Did you know that, over the course of a lifetime, the average person spends well over 84,000 hours at work?

So, it's vital that their workplace motivates them, satisfies them, and ultimately keeps them engaged. Particularly as research has shown that employee engagement has a positive impact on health and wellbeing.

The benefits don't end there though. Engaged and motivated employees perform 20% better than their colleagues, become great brand advocates, and can enhance bottom-line profit.

Plus, engaged employees are more likely to stay with their employer, which is a welcome financial relief as it costs £30,614 to replace a departing member of staff.

So, without further ado, let's count down 10 simple yet effective employee engagement ideas to create a positive employee experience. 

1. Create a positive company culture

Make an ongoing effort to foster a positive work environment by encouraging open and transparent channels of communication between employees and management, recognising staff achievements, and allowing teams to collaborate across departments.

Focusing on a supportive and inclusive culture will have a positive impact on: 

• ● Boosting employee satisfaction - staff are 60% more likely to stay with the company
• ● Strengthening employee morale - staff are 69% more likely to be high performers
• ● Creating an engaged workforce - a robust culture improves engagement by up to 72%. 

2. Give employees a voice 

Encourage open communication across the entire company to build trust and promote a culture where every opinion counts. 

Whether it's seeking regular feedback via anonymous surveys, suggestion boxes, or weekly meetings, knowing that they can influence business decisions with valuable feedback can boost employee engagement by 61%.    

Plus, the insights gained from employee feedback can help leadership teams shape company policies, social events, management practices, and more, whilst showing employees that they really are heard

3. Offer professional development opportunities

Show that you are committed to your employees' career advancement by investing in their professional growth and personal development with training programmes, workshops, coaching and mentorships.

As one of the core drivers of employee engagement, providing employee development opportunities can have a huge impact on employee retention as 51% of staff would leave a job if training wasn't offered.

4. Promote a positive work-life balance

Introducing employee engagement initiatives that promote a healthy balance between work and personal life can help employees feel supported in the workplace.

For example, flexible working arrangements such as hybrid working and flexible work schedules can lead to higher levels of engagement that can reduce staff turnover by 87%. 

In fact, not offering employees ways in which to manage their time effectively can have a negative impact, as 47% of employees would consider leaving if flexible working wasn't an option.

5. Encourage Health and Wellness

Introducing an employee wellness programme that promotes health and wellness initiatives has been shown to contribute to engagement rates of over 90%.

This can include salary sacrifice schemes designed to make it financially easier for employees to get active such as:

• ● MyGymDiscounts: employees can get up to 25% off gym memberships at a wide choice of gyms 
• ● Cyclescheme: staff can save up to 39% on a new bike and accessories with our cycle-to-work scheme

6. Organise social activities

Fun employee engagement activities help to strengthen bonds between teams (including remote teams) by fostering a sense of camaraderie, friendly competition, and team morale.

Whether it's company outings, team lunches, scavenger hunts, virtual events, or escape rooms, inclusive team-building activities and casual events can help turn the office space into a positive and creative environment.     

7. Promote your social initiatives

Workers satisfied with their company's CSR commitment have high levels of engagement. So, turn disengaged employees into your greatest advocates by communicating how you go the extra mile to reach your corporate social responsibility (CSR) commitments. 

You can also generate a feel-good feeling and have a positive social impact on the local area by arranging for teams to volunteer at a local charity or venue that is important to your community. 

8. Create a meaningful workplace 

A global study into the top drivers of employee engagement highlighted the importance of creating a culture of meaningfulness.

This means communicating the importance of every employee's impact on your company's success, whether that is peers highlighting others’ value, or recognition from the top down Doing so helps make people feel valued and that they are making a difference. 

Other factors linked to improved engagement levels and job satisfaction include clearly defined job roles and job security. 

9. Prioritise quality management 

Effective people management can greatly influence employee engagement, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). 

Indicators of quality line management include showing genuine concern for employees, empowering their decision-making, communicating and listening, and having the appropriate skills to help with career development.  

10. Offer attractive employee benefits

At a time when 76% of employees are looking for ways to save more on the things they buy, employee benefits can hugely enhance staff engagement.

For example, the following salary sacrifice schemes can make a huge difference when disposable income is shrinking:

• ● Green Car Benefit: an affordable solution for switching to a hybrid or electric vehicle
• ● Techscheme: save up to 10% on over 5,000 tech items and appliances 
• ● bYond: a prepaid shopping card that gives employees up to 15% cash back at 70 stores
• ● Extras Discounts: save 15% on physical and digital gift cards from more than 100 brands
• ● care4: save up to £933 a year with the UK's leading electronic childcare vouchers scheme.

Ready to increase employee engagement?

Let's tailor a flexible, personalised benefits package that engages your employees and suits your business goals.

To find out more, get in touch today on 0208 159 9430, via our contact page, or by emailing enquiries@workplaceextras.com.