Inspiring Workplaces: Seven Proven Ways to Boost Employee Engagement

Published: Wed, 01/27/16

Humor at Work

ISSUE 615 - Jan. 27, 2016


			Seven Proven Ways to Boost Employee Engagement

	The phrase 'employee engagement' makes a lot of people's eyes roll into the back of their heads. Yes, it's an overused phrase. And yes, it sometimes seems as though those organizations that have the worst employee engagement are the ones that use the phrase the most (hmm). But there's no getting around the fact that employee engagement - how invested employees are in the future success of your organization - is critical to any organization. Here are seven proven ways to boost engagement in your organization: Avoid shotgun weddings. Invest the time and resources necessary to hire people who are already motivated and who are a fabulous fit for your culture. Too many companies spend years trying to "fix" poor hires! Continually communicate and celebrate a sense of purpose. Connect the dots and remind everyone why your organization exists and why their work matters. Celebrate the end results and the positive impact you have on your clients and customers. Build relationship bridges. Create opportunities for employees to get to know one another at a personal level. Research from Gallup suggests there's only a one in twelve chance of an employee being fully engaged in their work if they have no close friends at work. (The Toronto-based accounting company FreshBooks arranges "blind dates" with employees: Coffee or lunch with randomly selected employees as a way to build collaboration and nurture friendships.) Communicate, communicate, oh, and yes, communicate! Have less meetings and more real conversations. (Less meetings yes...but definitely consider daily team huddles!) *Ask for input in meaningful* ways. Ensure everyone has a voice and is heard. The most powerful engagement tool is asking for input and then turning employees' ideas into action. Celebrate small wins. Mountains of happiness and engagement research has shown that small, frequent perks, rewards, and pleasures keep people happier than large, infrequent events. So don't wait until the finish line, celebrate the journey. Create ongoing small rituals and traditions. Rather than focusing on exit interviews (where it's too late and where people often don't reveal their honest feelings) schedule engagement interviews:** Regular "What's pissing you off?/What's making you happy and fulfilled?" conversations.

		Mike's Fun at Work Tip

Create a team challenge to see who can create the funniest, most creative, and most persuasive promo video for your workplace culture. Why should the brightest, most talented, most fabulous people on the planet come and work for your team or organization? Set a time limit (I'd suggest no more than 2 minutes long), keep the technology simple (some people are making movies with iPhones so you needn't bring in a Hollywood production team), turn it into an event where you screen the finished videos, reward the best production with a fabulous prize, and if the quality is good enough, post the videos on your website. (And if you do this and create something amazing, let me know, because Humor at Work will write about it and kick in some fabulous prizes as well!) Now if you're thinking that an honest depiction of your workplace culture would be more of a horror story than an uplifting inspirational piece, then shift the goal: Have teams compete for the best video that demonstrates what their idealistic future workplace culture would look and feel like.
		Quote of the Week

"Finding meaning in one's work - both in what you do daily and in the company's sense of mission - is one of the rarest but most valuable qualities anyone can have in their job." Chip Conley, founder of Joie de Vivre Hotels
		It's a Wacky World

February is Spunky Old Broads Month, Return Shopping Carts to the Supermarket Month, and Pull Your Couch Off the Wall Month! And some of my favorite February theme days include: February 2: World Play Your Ukulele Day February 5: Working Naked Day (uh-oh) February 8: Laugh and Get Rich Day February 11: Be Electrific Day February 13: Get a Different Name Day February 18: Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day February 23: Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day February 29: Leap Year Day For the complete list of theme days and observances, cruise on over to February Theme Days.

Cost Savings to Bring Mike to Your Event

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mike@mikekerr.com

Just for Fun
Are you as excited to go into your workplace on Monday morning as Mike is? Check out The Happy Guy Goes to Work!

More Reading
Mike is quoted in the Business Insider article: What To Do When You Realize Your Coworkers Secretly Hate You

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