How well your company retains top talent can boil down to engagement. A study from G2/Crowd found 57 percent of HR professionals “strongly agree” that employee engagement initiatives help their company retain productive staff. Strategically creating a sense of community through collaboration and engagement efforts will be paramount for brands to retain top talent in 2019 and beyond. Here are ways to do that:
1. Use communication channels for a dialogue.
Open lines of communication are paramount to keeping employees engaged and looped in on key issues. Employees feel more valued when they’re able to hear from and communicate with leadership. A basic discussion board or blog space can enable sharing of company news and updates directly from the source. Rather than posting a generic email, have the CEO post on an internal blog with a space for employee questions and comments. Open up the dialogue to include areas and topics away from work, so that staff can chat and engage over shared interests such as sports, books and support groups.
2. Recognize the communicators.
Use internal communications channels to recognize employees who are excellent communicators. If employees are engaging with one another on company blogs, reward the blog posts with the most traffic over the course of the month. This will motivate people to jump into the conversation. Achieving industry recognition for a job well done also is a huge motivator for collaboration and engagement. If an employee goes above and beyond on an internal project, make sure that person gets the spotlight and top-down recognition.
3. Use multimedia content.
Sometimes company newsletters and emails just won’t cut it when it comes to engaging front-line employees. Video series from the C-Suite and other leaders are a great way to provide engaging updates. Videos can be much more personal. Employees feel better connected with leaders when they can see them talking, rather than just opening up an email.
4. Gamify your incentive program.
You never want employees feeling like the end result of their hard work is merely a number on an Excel sheet. Focusing on a fun and rewarding incentive program can not only boost morale and engagement, it can also drive up the bottom line.
5. Globalize the message.
If your company is international, make sure that your internal communication tools are equipped to handle multilingual users. Opening up the number of languages means fewer employees will feel left out. Translation software will help further the goal of information easily being disseminated from the top down. Rather than a non-English speaking employee getting a CEO blog sent to them from a translator, they can see the message directly from the executive.
6. Give power to the employee.
When it comes time for a change in company policy or image, make sure employees have a say. Something as simple as asking people for their input on a new logo or slogan can make them feel like they’re part of a broader conversation. It puts them in the boardroom, rather than being locked out of the decision-making process.
7. Ask few questions often.
We know tracking employee sentiment is critical to engagement and satisfaction. Sending an annual (or even quarterly) satisfaction survey doesn’t capture the true picture of staff morale. Asking quick-hit questions on a more regular, monthly or even weekly basis gives you a truer barometer of how happy people are, and where you can improve.
8. Mobile and social are key.
As workers become more connected to devices beyond their work computers, ensure that mobile applications can deliver the same content that they would on a desktop. The newest generation of workers are the most socially-connected generation. Channel that connection. A space where people can chat and interact with each other is a great way to give younger employees a desired social element to their job.
9. Champion wellbeing.
Offering mental and emotional support can be just as crucial as IT support. Make resources available for employees so that they can talk when they’re having a bad day, or need help with something. A company extending a helping hand can make a world of difference to an employee in need.
10. Store information in a central hub.
All of these collaboration methods need a home. A company intranet centralizes information and tools to make them easily accessible to all employees. At Travelex we use an Interact intranet. It’s become a key part of our employees’ daily communication. Keeping collaboration tools in one place helps employees feel like they’re a part of the conversation.
Engaged, satisfied employees, from the frontline to the C-Suite, are critical to success. Connecting staff with leadership and recognizing their effort increases loyalty and makes them feel respected and part of a conversation.
Dylan Berthier is director, global future of work & culture at Travelex
CONTACT: [email protected]