Browse our jobs and apply for your next role.
The right candidate is just a few clicks away.
PageGroup changes lives for people through creating opportunity to reach potential.
If you have any questions, we’re here to help.
The shortage of talent in today’s markets makes it imperative for organisations to improve employee retention. To do so, employers should focus on improving engagement and the employee experience.
It is the emotional connection employees have with their work and their organisation, while employee experience refers to all the experiences an employee has had during their tenure with the organisation. While there are some overlaps, both elements come together to drive productivity and retention.
However, creating an employee engagement strategy that is truly effective is no easy task. In order for employee engagement initiatives to be truly successful, they must be tailored to the unique needs and motivations of every employee.
Related: 4 key strategies to attract talent
Employees who are engaged invest extra time, effort, and initiative to ensure the success of the company. These individuals feel a sense of purpose within their roles and bring enthusiasm, passion, and energy to their work.
In addition to being more motivated, committed, and loyal, engaged workers produce better results for both the company and its customers. Boost your employee experience with these six techniques:
Competent, passionate, and hands-on leadership is critical to employee engagement. Showing a genuine interest in your employees and investing time in understanding their needs and aspirations will help send the message that their contribution is valued, creating goodwill and a desire to succeed – both as an individual and as part of a team.
Check in with them regularly to find out how their experience in the workplace can be improved. This can be done informally, by participating in casual conversation, or via occasional non-work activities.
Find out what motivates them by instigating more formal employee surveys and avenues for feedback. Make a point of finding out how your employees define success so you can create a rewarding environment in which they can thrive.
Leaders must also take a serious look at their company’s DE&I policies, and make sincere efforts to effect positive change if current policies are lacking on this front. Page Personnel’s Talent Trends 2022 The Great X report shows that 59% of candidates in Singapore have asked or will consider asking about a company’s DE&I policy at job interviews – and companies considered to be more progressive will have an edge over their competitors in the war for talent.
Related: The first step to a good employee attraction plan is a great employee retention strategy
A guaranteed way to disengage staff is to let them feel underused. Engaged employees are those who are given the opportunity to adequately use their skills and are encouraged to stretch those skills in order to progress.
Talk to your employees about their career plans. Does their current role make full use of their strengths and abilities? If not, come up with a plan to expand the role description. Is their career moving in the direction they desire? Try and map out a path within your organisation and agree on targets for promotion.
Are there new or interesting projects they can work on to expand their skillset? Perhaps a secondment to a different department or location will give them the variety they need to maintain engagement.
Discuss the training and development opportunities that can help them advance within the company and provide clear and consistent feedback on how they can improve their performance. Ultimately, showing that you care about helping employees maintain job satisfaction will reap the rewards.
Engaged employees believe that the work they are doing is important and has value. They feel they are contributing to something meaningful and take pride in the results of their efforts.
As a manager, it is crucial to frequently reinforce the importance of your employees’ roles to the organisation as a whole. Help them to see the direct connection between their activities and company success, and the ways in which even the smallest tasks can contribute.
Set goals and challenge your employees to meet them to promote a sense of purpose. Grant them the autonomy to improve the way things are done to help them feel trusted and respected, and involve them in decisions that provide a sense of ownership over the direction of the company.
Related: Why candidate experience matters and how to do it well
For employees to be motivated to give their best, they need to know their efforts will be recognised and rewarded. Regularly thanking them for their efforts demonstrates your awareness of their hard work and provides encouragement for them to boost their performance.
Make the time to celebrate accomplishments, rewarding and recognising employees in ways that are meaningful to them. The celebrations don’t have to be lavish to be meaningful – ordering in a team lunch, sharing wins with the wider business, or presenting someone with a small gift for achieving a milestone goes a long way to making people feel recognised and rewarded.
While competitive pay and good benefits are key motivating factors in accepting a job, providing incentives for higher performance gives employees something extra to strive for and helps them stay engaged for a longer period.
A study published in the Journal of Organisational Behaviour showed that employees at green firms were 16% more productive than employees at other firms, concluding that “employees in such green firms are more motivated, receive more training, and benefit from better interpersonal relationships. [The] employees at green companies are therefore more productive than employees in more conventional firms.”
Similarly, research from the Charlton College of Business at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth found that employees are likely to report higher levels of job satisfaction if they work for a company that is perceived to be environmentally friendly.
Here are some simple strategies your organisation can adopt to improve your green image and employee engagement:
Companies that understand people are their greatest asset reap the benefits of an engaged workforce. These days, this means considering employees’ lives beyond the office.
Find out the responsibilities of your employees and consider initiatives that enable them to balance work and home life more easily – this may mean flexible hours or remote work arrangements.
Encourage employees to balance hard work with socialising and fun by investing in social events and regular team-building activities. Promote the sharing of ideas, suggestions, and improvements by asking for feedback in a variety of ways, such as a ‘suggestion box’ initiative or – more difficult but more rewarding – fostering a culture of honest feedback.
A work environment in which people feel valued, and heard, and have a sense of camaraderie is critical to employee engagement.
Related: 5 tips for businesses to succeed on LinkedIn in 2023 and beyond
The pandemic has fundamentally changed the way we work. Remote work has become the new norm for many traditionally in-office roles, and this shift is likely to impact work models long after the lockdown is over.
So, how do you boost individual and team engagement while staff are working from home or telecommuting? Try these tips.
Many employees have had to quickly change their working arrangements, which can lead to confusion about what’s expected of them on a day-to-day basis. As a manager, it’s important to communicate your expectations with your team as early as possible, including:
Periodically check in with your team to ensure these expectations are being met, and remember that it may take time to find the right workflow for some employees.
Communication can be a challenge for remote teams. A study found that many employees struggle with communication issues and even loneliness when working remotely. To mitigate the risk of disconnected teams and disengaged employees, managers must set the standard for regular, ongoing communication.
Organise regular meetings and catch-ups – both one-on-one with employees and as a team – via apps like Google Hangouts, Zoom and Skype. It’s also a good idea to keep lines of communication open with collaboration platforms like Slack and Microsoft Teams.
Many people are trying to navigate unexpected changes in their lives, which often involve juggling childcare and personal commitments with work. Managers should be empathetic and flexible in supporting employees during these times of uncertainty.
Where possible, allow for flexible work arrangements such as flexible working hours, and acknowledge that different people may require certain accommodations due to family situations and living arrangements. This will demonstrate clear support for employees and help stave off resentment during difficult periods.
Adopting new ways of working is a learning curve for both managers and workers. With that in mind, encourage your team members to share their challenges and successes while working remotely. Listen to the needs of employees, and incorporate changes to policies and arrangements where possible to help continually improve the work environment for your team.
While it may not be possible to prevent the fear and uncertainty of the current landscape, you can implement processes to support your employees while they navigate unfamiliar territory.
As in any office environment, keeping employee motivation levels up in a remote work situation is key to keeping staff happy, retaining your best people, and maintaining team cohesion.
Start a hiring conversation with Page Personnel to find out how you, too, can reap the many benefits of a leading global recruitment agency.
Read more:5 ways to improve gender diversity in the workplaceWhy an effective onboarding process is more important than you thinkThe value of mentorship and sponsorship, and what it can do for your company
Request a callback
IMPORTANT: By submitting your email address and any other personal information to this website, you consent to such information being collected, held, used and disclosed in accordance with our PRIVACY POLICY and our website TERMS AND CONDITIONS.
