There’s a honeymoon stage to every good thing, including a job. You’ve been a new hire before at some point, so you get it. When you start that job, you’re excited and ready to embed yourself in your work and new company. The honeymoon stage ends, inevitably, but that doesn’t mean work can’t be engaging long after the romance fades. Like every strong relationship, it’s about an evolving enjoyment and appreciation for where you are and who you’re with.
We’re strong believers in making the office a place employees love to walk into every day. For management, that means finding ways to engage your employees by bringing them together and supporting an all-around awesome culture. Your employees will thank you for it, enjoy coming to work more and have a stronger sense of camaraderie and belonging, which in the long run can mean more fulfilled employees and less turnover. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.
Whether this looks like a steps challenge with a gift-card reward for the teammate with the most steps or a plane ticket for the person who closes the most sales by the end of the year, you can always inspire your team with incentives that support their interests outside of work. If you do a culture survey at any point in the year, ask employees what reward they’d enjoy most so you can get a better idea of what will give them a motivation boost.
Dale Carnegie wasn’t wrong when he wrote, "The deepest craving of all mankind is a desire for recognition and the feeling of importance." Everyone loves when their hard work is acknowledged and appreciated. It doesn’t cost anything to engage your employees this way, but you have to first set goals — both long term ones and short term ones that employees can work toward each week. Set a time during the week for a quick team huddle where you can each recognize something outstanding another teammate did — from supporting a different division to getting great feedback from a client or customer.
The little things add up, and company perks are your chance to show your team that you’re thinking about them. It’s not all ping pong tables and a stocked snack cabinet either (though those are great perks). It could be paid metro passes for all employees or a zen room where employees can hit pause and practice mindfulness throughout the day. The best perks, though, are the ones that bring the team together. What better way to do that than with lunches? Every employee loves free, corporate lunches. And with Sifted, all members of the team are included — from the vegan to the gluten-free eater. We craft healthy meals with fresh, clean ingredients that fuel your team. You just tell us how everyone eats, how often you want lunches, and you’re good to go. Your employees get the chance to connect over a good meal while you get the chance to live out your commitment to a fun and inclusive office culture.
We get that Fridays will always be better than Mondays, but that doesn’t mean work has to be mundane. By engaging your employees in a way that supports your core values and culture, you can start building a more inspiring and creative workplace today. How do you engage your employees? Let us know in the comments!