
Revolutionize Employee Engagement in 2019
As you closed the books on 2018 and made plans for a successful 2019, your mind was probably swirling with new marketing strategies and product developments. While these things are important, don’t forget to look inward at the employees who help you get there.
Happy employees do not just make for a more pleasant work environment. They are also more productive.
The average happy employee has 20 percent more output than his or her less-than-thrilled counterparts — and that figure is even higher in sales. Happy salespeople seal the deal around 37 percent more often than unhappy employees. In other words, three happy salespeople bring in more revenue than four unhappy employees.
In this article, we are going to look at several resolutions that your business can make to improve your employee engagement.
Evaluate Employee Happiness
Just because someone sits at his or her desk for 40 hours per week, doesn’t mean that they are doing all they can to make money for your company. Start trying to evaluate employee happiness. Look at productivity on a year-over-year basis per employee and have conversations with those of your staff who are not improving. Also, consider asking your employees for honest feedback. There could be problems under the surface that you do not realize are there.
Encourage Collaboration
For the happiest employees, collaboration is a must. You have to be able to work with them to serve your customers and remain profitable. Most of your employees have specific job functions or more face-time with your customers. You need those people on your side and on the same page as you regarding the right way to do things.
Likewise, your team needs to be able to work with each other. Every person at your company should feel that they have an outlet where they can share ideas. Team-building exercises can be a good step in the right direction, but so can morning coffee hour. Just make sure that your staff has the tools and the time they need to connect.
Recognize and Incentivize
Your employees also need you to work with them to help them achieve their personal goals, like promotions, education and salary. Provide opportunities to move up the ranks, make more money or earn privileges. Even a small benefit, like giving an extra half hour for lunch to an employee who is closing the most deals, can go a long way to making your people feel wanted.
Review Vendor Relationships
Also, look at your vendor relationships. You have arrangements in place with software providers, health insurance companies, hardware suppliers and more. These are opportunities for you to improve employee engagement as well. As you negotiate your contracts for the new year, see if there is a way to give your employees a little extra. Better benefits, more software or just some fun office stationary products may help your people feel more appreciated.
Keep Employees Safe
Finally, demonstrate to your employees that you care about their safety. Updating office security measures for night workers could be something your people really appreciate. Something as simple as motion-detected security camera systems could help your workers feel better about working late, arriving early, or being in the office outside of work hours, especially if your employees need to drop cash at the end of the night or regularly transport valuable inventory.
This year, make a change for the good and improve your employee engagement. Evaluating your workers’ happiness and encouraging collaboration while recognizing and incentivizing hard work are great first steps. You can also review your vendor relationships to see what value-add you can give your employees. Finally, remember that safety is a big deal. You can help your people feel safer at your company by installing a security camera system and reviewing your security procedures.