Maintaining Employee Engagement
Implement Meaningful Workplace Resolutions in 2024 and Succeed
Tuesday, December 19, 2023
In the New Year, your employees (most people, in fact), have probably made some resolutions. It’s normal. Time passes. The new year marks a change. And in moments like this, people naturally take time to pause and reflect about their lives and about what they want to change, what they want to improve, and what they want to let go of.
So what does that have to do with work?
Almost … everything. Most people spend more time at work than home. And creating a healthy workplace culture can make a meaningful impact on your employees’ lives, their work, and your organization’s bottom line.
Maintaining employee engagement could be, quite possibly, the most strategic thing your organization can do. So, as an organization, why not jump on the resolution bandwagon and make this your number one priority in 2024?
Sustaining employee engagement is a continuous endeavor vital for a thriving workplace. It entails consistently fostering and strengthening the connection between employees, their roles, colleagues, and the organization. Resolve to do it.
4 New Year's Resolutions for Organizations in 2024
Here are 4 resolutions that are worth your organization’s time and investment that will be key factors in maintaining employee engagement.
Give your employees a safe place to work:
Workplace safety entails everything from up-to-date workplace areas (lighting, chairs etc.) to emotionally safe environments. This is a tenet of engagement.
Actions:
Physical safety:
1. Take a risk assessment. Ask employees to identify and share safety risks they might have on the job.
2. Make sure equipment is up-to-date and safety gear is to code. Provide ergonomic equipment for the office.
3. Ensure workers are properly trained to use equipment. Provide visual safety aids.
4. Create a safety committee to evaluate processes.
5. Don’t forget your remote workers! Check-in and ask them how they are doing.
Psychological safety:
1. Establish a culture of open, candid, respectful communication. Senior leaders must model this by asking for feedback and following up on it.
2. Be an active listener.
3. Prioritize collaboration and teamwork over the Lone Star Employee.
4. Implement meaningful DEI initiatives from the top-down. Build a culture of belongingness.
5. Engage employees in decision-making processes and encourage them to contribute innovative ideas that can benefit the organization. Host regular brainstorming sessions or hack-a-thons where employees from various departments collaborate to solve business challenges.
Give your employees a WHY.
When employees have a clear sense of purpose, when they understand how the work they do aligns with an organization’s goals, mission, and vision, they’re more likely to stay engaged.
Actions:
1. Establish clear expectations. Your employees need to know what they’re expected to do, when they’re expected to do it. Regularly discuss performance objectives and goals.
2. Understand your staff’s personal and professional goals, and create spaces at work for them to work toward both.
3. Schedule quarterly performance reviews where employees receive feedback on their work and discuss their career aspirations.
4. Provide access to training programs and mentorship opportunities to aid employees in acquiring the skills needed for advancement, aligning with the organization’s needs.
5. For continued learning opportunities, establish a learning portal where employees can access a library of online courses. Set up lunchtime MOOC sessions to hold one another accountable and build community.
Make DEI a priority.
When employees work for a place that prioritizes diversity, equity, and inclusion, both the organization and the employees flourish.
Actions:
1. Revisit the organization’s disciplinary policies. Are they up-to-date? Clear and fair? Are there meaningful consequences for behaviors that don’t align with the organization’s values? Are there clear channels to report bad behavior – providing anonymity and safety.
2. Review your benefits and pay structure. Are there gaps? Is there a problem with salary compression? Do your benefits reflect a diverse workforce (flexible schedules, advance vacation schedules, family-friendly arrive and leave times and more)?
3. What channels of information do you use to recruit new talent? Consider diverse job networks that target under-represented groups (veterans, Hispanic and black Americans, women, people with disabilities, LGBTQ population and more).
4. Offer paid internships, recruiting from local colleges and community colleges. This blasts open the doors to a diverse group of students who otherwise wouldn’t be able to take a non-paying internship. Likewise, consider returnships for employees who have taken time of to care of children and family members.
Implement Meaningful Employee Wellness Policies:
The physical, emotional, and financial health of your employees impact engagement. When your employees feel cared for, they will feel more committed and passionate about their work.
Actions:
1. Pay your employees fairly.
2. Bring in financial experts to discuss pension plans and college savings plans.
2. Offer meaningful health benefits that include access to great doctors, women’s reproductive health, and mental health.
3. Consider flexible benefits. Enable employees to allocate their benefits budget according to their individual priorities. (Childcare support, professional development, health-related benefits and more).
4. Provide employees with paid vacation time and insist they take it. When employees understand that taking time off is not only a benefit but an expectation, they better manage the work-life balance.
5. Create alliances with local sporting goods shops (for access to low-cost sports rentals), local gyms, swimming pools, and more. This builds community with the community. 6. Implement a meaningful Corporate Social Responsibility program and provide your employees with paid volunteer days.
The employee experience matters. Organizations, senior leaders, and HR can work to develop a culture of belongingness, innovation, and success. Resolve to make maintaining employee engagement a top priority in 2024. Take the necessary steps to make it happen. And succeed.
We wish you and your organization a happy holiday season and New Year filled with success!
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