At Christmas time we are often encouraged to think of others, in actions that range from the giving of presents to loved ones, to the donation of money to charity. We can perform these acts as individuals on a personal level, and, as business owners and employers, we can take a more sustainable, longer term approach and look at how we engage with the community, our stakeholders and, most importantly, our employees. This approach is often referred to as ‘Corporate Social Responsibility’ and this is a great time of year to be assessing the extent of our, and look to the New Year with a resolution to make a new and positive start.
Employee engagement is a key component of corporate social responsibility. ACAS says it’s about creating a cultural shift in the way organisations behave and its subtext, ‘happy and productive people equals growth’, speaks volumes. Christmas is a good time to reward those who have contributed to your business and made it successful and it is a great opportunity for employers to build on past successes and help to create a positive employee experience for the year ahead.
Employee engagement can be a vital tool in helping increase the productivity of your workforce, and the success of your company, and can be exercised in many ways. Rewarding success is an obvious one, but, without effective interaction and communication with employees, this can fall on stony ground. If an employee doesn’t feel part of the organisation’s success, doesn’t know how he or she fits into the organisation, or just doesn’t enjoy what they are doing, then they will not feel motivated to give their best to the business.
The importance of employee engagement is becoming more and more pronounced for businesses. Industry awards are now not complete without an Employee Engagement Award and conferences and workshops are being held on this topic alone, giving employers help and guidance on how to get the best out of their employees and have a happy and productive workforce.
So, what could you do in your business to start changing – or improving – the culture in your workplace? How about introducing ‘Employee of the Month’ awards? You could also set up a local Intranet to improve internal communications, or introduce an appraisal scheme to ensure your employees know what their role and responsibilities are and offer them training to fill any gaps. You could even organise a team-building day so that employees get to know each other better. Above all, don’t forget to thank them for the job they are doing, and a token of appreciation at Christmas-time goes a long way!
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