The majority of us spend at least 50% of our awake time working. It doesn’t take long for some of us to feel unmotivated in the morning, especially if the company does not make an effort in keeping a positive workplace environment.
We all agree that engaged employees are the company’s best asset. So it is time to get your employee engagement level at its best.
Here we’ve curated ten workplace trends that could help boost employee engagement and create a positive workplace environment, which would benefit your company.
New Desk
One of the workplace trends that could help boost employee engagement is getting a new desk. We are not talking about the regular dull office desk. We are talking about the new trend of the office, which is the standing desk.
There are plenty of health benefits when using a standing desk instead of prolong sitting on a chair. Standing desk enhances movement among employees and can also be used in other areas in the office such as meeting and collaboration spaces.
Photo: Mack Male, Flickr
Activity-based Working
Activity-based working is where employees work in open-plan spaces without assigned offices or cubicles. While a majority of us are used to sitting in the boardroom for a meeting or having a project discussion at someone else’s desk, it is time to try something different.
Try heading to the office balcony for a brainstorming session with your employees or a lunch meeting instead. A change in the usual mundane ways could help boost employee engagement among the employees.
Diverse Workforce
Another one of the workplace trends that could help boost employee engagement is having a diverse workforce in the office. Many companies pride themselves on having a diverse workforce; made up of individuals with a wide range of characteristics and experiences. Some of the key characteristics of workforce diversity include ethnicity, gender, age, religion and sexual orientation.
There are many benefits of diversity in the workplace. Find out more on the benefits here.
New Facilities
There has been an increase in companies add small and simple (and even low cost!) facilities at their workplace. These facilities include bicycle bay to encourage employees to cycle to work instead of driving, shower facilities, a games room to wind down or take their mind off work or even a pool table.
Adding such facilities for your employees increase the engagement level at the workplace and this can actually boost the productivity level among colleagues.
Flexibility
An increase in employees working from home and working in different locations is a trend set to continue in the coming years. Flexible work hours remain the key focus for many companies as employees seeking greater work-life balance.
This is especially the case for those with young families, as well as for older workers looking to remain active in the workforce but who no longer wish to work the typical office hours.
Photo: anasararojas, Flickr
Co-mentoring
Co-mentoring is in while working solo is out! Gone were the days where employees are left to fend for themselves when a task or a project is assigned to them.
Taken from the Business Dictionary, co-mentoring is when employees are trained with a senior or more experienced individual is assigned to act as a mentor for employees. The mentor is responsible for providing support to, and feedback on, the individual in his or her charge.
Co-mentoring is one of the workplace trends that could help boost employee engagement as new employees can progress faster instead of being left behind.
Wearable technology
Another workplace trends that could help boost employee engagement is the wearables technology. Wearables products are the ‘in’ thing when it comes to fitness and monitoring steps.
Some of the more popular wearables are such as FitBit bands, Jawbone activity tracker and Apple Watch are being used in the workplace mainly to track health and wellness and productivity. We see that wearables will create even more use cases next year as more employees bring them to work and the business value is recognised and measured.
There are some companies they use these trackers as a friendly competition among their colleagues, with employee who has the highest steps for the week or month lands a free lunch or a fruit basket.
Photo: Global Panorama, Flickr
Performance reviews
The days of employee performance reviews being held once or twice a year are quickly falling. This is not because management are not interested in their employees anymore. Management focuses on weekly reviews via quick and easy-to-use pulse survey, just like 6Q.
See our related article, 5 Great Reasons why your Annual Employee Survey Sucks for more insight.
Many organisations are moving to a structure focused on ongoing conversations between managers and employees that encourage development. With weekly surveys, employee engagement will improve as issues and problems are being looked into quickly instead of waiting for the next annual review. It also builds better engagement and grows your team happiness much faster.
Frequent feedback
What is performance review without providing appraisal and feedback to your employees? Another workplace trends that could help boost employee engagement is personal growth and feedback from the management team.
Management will be focusing more on how they can help improve human performance instead of just looking into the company’s profit and loss.
Incentives
Feeling appreciated is one of the top three drivers of employee engagement. This is why the last workplace trends that could help boost employee engagement is the incentives provided by the company.
It does not have to be something expensive; simple gestures such as a “Thank You” card with a pair of movie tickets inside or other employee perks is sufficient to express your gratitude to your best or well-deserved employee.
In Summary
Employee engagement has become one of the main issues on the minds of managers and business owners. While it can be overwhelming when you are trying to boost employee engagement in your company, it is worth looking into for a positive workplace environment.
Hopefully with this list, it can help you and your company when it comes to boosting employee engagement.
Good luck!
