5 Ways Keep Employees Engaged Over the New Year

Employee engagement is an important foundation in a positive work culture, boosting productivity and producing better outputs. And coming back after the holidays may be daunting and tiring for the staff, but it calls for the best time to improve their engagement levels. Here’s how to keep employees engaged over the new year.

Plan Team Outings

While it can potentially cost you a little bit of money, team outings are pretty effective in keeping employees engaged. When it comes to building engagement in the new year, even a simple small outing or get-together can increase the levels. Besides improving engagement, these team outings are also capable of re-energizing the employees, improving morale, and working as a team-building opportunity.

There are many ways a team outing can go, and it can be through indoor rock climbing, a trip to the museum, or even just a hangout session at the cafe. The possibilities are endless.

Improve Communication

Another important aspect of keeping the team members engaged and connected is by having a seamless flow of information in an organization. Everyone is on the same page, which prevents disputes, delays, and misunderstandings. Additionally, it cultivates a more positive work environment.

Because of that, people are more comfortable and vibe well with their managers and fellow peers. Furthermore, they are more motivated to go the extra mile when it comes to individual and team performance.

As a matter of fact, effective communication is the basis of employee engagement in times of remote work. You have to establish a smooth flow of information with clear processes and relevant communication tools.

Empower Your Team

Nobody wants that feeling like their boss is constantly breathing down their back while working. The solution? Empower your team by letting them work autonomously. This great option allows them to work openly, freely, and by themselves, which builds a positive office culture and achieves higher levels of engagement. Let them solve problems for themselves and not have to get the supervisors’ approval constantly to do so.

Focus on Wellness

Productivity, well-being, and employee engagement are all connected with one another. According to this survey, 85% of disengaged employees said that their well-being had declined. A decline in well-being leads to higher levels of anxiety which lowers productivity and leads to mistakes. 

Implementing a company-wide wellness initiative is a great way to begin the new year. Here are some suggestions on how to carry out considerate measures:

• Setting up a gym within the premises
• Implementing regular medical checkups
• Having an in-house counselor on standby
• Spreading awareness about self-care

Recognize Successes

When given success, most leaders neglect to share it with their team that has pretty much done most of the work behind a project. While this sounds very straightforward and simple to do, celebrating the successes with the team that helped you significantly affects their mood and engagement levels. Besides recognizing a job well done, it lets the employees know that they’re valued and appreciated.

Final Takeaway

Keeping your employees engaged can be simple, but there will be times when it will cost you. However, as long as you do it the right way, you can reap the rewards for both the individual and the company.

Now that it’s the new year and it’s typically the time to think of great new resolutions and consider how to keep your employees engaged in a much better way. While the previous year may have been successful in terms of keeping your staff engaged or the other way around, it’s time to focus on the now.

Make a conscious effort the improve employee engagement levels. Let the team know that you care about them and want to make sure that the work environment has renewed energy this new year.