A lot of large businesses concentrate on finding and hiring the most talented workers to help them propel their company forward. They spend countless hours building a strong recruitment strategy.
For most, this includes:
- Figuring out the specific needs of their company
- Crafting the perfect job descriptions
- Optimizing their online job postings
- Culling through applications to find the best candidates
- Interviewing candidates to discover the best fit
- Hiring that perfect person
Recruitment is an integral part of any successful company, but especially so for large companies. However, many companies stop once the hiring has taken place, and that’s a mistake.
Employee retention is just as important, if not more so, than recruitment. Hiring can be expensive, not just in terms of money spent on finding the right employees, but the cost of the work lost when someone leaves.
The Department of Labor and Industry says the cost of replacing an employee is about one-third of their salary, and that number only gets more expensive as you climb higher up the corporate ladder.
Turnover is expensive. So, how can companies counteract that and keep employees at their company for the long haul?
The answer is a successful, and creative, employee engagement plan. Nowadays, employees don’t just want a good salary, health benefits, paid-time off and a retirement plan. They are also looking for other benefits that make them want to not only come to work, but stay at your company for a long time.
Here are 7 Employee Engagement Ideas for your large organization:
-
Have Healthy Options at Work
The health of employees should be of the utmost concern to a company, especially today when the costs of providing health insurance have skyrocketed. Many large organizations offer an employee cafeteria somewhere in the building, but not many offer healthy eating options.
This is one area where your company could stand out among the rest. This is not just about having a salad bar, but offering other healthy foods that are high in protein and low in fat, as well as gluten-free options.
-
Keep Your Employees “In the Know”
Employees want to feel like they’re part of the team, not just another number. It can be extremely easy for large organizations to treat employees without a sense of human touch because there are so many people, but don’t let your company fall into this trap.
Share information about the company with all of your employees on a regular basis. This includes not only how the company is doing, but what directions it plans to take in the next year and further into the future, and welcome input from all of your employees. This will make them feel like the work they’re doing is important.
-
Involve Employees in the Process
This point goes back to being a number. Employees want to be involved, and they want their voices to be heard. So, why not let them do so?
This can be done through employee engagement surveys, or in more informal settings such as feedback meetings with supervisors or larger teams of people at the organization. Not only will this make employees feel empowered, you might also get some great ideas.
-
Focus on More Than Just Work
Yes, these are your employees we’re talking about here, but as an employer at a large organization, it’s crucial nowadays that you focus on giving your employees a work-life balance. Providing this work-life balance reduces stress and actually makes employees feel more rested and energized when they’re working.
Some examples of ways to do this could be flexible hours, a work-from-home scenario (if even part of the time) or just showing compassion for everyday things that come up in life.
-
Say “Well Done”
Today’s employees aren’t just motivated by raises and promotions. They want more out of a job than just money. Similarly, they aren’t keen on fear or on doing something “because it’s their job.”
Instead, employees want to be appreciated. Thanking them for all the work they do, and praising them when they do a great job, is an easy way to boost employee engagement.
Take it a step further and even publicly praise the good work by your employees, and others will be motivated to work hard, too.
-
Have Fun at Work
Team-building exercises have been around for a long time at large organizations, and there’s a good reason why – they work. Having employees socialize with each other (and with their superiors) helps inject a human element into the workplace.
To do this, consider not just having after-hours get-togethers, but also fun activities outside of the office during normal working hours. Maybe an outing to the bowling alley or some creative activity would be a good fit for your organization.
These outings will not only allow employees to have fun; they’ll also help build respect and teamwork.
-
Promote an Open Office Environment
One of the best ways to promote an open office environment is to simply open up the office physically. If your company still has those old cubicles, get rid of them – or at least transition to the half-wall cubicles that you can see over.
You don’t want your employees to feel like they’re in a closed-off box, forced to work hard with their head down at all times. Promote communication and openness by presenting an open-air environment.
These are just a few ideas for how large organizations can promote employee engagement programs. By implementing all or even one of them, your organization will be well on its way to retaining employees on a higher rate.
