Employee Engagement Strategies Through Evolving Market Conditions
Impactful employee engagement and recognition strategies remain a leading indicator for increased productivity and reduced retention. Unengaged and unmotivated employees, according to Gallup, cost the world around $8.8 trillion in lost productivity in 2023, or about 9% of global GDP. In addition to lost productivity, low engagement is also associated with higher turnover, displaced core values, and lower employee satisfaction. This is especially true in healthcare. Even in healthcare, modern workforces now include remote and in-person workers, and employee recognition strategies must accommodate decentralized teams to remain aligned, keep employees engaged, and drive their company forward.
Employee Engagement Strategies for the Modern Workplace
Workforce demographics are dynamic. The market is constantly changing. Across industries, companies have expanded their remote capabilities to include a hybrid model. Though the swell of remote work as a downstream effect of the pandemic has subsided from 37% to 26%, a hybrid workplace is becoming a happy medium for many successful organizations. This means that to remain competitive, workplaces must begin adapting their recognition strategies to accommodate both in-person and remote workers.
Online Employee Engagement Strategies for Diverse Workforces
As teams grow beyond borders, it’s important to remain connected to organizational core values. Through an online employee recognition solution, teams are connected 24/7 through capabilities like a Social Stream, which showcases holiday and event ecards, birthdays, monetary recognition, service awards, and many others.
Our own recognition program, Spark Spotlight, drives connectivity and appreciation between teams, across our geographically diverse organization. Not only does it showcase awards for all to see, but it also creates an inclusive and public forum for remote workers to feel at home in. For example, it makes sense to recognize our most recent quarterly award winner at headquarters because she works in the office. However, this tactic would fall short of the previous winner’s expectations, being a remote worker out of the mid-Atlantic.
Instead, we celebrated using our employee recognition solution, delivering payment through our own dashReward card. We coupled this strategy with also sending physical merchandise their way. Monthly, quarterly, annual, monetary and non-monetary awards can be sent instantaneously or in the future, with the necessary approvals to drive lasting organizational change.
Employee Engagement Strategies For Repeat Engagement
In addition to connectivity, the internet has created a more social and communicative work environment, with the propensity to capture momentum to drive engagement. Consider how far the American Cancer Society has gotten with the mobilization around Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The proliferation of the “holiday” has driven the brand forward, capturing incredible stakeholder engagement along the way.
In a similar vein, you can drive more employee connection, greater engagement, and social awareness to your own meaningful holidays, real or made up. Popular industry celebrations include Nurses Week, Employee Appreciation Day, High Five Day, but we have clients who celebrate Earth Day, Pizza Day, and other fun holidays that may align to your own values. Aligning social media holidays to your own real-world values allows you to bring more fun and engagement all throughout the year in a concerted effort for repeat engagement. This constant reinforcement keeps employees celebrated appreciated, and ultimately, motivated.
Employee Engagement Strategies to Create a Culture of Recognition
Innovation is all around us and although at times it can be overwhelming, it’s important we use solutions and tools at our disposal in efficient ways. This includes Employee Engagement Strategies to create a personal, relevant, and meaningful experience for your workforce. In our ever connected and globalized world, “organizations must find the delicate balance between embracing technology… for productivity gains and protecting employee well-being” (KPMG). A great way to do so is to include our Employee Recognition Solution in your organization, which gives you an online recognition platform, an Engagement Manager for questions and strategic support, and customer service for your participants.
To learn more about diverse and effective employee engagement strategies