Keeping employees motivated and invested is crucial for any organization’s success. But let’s be honest – traditional engagement strategies like surveys and feedback forms often fall flat. Employees crave creative, innovative approaches that make them excited to come to work each day.
In this article, we’ll explore 10 unique ways to reenergize your team and create a positive, engaging work environment. Whether you’re a business owner struggling with retention or a leader aiming to connect better with your staff, these strategies offer something for everyone.
1. Gamify the Workplace
Gamification uses game design elements to drive engagement by tapping into people’s competitive spirit and intrinsic desire for rewards. Set up friendly competitions, leaderboards displaying top performers, badges employees can earn for achievements, or point systems awarding prizes.
For example, software company Bunchball saw productivity gains up to 126% after gamifying sales teams’ work. Employees racked up points based on completed tasks, driving competition to be top performers.
2. Encourage Peer-to-Peer Recognition
78% of employees say receiving praise from peers is motivating. Peer recognition reinforces positive behaviors and makes employees feel valued by those closest to their work.
Launch a “kudos board” for peer shoutouts or use software enabling employees to send e-cards celebrating coworkers’ wins. Sales CRM Insightly introduced a peer recognition feature where employees send badges for exceptional work.
3. Provide Professional Development Opportunities
Investing in employees’ growth shows you care about enriching their careers. Consider offering tuition reimbursement, skills training stipends, mentorship programs, or stretch assignment opportunities.
For instance, Spotify provides a yearly allowance for learning resources or courses employees choose themselves. This autonomy to direct their own development is hugely motivating.
4. Spruce Up the Office Space
Little environmental cues affect how employees feel at work daily. Prioritize natural light, greenery, artwork, and color when designing or updating work areas. Coworking firm WeWork injects whimsy and playfulness into spaces via murals, fruit water, and communal lounges.
Small touches like plants, snacks, or music can also brighten employees’ moods. Ensure comforts employees want make their workspace somewhere they enjoy spending 40+ hours a week.
5. Offer Flexible Work Arrangements
Employees today demand flexibility enabling them to effectively balance personal and professional commitments. Consider options like remote work, compressed weeks, or flexible daily hours.
Granting autonomy over when and where work happens increases engagement dramatically.
6. Promote Health and Wellness
Wellness benefits demonstrate you care about employees as whole people. Sponsor yoga classes, walking groups, or guided meditations during lunch. Stock kitchens with healthy snacks and beverages. Gift Fitbits encouraging movement or subsidize gym memberships.
Not only do these perks boost daily morale, but they also promote better work performance by helping employees avoid burnout.
7. Encourage Team Bonding
Host activities facilitating relationship-building and fun. Coordinate volunteer days allowing coworkers to collaborate toward a common cause. Or get friendly competition going with bowling nights or office Olympics.
Strong social connections motivate employees to collaboratively succeed. Events producing laughter, memories, and inside jokes lead to tighter team bonds.
8. Implement Employee Feedback Channels
Facilitating two-way communication makes employees feel heard and valued. Conduct annual or quarterly surveys to understand engagement levels and solicit suggestions.
You can also create an anonymous feedback channel allowing employees to voice concerns freely without judgment. Taking action on input shows you take engagement seriously.
9. Recognize and Reward Achievements
Catch employees doing great work and make sure it doesn’t go uncelebrated. Monthly or quarterly awards highlighting top contributors keep motivation and friendly competition high.
Or, reward randomly via peer nominations or merit-based drawings. Public praise or perks like gift cards make employees feel recognized for daily effort.
10.Foster a Positive Culture
Workplace culture established from the top-down significantly impacts engagement. Ensure leadership exemplifies company values through words and actions. Make collaboration and positivity core philosophies, not just HR speak.
Emphasize caring about employees as humans, not just workers. Celebrate personal milestones like birthdays or marriages alongside professional achievements. A little thought and care go a long way.
Reenergize Your Team with Creative Engagement
The strategies above highlight just some of the unique ways you can reinject passion, purpose, autonomy, and fun into employees’ work lives. Invest time considering which options align best with your workplace needs and culture.
Even implementing one or two new initiatives can reenergize teams, boosting productivity, innovation, and loyalty. Don’t settle for engagement status quos if current strategies aren’t moving the needle. Contact Possibilities Unlocked to explore launching a refreshed engagement strategy starting with low-commitment consultation.
Great cultures don’t happen by accident. They grow through proactive investment into the employee experience. Prioritize re-evaluating how to make work rewarding for people again. Your bottom line will thank you.
The key is staying attuned to the ever-evolving preferences of today’s talent. Stale engagement tactics must get swapped for outside-the-box ideas better serving diverse workers’ needs. By getting creative with your approach, you’ll soon be retaining, motivating, and inspiring top employees season after season.
