When we talk about as big a buzzword as employee engagement activities, we need to first be clear about one simple fact – that it has layers. No, employee engagement activities do not just mean a weekly Friday game or a team outing once a month or introducing a foosball table. They could mean that, but you have definitely been missing the goal if these have been borrowed ideas from mainstream HR policies.
Employee engagement activities have several layers into execution. The permutations and combinations of these activities are often so complex that what precisely worked for one organization most likely won’t work for another. Why? Because you are dealing with “people” and people by their very nature are different and if you think you can stack them and expect your employee engagement activity to succeed, you are merely draining your resources into oblivion.
Here are some simple steps to follow to uncover the layers of employee engagement activities and to create your very own initiative that actually works for your workplace :
- Ask
Yes, it begins with that, much like any engagement activity! You need to first communicate and ask your employees. You need to understand them and what they really consider an “activity” to begin with. A Play Station with FIFA running might delight a portion of your employees but what about the others? Do you really want to leave them feeling dis-engaged? Do you really want them to think that your organization simply favours “majority rules” policy where something just less an half your organization is left for by themselves?
- Structure
Once you have your responses to your survey on employee engagement activities, structure and analyse them. Ofocurse monetary feasibility plays a critical role in the implementation phase, but employees can often sense when an organization is doing their very best to keep them engaged and leave them feeling cared for.
- Execute
Yes, this is the final step. Ofcourse you cannot satisfy every single employee to the same extent! But what you can do is let them know that you, as an organization, have and are doing everything feasible to accommodate their needs and requests. If you can deliver on this part right, your employees won’t mind some discomfort. They will stand by you.
