At the end of the day, life is all about balance. Even when it comes to a work environment, balance aids in boosting productivity and employee engagement, and contributes to an overall positive dynamic.
Sometimes things get busy though, so it’s hard to keep track. Not to worry, as you can implement some of the following tips as soon as today!
· Take note of employees that might be working longer days than others
· Enforce regular breaks for all staff
· Avoid having employees work through lunch—even if they have food at their desk, it’s important to take a moment and recharge in the middle of the day.
Depending on your day-to-day operations, you might have more specific goals in mind. The main thing is that you’re providing reasonable accommodations for all your employees to perform at their best.
Questions for leaders
1.What are some things you do to ensure balance in the workplace?
2.What are some new techniques you might consider for your own staff?
Registration opens soon for our next Great Engagement: Engage and Mobilize Employees Training Program.
For most employees, if you ask them to describe the last time they engaged in self-care, chances are they won’t be talking about a moment at work. Rather, time outside of work is much more likely to be associated with self-care and rejuvenating routines. However, times are changing, and companies are becoming more aware of their employees’ needs. It’s no secret that you work better when you feel more appreciated, so what better way to reach your employees than by helping them feel their best?
As a leader, it’s important to be aware of work culture and where things might need adjustments. At the end of the day, you’re creating an environment in which you expect people to spend the majority of their waking hours. Even if you manage a team remotely, you’re expecting them to pay attention and engage with their work in a meaningful way. The best way to begin is by evaluating your current work culture and figuring out where you can implement self-care practices for your employees.
Keep reading for some quick tips on creating a work culture that places a priority on self-care.
· Regular breaks: when employees feel tethered to their desks all day, it’s much more likely that they will engage in distracting, non-work-related activities.
· Get outside: Whether you are working remotely or in person, make sure everyone has an opportunity in their day to take a reprieve outdoors. This is especially important during the months when you experience better weather!
· Offer flexibility: If someone needs to come into work later but they’re willing to stay later, or come in earlier and leave earlier, try to accommodate them when it doesn’t interfere with the company’s needs. It might be a small gesture to you, but it will mean a lot to your employee and translate into their productivity. Similarly, if someone needs to take a longer lunch break to go to an appointment or something else, try to be flexible wherever it won’t affect you.
· Benefits that focus on self-care: If you can, try to give your employees perks that focus on self-care and mental health. Gym discounts and other perks can even attract candidates with the mindset you’re looking for.
The Bottom Line
At the end of the day, leaders are responsible for creating a work environment that supports the immediate needs of all staff members. Even if you don’t have any self-care-focused initiatives in place right now, there’s no better time to get started.
If you’re unsure of where to begin, reach out to your employees for feedback, you’ll be surprised how far your recognition of their needs will go. You might notice improved engagement right after you start to show an interest in their mental health and day-to-day experience.
Questions for leaders
1. What are you currently doing to promote self-care in the workplace?
2. If you had to guess, do you think your employees feel like they have a good work/life balance and enough time for self-care?
Registration is now open for our next Great Engagement: Engage and Mobilize Employees Training Program, starting January 25, 2023.
Sometimes, you just have to keep it moving, and that couldn’t be truer when it comes to your mind and body connection.
Did you know that you can fuel your creative juices by moving around? Sometimes if you’re feeling stuck in a creative slump, or just in a typical old rut, all it takes is moving your body to get back to feeling engaged.
Whether you’re managing a team, working solo, or are part of a larger group, it’s important that everyone gets an opportunity to move throughout the day.
Questions for leaders
1.Do your employees have the opportunity to take short breaks and move around throughout their day?
2.Do you currently take time throughout your workday to decompress and regroup?
Registration is now open for our next Great Engagement: Engage and Mobilize Employees Training Program, starting January 25, 2023.
Humans are social creatures by nature, and it’s much easier to feel motivated when there is a shared sense of productive energy. If you’re thinking about ways to boost company morale and improve employee engagement, you might benefit from implementing team-building activities.
· Team-building activities you can start with your employees as soon as today:
· Host a meeting outside with your employees to go over team goals.
· Create focus groups for specific projects to foster collaboration .
· Take a day off from work and get active with your staff—many employees report company outings for yoga, axe-throwing, charity runs, and other physical activities.
Question for leaders
1. Does your company offer any kind of events or activities that employees can engage in together?
Registration is now open for our next Great Engagement: Engage and Mobilize Employees Training Program, starting January 25, 2023.
You’ve probably heard of “self-sabotage” before, but have you ever thought about it in the context of a team or entire organization? If you want your business to succeed, you need to make sure your employees have the necessary tools to mitigate conflict, balance work responsibilities, and manage stress in a healthy way.
The more equipped your team is, the more space you give them to reach their potential. Instead of allowing friction in the workplace, it’s important that you foster a work environment that emphasizes communication, understanding, and teamwork. When everyone’s on the same page and working towards the same goal, there’s no limit to what you can achieve.
To get your team on the right track for 2023, registration is now open for the foundational 6-week Positive Intelligence® Business Training Program, where they will learn how to maximize both performance and well-being simultaneously by focusing on the root-level muscles that impact both.
If you’re having trouble with keeping employees engaged in the workplace, you’re actually in the majority—marketing research firm Gallup reports that only 20 percent of global employees are engaged at work. This isn’t specific to any particular industry either, but the one common thread seems to come down to mental health.
From a numbers standpoint, the impact of mental illness is impossible to ignore—costing the global economy upwards of $2.5 trillion annually. Before you can start making any changes, it’s important to understand the current state of your workforce and take note of any existing signs of disengagement.
Once you have a better idea of what you’re working with, you can start to take action and implement changes that will create long-lasting positive results.
What is employee engagement?
Employee engagement might look different based on your organization. In general terms, Quantum Workplace defines it as: “the strength of the mental and emotional connection employees feel toward the work they do, their teams, and their organization.” You need to look at your workplace as more than just a place for people to do their jobs. If you want to create an environment that fosters growth and creative business strides, you need to pay more attention to engagement.
When your employees are engaged, you can expect them to be:
– Team-oriented and purpose-driven.
– Driven to meet goals and come up with solutions.
– Adaptable to changing business environment.
– Focused on learning, growth, and improvement.
Disengaged behaviors can look more like:
– Negative outlook and overall pessimistic attitude.
– Happy to take credit when something goes right but quick to shift blame if something goes wrong.
– Increased absenteeism or tardiness.
– Focused on monetary value rather than reaching business goals.
Why is employee engagement important?
The more disengaged your employees are, the more it’ll cost you down the road. According to data collected by McLean & Co., for every $10,000 in annual salary an organization loses about $3,400. Multiply this by the actual salary and number of employees and you’ll get an idea of how much you’re losing by not taking action to improve engagement.
How you can start to improve your employee engagement
Acknowledge the importance of mental health
The sooner you make it clear to your employees that you value their mental health, the faster you’ll see results. Even with the growing demand for mental health services, it’s often very difficult for people to get the help they need. Try to ease this dilemma as much as you can.
Conduct an honest assessment
You need to know where your employees stand—engagement surveys are a great way to start out, asking for direct feedback and honest opinions. Don’t hesitate to conduct one-on-one meetings either, and make sure to make it clear that you value any feedback you can get, even if it’s negative. Frame the discussion in a way that the employee feels compelled to help you make viable changes.
You might also want to task someone with monitoring performance over time to gain a better understanding of areas that need work.
Create lasting changes
You might think the cost of mental health benefits is too high for your organization to offer but think about all the money you’ll save if you aren’t losing hours of productivity each week. Aside from formal benefits, you can also focus on:
– Recognition: make sure to give positive reinforcement when possible and show your appreciation.
– Resources: employees are more engaged when they feel they have everything they need to do their job.
– Connection: practice inclusivity and build strong relationships through collaboration.
Question for leaders
1. What are you doing to support the mental health of your employees?
Registration is now open for our next Great Engagement: Engage and Mobilize Employees Training Program, starting January 25, 2023.
In the same way that leaders benefit from becoming more in tune with their goals, employees are much more likely to engage more with their work if they feel a sense of purpose. One of the best ways to format your engagement strategy is by framing it to serve as a roadmap for your employees.
There are a few different ways you can instill a sense of purpose in the workplace, but nothing beats real feedback. Have your employees fill out surveys and invite them for one-on-one sit downs to discuss their goals, questions, and any potential concerns.
This won’t just help your employees become more focused at work, but they’ll feel more seen and understood. When you make you team feel like they play an important role in your organization, you can expect engagement to increase almost instantly.
Question for leaders
1. Do you think your employees feel like they are in alignment with a sense of purpose at work? Why or why not?
Registration is now open for our next Great Engagement: Engage and Mobilize Employees Training Program, starting January 25, 2023.
Whenever you’re thinking about employee engagement, you want to think about individual workers as well as teams. It’s very easy for negative energy to travel throughout the workplace, so understanding how the performance of one employee can affect others is crucial for your engagement strategy.
Three ways poor performance can affect your whole team:
Decrease in productivity: An employee’s attitude will reflect in their productivity and make it harder on the rest of your team. As a result, you might find other workers becoming discouraged.
Poorer quality of work: Newer employees can end up taking on the poor work ethic of others if that’s what they’re exposed to and see it as acceptable.
Lower company morale: Teams function better when everyone is motivated and working towards the same goal.
The elements above can easily have a snowball effect in your workplace. It’s important that you start to intervene as soon as you notice the effects start to take place.
Question for leaders
How do you handle poor performance in the workplace?
Registration is now open for our next Great Engagement: Engage and Mobilize Employees Training Program, starting November 9, 2022.
If you have employees that are performing poorly at work, it’s in your best interest to address it as quickly as possible. As soon as you notice an employee is starting to fall behind, it’s imperative that you step in. Managers should always be prepared to work on engaging employees with poor performance before it starts to spread.
Tips for engaging employees with poor performance
– Be ready and available for open communication: Sometimes there are valid reasons for an employee becoming disengaged at work. Make sure they know you have an open door policy and are there to support them and answer questions and concerns they might have.
– Offer training and growth opportunities: Many employees will respond better if they feel like their efforts are leading towards something. Offering training and advancement opportunities is a great way to keep people on track and looking forward to the future.
– Implement performance rewards: A tried and true method, nothing drives performance like a true incentive.
Question for leaders
How do you engage with employees when you notice a decrease in performance?
Registration is now open for our next Great Engagement: Engage and Mobilize Employees Training Program, starting November 9, 2022.
