On average, private-sector employees stay at the same company for 3.7 years. It means employee retention must be a priority for managers to drive engagement and inspire established talent to stay within the company.
High rates of turnover will drain a company financially and creatively. By building communities and connections through workplace engagement, employees are less likely to burn out and take their institutional knowledge and skills with them. 
10 Workplace Engagement Ideas to Transform your Community and Culture
1. Engage with a workplace engagement platform
One of the stand-out benefits of a workplace engagement platform is that it facilitates connectivity between the company, manager, and employee. A workplace engagement platform can help you create meaningful experiences for your employees and empowers people to connect with one another and opportunities across the organization.
2. Value-based employee recognition
Recognizing diverse talent promotes universal and core values that a company wants to see reflected in all employees. When employees demonstrate those values through their work or activity, acknowledging and rewarding reinforce that behavior.
An employee recognition program makes it simple to deploy an employee recognition program centered around a company's values and allows peers to celebrate one another's accomplishments and feel connected to a greater whole.
3. Promote mental and physical wellness
Wellness programs with perks are a healthy way to engage your workforce. You will want to develop a program that suits your specific team. If your group enjoys shopping, arrange an excursion. Or plan a fitness challenge for those that tend to gravitate towards the gym.
Perks promote health and wellness through healthy competition. The bounty can range from vacation days to limited company swag.
Mental health and wellness also depend on a healthy work-life balance. Every employee will have different needs to achieve balance in both areas. Sometimes, it just takes a little flexibility in a person's schedule to help keep them healthy and engaged.
5. Company culture matters
Work culture depends on all employees understanding how and why things are done. It should reflect the workplace environment, preferred behaviors, core values, and unique office rituals. Organizations that hire based on maintaining a positive work culture must carefully select candidates with the desired attributes and skills that add to the company's culture.
Engagement relies on employees and managers understanding an organization and its expectations. Workplace engagement helps to create and maintain a healthy work culture which increases connectedness, involvement, and support.
6. Act on all honest feedback
You must ask for feedback before you can act on it. Anonymous surveys are a fast and efficient way to ask questions about morale, satisfaction, and the current state of engagement. You can then create an employee retention plan based on that valuable and honest feedback.
Failing to act on feedback is a fast way to kill engagement. Sometimes all you can do is update an employee about the progress of the input, which is better than not addressing it.
Another way to get a quick assessment is a vent box. Employees can express their deepest frustrations anonymously, and it makes them feel heard.
4. Rotate weekly meeting leaders
Rotating meeting roles staves off stagnation and increases team efficiency. It also allows employees and managers to shine, learn new skills, and create bonds that build community and connection.
A significant benefit of rotating meeting leadership is that it brings fresh perspectives and unique life experiences. You will find that brainstorming sessions flow more easily when everyone feels they have a voice.
7. Encourage volunteering
By encouraging your workforce to volunteer, you show that you take social responsibility seriously and are committed to the community. It allows everyone to bond out of the office for a cause they collectively believe in.
Volunteering has a positive effect on mental and physical health. It reduces stress and anxiety, improves your mood, helps keep people active, and provides a sense of purpose.
8. Celebrate employee's uniqueness
When you invest in employee engagement software, you're giving talent the tools to view and praise their peers' good work. It is instrumental in remote company culture, where putting a note on a desk isn't an option.
Celebrating big wins sometimes means sending tangible appreciation, even in remote work situations. Some employee engagement platforms allow for gift-giving, which makes them feel more connected to their team and its mission.
Don't just celebrate the work your team does, but the individual. Recognizing birthdays, graduations, and special life events lets employees know that they are appreciated for who they are rather than for what they do.
9. Let employees know passions and interests matter
Understanding your team members' passions and interests increases engagement. It conveys to employees that they matter and that you care. It then allows you to integrate those interests into the workplace. For example, you know what incentive programs would motivate a team member.
When employees share interests, it builds a sense of belonging and community. A digital employee engagement platform gives managers and employees an easy way to connect and engage one another based on shared experiences.
10. Have fun
Social events bring people together, such as employees that don't normally interact with one another. It's also an excellent way for new hires to meet team members and build relationships outside work.
An event doesn't have to be in the office or even in person. Happy hour and trivia hours are inclusive for those that work remotely. Diverse talent is less likely to seek a position elsewhere when everyone feels included and has the opportunity to make life-long bonds.
Benefits of a Workplace Engagement
Increases attendance
Chronic absenteeism is a common problem that organizations face. It can sometimes spiral out of control and cost a company money. Employees that don't feel engaged are often indifferent to their work and look for a better position at another company.
Increases retention rates
The point of an employee retention strategy is to keep employees engaged. Disengaged employees will always be on the lookout for a new or better opportunity outside of the organization.
Increases productivity
Employees who feel appreciated and valued tend to spend less time disengaged or distracted. Productivity and efficacy increase as a result.
Increases mental and physical health
High-stress work environments force employees to compete rather than build community and connection. According to research, high-pressure work culture reduces productivity and increases healthcare costs. It makes employee engagement vital for a healthy workforce.
Increases the effectiveness of leadership
It's up to leadership to inspire team members. It means managers must have the opportunity to get to know what is important to team members and what makes them tick.
When leaders lead with engagement, it increases morale and excitement and creates a sense of community and connection.
Increases customer satisfaction
The way that an employee treats a customer is often a reflection of the level of employee engagement. Unhappy talent will not go the extra mile it may take to create a positive customer experience.
Increases employee advocacy
You want a workforce that tells others in their life that they love their job. And employee engagement is the only way to encourage positive brand advocacy. A dissatisfied employee can damage an organization's reputation, while one with a positive experience is free advertising.
Increases employee positivity
Workplace engagement initiatives nurture positive attitudes, which tend to spread throughout a company. Receiving and implementing honest feedback goes a long way toward increasing positivity and, thus, retention rates.
Increases creativity
An engaged workforce is a stimulated workforce. The level of creativity and innovation increases when talent feels listened to and has stakes in the success of an organization.
Increases overall morale
You gain loyalty from employees when you keep them engaged. A digital employee engagement platform gives a company the tools to build morale organically and effectively.
Increases respect
Employees must be able to ask questions without feeling uncomfortable and give feedback without repercussions. Workplace engagement allows managers and team members to develop professional respect for one another.
Increases loyalty
Fostering loyalty with workplace employee engagement activities reduces turnover rates and creates an emotional bond between talent and the organization they work for. In turn, loyal employees are less likely to leave for a more appealing position in another organization.
Increases collaboration
Successful companies depend on collaboration that works. But, collaboration is not always easy for those that enjoy going it solo. When a manager and their team feel engaged, it makes it easy to work together and communicate without hierarchy barriers.
How Structural Can Increase Employee Engagement
Employee retention now depends on how well an organization engages its workforce. And while there are countless ideas for increasing engagement, one thing is clear - a workplace engagement platform can help you deploy them.
You can check out Structural's software by requesting a free demo or watching the preview for more information.
