In today’s fast-changing workplace,  retaining top talent is a major challenge for most businesses.

According to new research of more than 600 US businesses with 50-500 employees, 63.3% of companies say retaining employees is actually harder than hiring them.

You’ve probably heard about the “war for talent” concept. It basically means that employee engagement and retaining top talent has become more challenging due to the shortage of skills companies are currently facing and employees’ expectations. People no longer just look at the benefits – they also take into account the development opportunities you offer and the company’s values.

So, what can you do to retain top talent?

In short – if you want to win the “war for talent” and stay on top of your game, you’ll need to develop an effective employee engagement strategy.

But investing in employee engagement doesn’t just mean making your employees happy or keeping them satisfied. Even if your employees are happy with the work environment and benefits you offer, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re engaged with their jobs.

According to Forbes, the definition of employee engagement is the emotional commitment the employee has to the organization and its goals.

When employees are engaged, their primary objective is to contribute to the company’s success. Employee engagement isn’t just about bonuses or benefits; it’s about being part of a successful business.

Fortunately, there are many employee engagement programs you can try to boost employee engagement. One of the best and most effective options is to incorporate employee engagement activities into the workday.

Here is a list of employee engagement programs and activities that work to help increase your employee engagement in the workplace:

• Encourage and listen to employee feedback.

Do you provide multiple ways for your employees to give feedback, and do you know what’s going on while it’s fresh in their minds? To respond effectively, you need to uncover issues as they occur – not hear about them months later when it’s too late to respond.

Short, regularly occurring pulse surveys help identify what employees are feeling and why they feel that way. Pulse surveys with a clear purpose behind them are one of the best employee engagement activities in companies and are vital tools in measuring and improving employee engagement.

• Provide ongoing opportunities for development.

Employees need to be challenged and upskilled constantly to keep them engaged. This doesn’t just have to be formal training.

Embracing a holistic approach to professional development will let employees hone their skills in the way they learn best. Instead of offering rigid learning opportunities, provide employees with the tools for self-directed learning.

• Show respect, recognition, and appreciation.

One of the most important workplace engagement activities is treating each employee with respect. According to entrepreneur Mike Kappel, “Employees don’t automatically become engaged when you give them more praise, thanks, or any other type of acknowledgment. But, employees can quickly become disengaged if they feel like they’re invisible.”

Not feeling valued is one of the primary reasons employees decide to leave an organization, and recognition and appreciation are some of the best workplace engagement activities to improve employee engagement.

• Encourage health and wellness.

Anything that supports the physical and mental well-being of your team can help contribute to engagement. Anything from providing funds for gym memberships, bringing in a massage therapist, and employee activities like a walking group during lunch will boost employee engagement.

• Re-evaluate your onboarding process.

It’s best practice to engage new hires before day one with an onboarding process that gets them up to speed before setting foot in the door. Effective onboarding and training ensure that employees learn how to do their job properly and provide the opportunity for them to engage with you, ask questions and clarify concerns.

In fact, close to 58% of new employees are more likely to stay with your company for longer than three years if they went through an engaging and meaningful onboarding program.

• Train your managers.

Managers are essential when it comes to driving different types of employee engagement activities. Create an effective management training program and teach your managers to truly care. Align them with the organization’s mission, strategy, and values and show them how to recognize and appreciate their team’s attitude and effort.

• Help your employees to get to know each other better.

One of the most vital employee engagement activities in companies is creating a strong bond between team members. You may consider staging a happy hour in the office or organizing a lunch for people from different departments. The more bonding you encourage, the more natural collaborative work will come.

• Be clear about responsibilities and goals.

One of the top reasons employees leave a company is because they don’t understand how their job fits into the objectives and goals of the company. This can be prevented by implementing a transparent company culture and having regular staff meetings that clarify each department’s role in achieving the company’s goals.

• Promote from within.

Promoting staff internally helps keep the promoted employee engaged and shows others that there are opportunities for those who walk the extra mile.

• Start a mentorship program.

You can avoid losing new hires by assigning each new employee an actively engaged mentor that’s been with the company for some time. Schedule a time where seasoned employees work closely with new hires, making sure your new employees don’t succumb to frustration or lose focus.\

• Build a culture of engagement.

Your company’s culture defines what you believe in and who you are, including your core mission and values. If you implement team engagement activities, your employees will feel valued, and you’ll strengthen employee engagement.

Conclusion

Employee engagement is essential for every workplace. By implementing this list of employee engagement activities, you’ll retain your top employees, increase customer satisfaction, enhance your company culture and boost productivity.

Coggno has a wide range of online training courses on employee engagement activities. You can have a look at our free courses and our course catalog here.