Engaged employees contribute positively to company culture.
A vibrant and authentic company culture inspires the commitment and motivation of employees.
Employee engagement and company culture reinforce one another. But this works the other way, too.
When either engagement or workplace culture fall short, both things suffer. This translates into lower productivity and profitability. It also leads to increased absenteeism and higher employee turnover.
To help you avoid disengagement — and its unwelcome side effects — we’ve put together this list of employee engagement ideas.
These practices and activities will help you breathe new life into your company culture. They’ll also help you create a workplace where employees feel valued, connected, and inspired to give their best every day.
62 employee engagement ideas
Make work matter
1. Establish your values
When it comes to employee engagement ideas, this one is easy to implement in theory. But very few companies actually put it into practice. Employees are more engaged when they feel connected to a company’s values, vision, and purpose. So start by getting clear on what you stand for.
2. Communicate your values
Establishing your values is one thing. Communicating them is another. To ensure employees understand and act upon company values, weave them into your recruitment, onboarding, and day-to-day communications.
3. Link values to employee work
When employees can link company values and objectives to their daily work, they feel more motivated. They also tend to pull in the same direction, which helps eliminate interdepartmental friction. So support managers to embed company values at every stage of the employee life cycle.
4. Assign team values, too
Teams that are given a chance to build a unique identity are more cohesive. Ask teams to create their own values based on your core philosophy. Help employees in every department understand what makes their work so important and they’ll naturally feel more engaged.
5. Clarify and share your employee value proposition
Your employee value proposition (EVP) is what sets your organization apart from the competition. It describes what you stand for, what you expect from employees, and what you offer in return. A clear EVP presents the employer-employee relationship as a partnership. This encourages engagement and loyalty.
6. Build trust
Only 21% of US employees strongly agree that they trust the leadership of their organization. But trust is key to engagement. Leaders should communicate company values and future goals clearly, transparently, and regularly to inspire trust in their workforce.
7. Treat employees equitably
Unfairness is another enemy of employee engagement. So make a genuine, company-wide commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Ensure everyone is paid fairly for their work. Also, ensure all employees — whether they’re office-based, home-based, or frontline workers —enjoy the same opportunities for connection, progression, and recognition.
Want to close the gap between frontline and head office? Find out how Blink’s mobile-first intranet can help.
Communicate more effectively
9. Identify communication challenges
Employee engagement is closely linked to internal communication. So take an objective look at your comms strategy to find where messages are getting through and where they’re failing to make the desired impact.
9. Be transparent
Employees are more connected and more committed when they know the direction your company is taking, how it’s succeeding, and what challenges it’s facing. So champion open communication and provide communication channels that everyone can access.
10. Give employees a voice
A lot of employees feel uneasy about speaking up. They don’t always feel comfortable sharing ideas or critiquing a process. Make sure your company encourages employees to speak up. You’ll find it easier to surface great ideas and those niggling issues that impact employee engagement.
11. Streamline communication channels
Some organizations suffer from information overload. But with Blink’s employee app, there’s one source of truth. Employees know where to go to get the latest company news and connect with co-workers. And they only see communications that are relevant to them and their roles.
12. Create stronger connections in and across teams
Both top-down and bottom-up communication are important. But is there enough peer-to-peer communication at your organization? Give teams the tools they need to collaborate and share insight and work becomes more satisfying for everyone involved. Productivity gets a boost, too.
13. Give regular feedback
Receiving feedback can be scary for employees. But regular, constructive feedback can be reassuring, too. Employees get to know whether they’re on track and what they can do to improve their performance.
14. Request regular feedback
Go beyond the standard annual employee survey. Take the pulse of your organization with regular polls and surveys. Find out whether employees are satisfied in their roles. Get their thoughts on the latest company changes or your internal communications strategy. By doing so, you identify engagement issues early and can nip them in the bud.
15. Act on feedback
Fail to act upon employee feedback and you risk disengagement — with both your organization and the feedback process. You can show employees that their opinions matter by keeping them in the loop. Share your feedback findings and your plan of action. Then, let them know when changes have been made.
16. Spend more time with employees
If you’re holed up in your office all day, you don’t get a feel for how engaged your employees really are. You need to talk to them — about work and non-work subjects — and allow employees to share their successes and concerns. For frontline companies, this might mean senior leadership spending more time on the frontlines of your organization.
Leverage technology
17. Use engagement tech
Get the right engagement tech on your team and you’ll find it much easier to inspire your workforce. Employee engagement technology — like Blink’s modern intranet — provides tools for two-way communication, recognition, surveys, analytics, and more.
18. Choose new tech wisely
The digital employee experience (DEX) impacts employee engagement. And any tech you choose has to work for all members of your workforce. You may like to survey employees to find out their likes and dislikes before you decide on new software. Also, take a look at usage and adoption rates to see how a platform tends to perform.
Employees have to use the tech you provide. But they don’t always understand why. Prioritize communication when launching new software. Explain why new tech is being implemented and how it will make an employee’s work life easier.
20. Create a digital hub
Avoid unnecessary friction by putting all your workplace technology in the same place, allowing employees to access it via a single, intuitive interface. Your primary software then becomes a digital hub where all employees can access workplace resources and processes with ease.
21. Eliminate interruptions
Pulling employees away from their vital tasks leaves them frustrated and disengaged. So choose tech solutions that allow you to curate information and limit notifications. Ideally, give employees the freedom to adjust information and notification settings for themselves.
22. Opt for social-media-style communication
Another great employee engagement idea? Use communication tools that mirror the experience employees get on the social media apps they use away from work. An engaging workplace platform encourages people to connect and collaborate.
Foster co-worker connection
23. Help employees develop social connections
Employees who feel connected to one another feel more connected to your company. So give employees the time they need for a little water cooler chat. Encourage informal conversation on your employee app. And schedule social events across the year.
24. Take team photos
This may seem like one of the more basic employee engagement ideas on this list. But, when employees can put a face to a name, it’s much easier to build connections. Put team photos somewhere visible in the office or — for remote and frontline teams — put them on the online company directory.
25. Create communities within your company
Support employees to share their out-of-office interests — like reading, running, baking, or painting. They can do this by setting up interest groups on the company intranet or by simply sticking a poster on the company noticeboard asking people to get involved.
26. Establish employee resource groups
Employee resource groups (ERGs) are a place where marginalized groups within your workforce can come together. ERGs give employees a sense of belonging. They also provide a safe space where employees can speak up about any issues they may be facing. Give employees access to ERG resources and communication channels to boost engagement.
27. Plan virtual coffee breaks
Frontline teams don’t always get the opportunity for informal co-worker chat. So they miss out on the vital connections that make work more worthwhile. By scheduling virtual coffee breaks, over smartphones and at a time to suit your frontline workers, you help them to build workplace relationships.
28. Organize team-building activities
This may be one of the oldest school employee engagement ideas out there, but team-building still works. Plan an escape room adventure, a cook-off, a trivia night. Get your team together to build stronger connections.
Help employees grow
29. Share training opportunities
As employee engagement ideas go, employee training is one of the most effective. Create and share training and development opportunities with employees. You’ll inspire worker loyalty and improve skills within the company, too.
30. Make it easy for employees to access training
Give employees paid time off for training. Make it clear that the company will cover training costs. Also, make it easy for employees to access training at a time and place that suits them with the help of mobile-first software.
31. Offer coaching
One of the easiest ways to boost employee engagement is to build up employee confidence. Coaching sessions, whether led by management or by someone in your organization with specific skills they’d like to share, can inspire and motivate employees.
32. Train managers
70% of the variance in team engagement comes down to the team leader. So you need to ensure that managers have the necessary skills to engage their workforce, spot engagement issues, and communicate company culture effectively.
33. Set employee goals
Clear goals and targets keep employees moving forward in their careers. Get managers to agree on goals with individual employees. Then, together, they can decide on the actions and training needed to achieve them.
34. Encourage side projects
Be more Google. Google is famous for giving employees the freedom to devote 20% of their work time to side projects. These side projects, which have to be beneficial to the company, allow employees to think and act creatively, which encourages engagement.
35. Promote from within
A lack of progression leads employees to look for another job elsewhere. You can improve engagement and increase employee retention by promoting employees from within wherever possible.
36. Let workers move laterally, too
Where a step up the career ladder isn’t possible, a step to the side can be just as motivating for employees. A lateral move helps them develop new skills and understanding of a different department.
37. Encourage networking
Connections between employees on different teams and between employees and people from other industries can lead to profitable innovations. So give employees the time and resources they need to network.
38. Remove roadblocks to success
Engagement dips when employees feel like they have to fight just to achieve the bare minimum. When the information they need is in one place, when their goals are clearly defined, and when they get their questions answered quickly, they’re more productive and more likely to progress in their roles.
39. Start learning clubs
Less formal than courses, learning clubs promote engagement by giving workers with specific skills a way to share that expertise with co-workers. These sessions can include work-related skill-building along with fun learning experiences. DJ class, anyone?
Motivate, motivate, motivate
40. Increase salaries
According to Gallup research, 64% of employees say a significant increase in income is very important to them when looking for a new job. If the pay check is already good, they’ve got less reason to leave. So where budgets allow, ensure all workers are on a competitive salary.
41. Go beyond money
Money is a motivating factor, particularly during times of high prices and inflation. But money isn’t everything. Recognition, work-life balance, training opportunities, and a sense of belonging inspire employee loyalty, too. So — if budgets don’t have much give — prioritize these other areas of the employee experience.
42. Recognize effort and success
Make employee recognition part of your company culture at all levels. Get managers to celebrate the accomplishments of employees and teams. Encourage peer-to-peer appreciation, too. Praise employees when they demonstrate company values to combine two employee engagement ideas in one.
43. Mark milestones
Birthdays. Work anniversaries. The end of a lengthy project. Celebrate milestones to show employees how much you value them. You can do this with a cake and a mini-celebration in the office. Or digitally, via the company news feed.
44. Find out which incentives employees really want
If you’re running an incentive program, check in regularly to find out if employees are excited by your rewards. Employee surveys help to reveal whether your workers are motivated by cash prizes, the option to give a charitable donation, or a gift card for their favorite store.
45. Bring in motivational speakers
You can get employees jazzed about their work by bringing in motivational speakers or by planning creativity workshops. These sessions get employees to think differently and can leave them feeling focused and motivated to tackle their workload.
46. Send out Monday motivation
Use a communication channel — like Blink’s news feed — to share weekly quotes, songs, videos, and other fun stuff. Some light-hearted company comms will help to banish the Monday Blues and get people energized for the week ahead.
47. Involve employees in decision-making
Employees are more engaged and motivated when you put trust in their judgment, abilities, and work ethic. So give them more autonomy over their work. Ask for their input on the design of the break room. Or turn to employees for their departmental knowledge.
Promote work-life balance
48. Be more flexible
75% of organizations say that offering flexibility as to where and when employees work helps them attract and retain talent. Company needs and employee needs don’t always overlap. But look at different types of flexible working and try to accommodate worker needs and preferences where possible.
49. Make it easier for employees to switch shifts
Another way that tech can support employee engagement is by providing shift-swapping software. Employees can swap shifts without HR team involvement, making it easier for them to achieve a better work-life balance.
50. Communicate shifts in advance
Another way to support frontline employees with work-life balance is by communicating shifts in advance. When you give workers plenty of notice, they can plan their personal lives — whether that’s caring responsibilities or social events — around work more easily.
51. Support volunteering
Just like your company has its core values, your employees have some of their own. Support them, either by giving workers time to volunteer or by hosting company-wide volunteering events.
52. Boost employee health
How much productivity is lost to illness each year? You can reduce the time lost to illness — and improve engagement — by promoting a culture of physical and mental wellness in your workplace. Consider a fruit basket instead of a vending machine full of junk food. A schedule of lunchtime fitness activities. Or access to a wellbeing app for remote and frontline workers.
53. Don’t penalize sick time
A sick employee isn’t truly engaged in their work and may get co-workers sick, too. Make it a company-wide policy that if an employee is sick, they should stay home. Employees who are treated compassionately during an illness are more likely to feel valued and respected by their employer.
54. Encourage employees to take PTO
They’ve earned it. So they should never be worried that using it will have negative consequences. Make employees feel good about using their earned vacation time. And remind those with vacation time outstanding that it’s there for them to use.
55. Discourage an always-on mentality
Your employees feel more connected to your organization when they get to take a break from it. Train managers to be respectful of employee time off, whether that’s vacation time or just the hours they spend away from work each evening.
56. Model work-life balance
If you struggle to switch off and tend to ping over emails after hours, consider taking a step back. Try to achieve some work-life balance for yourself. When employees and co-workers see you embracing work-life balance, they’ll be more likely to do the same.
57. Respect employee schedules
You probably can’t accommodate every employee’s schedule when you’re planning events, classes, training sessions, and meetings. But bear these schedules in mind. Don’t expect employees to attend events during their time off work. And try switching up the time of events to accommodate a variety of shift patterns.
Optimize the onboarding process
58. Welcome new hires the right way
Capitalize on the excitement of new hires by welcoming them into your company in the right way. Give them all the tools and resources they need to become productive members of the team. It can help to automate the onboarding process, so employees get the same stellar experience, every time.
59. Assign a mentor or buddy for new hires
Ask a more senior employee or an experienced team member to show your new hire the ropes. Having someone to turn to with their questions and concerns helps alleviate nerves and uncertainty during those early days.
60. Get the basics in place
Turning up on your first day is always a little daunting. You can boost early engagement by ensuring that everything runs smoothly. Make sure workers know where they have to go. Where relevant, ensure they have a desk and device assigned to them. And give them the login details they need to join the company conversation over on your intranet or app.61. Encourage new hires to build connections
Get new hires to introduce themselves on the company intranet. A photograph and a post — or an introductory video — encourages existing team members to say hello and help your new hire feel more at home.
62. Set early goals and give recognition
Many of the employee engagement ideas we’ve talked about in this post are relevant to new hires. You should introduce new starters to company culture right from their very first day. Setting goals and giving recognition during those first few weeks is also really important for engagement.
Building these employee engagement ideas into your engagement strategy
Implementing these 62 employee engagement ideas will help you create a more loyal and motivated workforce. But taking one or two of these ideas in isolation isn’t enough. It takes a holistic, company-wide approach to really move the dial on engagement.
It’s about creating an authentic company culture where employees are valued, supported, and recognized for their hard work. And it’s about tailoring engagement initiatives to meet the needs of your workforce.
For example, employee engagement activities that work for a desk-based team are often very different from those that work for a frontline organization. So find out what your employees want before making wholescale changes to your strategy.
That being said, there is one thing that tends to work for all organizations. When it comes to surveying your staff or any of the other items on this list, engagement tech provides tools that make it easy.
With an employee app like Blink, you get:
- Two-way communication, recognition, and employee survey tools
- A content hub where employees can access workplace guides and resources
- Integrations that bring your whole tech stack to every employee smartphone, creating a seamless digital experience
- Engagement analytics that support teams to spot employee engagement problems and make targeted changes
Blink can help you put these employee engagement ideas into practice by putting company culture and connection into the palm of every employee.
Ready to boost employee engagement at your company? Get your free Blink demo today.
