The term employee engagement is often thrown around with trendy office layouts, Ping-Pong tables, remote work options, and other workplace fads that many small businesses are hesitant to implement. The good news is, you don’t have to follow the trends set by tech companies to attract and retain great employees. Instead, stick with the basics including some ideas from a recent article in Entrepreneur.
Spend more time with your employees.
Leaders in the organization need to spend time in the trenches with employees. They also need to make time for one-on-one meetings to provide coaching and give the employee the opportunity to provide feedback.
Focus on traditional benefits
You don’t need to offer fancy benefits such as onsite yoga sessions or a pet-friendly workspace. Instead focus on the benefits that employees really want, such as health insurance, paid time off, and 401(k).
Put time into training
Training is a win-win for businesses and employee. The employees get to advance their skills and grow professionally, and the company benefits from the increased knowledge of their employees.
Place importance on trust
Leaders should work to gain the trust of employees. Two easy ways to do this are to follow through on what you say you are going to do and be as transparent as possible. Also demonstrate that you trust your employees. Give them some autonomy.
Doing these things well will provide your company with just as much, or even more benefit than the newest trend in employee engagement. Looking for more ideas? Check out our Employee Engagement Toolkit.