Boost Morale with These 10 Key Employee Engagement Drivers
It can be challenging to keep morale up, especially with the changes to business operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Business is not business as usual. Finding ways to connect with our employees is critical to retention and to keeping staff morale up.
10 Employee Engagement Drivers that help with employee retention and job satisfaction.
Autonomy
Autonomy is a great way to make an employee feel trusted. People like to work in various ways, whether they prefer to be in the office or at home, working collaboratively or independently, giving people the opportunity to make choices around how they do their best work is an employee engagement driver.
What it looks like: I decide how and where I do my best work.
Recognition
Having our work positively acknowledged helps provide meaning to our efforts. Recognition can come in various forms, from a thoughtful comment from a co-worker or manager, a thank you email for a job well done, a company-wide newsletter featuring a successful program and the team behind it, to a full employee recognition event or gala. Knowing that our work is being noticed feels good and motivates us to work harder.
What it feels like: I’m recognized for the work and effort I make.
Meaning
Understanding how our contribution works towards the greater corporate mission and vision can bring meaningful context to our daily tasks. While not all work feels meaningful, ensuring your team has a blend of work and a clear why behind what you are working to achieve can help drive meaning at work. When we know the “why” we feel more compelled to complete the task. Leaders who take the time to define the why and paint context around the work will have higher outputs of job satisfaction.
What it feels like: The work I do has meaning.
Values
Corporate values are a great way to help guide employees on how we operate as a unit. They provide a beacon for the actions and behaviours we accept within an organization. Taking the time to understand how people’s personal values complement corporate values is a great way to drive morale.
What it feels like: My values are aligned with company values.
Careers
Employees who don’t have a clear vision of their growth opportunities within the organization are more likely to resign and move to another company where they can evolve their careers. Taking the time to chat regularly about your employee’s career goals and helping to outline any skill development required to advance within the organization will help retain talent. This can be done with quarterly check-ins and coaching conversations. Being given an exciting new project that tests their skills can be a way to show career advancement. It’s not always all about the title and the money, although those certainly are key too.
What it feels like: I feel that I am advancing professionally.
Management
All employees hit roadblocks from time to time. Having a manager that gives employees the support they need when they need it will help make your place of work a desirable place to stay. Support can be in the form of taking work off an employee’s plate or giving them space for a personal day or commitment. It is also supportive when management makes an effort to understand the humanness of their employees. People are more than what happens in the hours of their workday. Supporting your employees strengthens your connection and often drives employees to work harder toward the company’s goals when they know their manager also has their back.
What it feels like: My manager gives me the support I need.
Environment
Having an environment that is conducive to getting work done is key to workplace happiness. This will mean different things to different people but having a blend of social and quiet spaces and providing small comforts - like complimentary coffee, tea, or snacks - can go a long way to making people feel more comfortable at work.
What it feels like - I am comfortable and can concentrate at work.
Peer Relations
Nothing feels better than when a teammate has your back - especially when you are in a crunch and they step up to help you. Healthy, communicative relationships with your peers can bring great joy and a sense of community to the workplace. Companies that dedicate time for teams to get to know each other have higher morale and a greater sense of teamwork.
What it feels like: I can count on my co-workers when I need them.
Voice
We all want to be seen and heard. Active listening and responding to input are critical to a healthy corporate culture and to boosting morale. This can be done by asking for someone’s opinion in a meeting, making space for them to share, or doing surveys and implementing suggestions based on the input.
What it feels like: My opinions matter and my voice is heard.
Pay & Rewards
Everyone wants to be fairly compensated for their work. Pay and reward structures are critical pillars of employee engagement. Pay is one of the top drivers as it impacts so much of our lives from the types of homes we can buy, to how much disposable income we have for fun, to our ability to save for the future. Having a competitive pay and rewards structure will be critical for retaining staff.
What it feels like: I am fairly compensated for my efforts.
Taking the time to evaluate how your company is measuring up on these key employee engagement drivers can make the difference between having an employee stay or resign. If you want to build a culture that is built to last, implement ways to measure your effectiveness in these ten drivers. It may take time and effort to develop processes to support these drivers but it will help with the recruitment and retention of great employees.
About KindCo
KindCo is a Vancouver-based brand engagement consultancy that specializes in employee engagement and corporate events. We bring people together through the art of gathering.
Founder, Nikki Hedstrom, has over 15 years experience as a brand engagement and event specialist.
