offer a consultative approach that helps us create custom-built benefit solutions to help you achieve your business goals.
Here's how our Client Success Managers can make a difference:
- Constant Provision Review: Our Client Success Managers are dedicated to regularly reviewing your provision. They'll assess the effectiveness of your engagement strategies and suggest improvements.
- Adaptability: We ensure your provision can adapt as your company evolves. As your needs change, we'll work with you to tailor engagement solutions that align with your evolving objectives.
- Customised Solutions: We understand that each company is unique. Our Client Success Managers create customised staff engagement solutions that resonate with your team and align with your company culture.
- Measurable Results: We provide tools and metrics to help you measure the impact of your engagement efforts. This way, you can see the results and make data-driven decisions.
Interested in finding out more? Talk to our Client Success Managers
Improve Staff Engagement with Bravo Benefits
Staff engagement is a cornerstone of a thriving organisation. It boosts productivity, reduces turnover, and helps attract the best talent.
Our consultative approach at Bravo Benefits ensures that you can retain the best staff, help them engage and continuously improve your benefits provision.
With the right strategies in place, you'll see a positive impact on your staff’s engagement and on your organisation's outcomes.
