Seeking Creative and Cost-Effective Employee Engagement Ideas Beyond the Usual R&R Activities

Dear Seniors,

I am working in a KPO as an HR executive and am responsible for employee engagement. In our company, we are already doing Employee R&R, like star of the month, performer of the month, tea of the quarter, birthday bashes, etc. But now my management wants something different. I am planning to conduct an employee engagement survey. Based on the findings of this survey, I am planning to move ahead. However, I want to know what other activities, aside from what I have already mentioned, can be implemented for employee engagement. I am seeking creative ideas that are also cost-effective.

Thank you.

Hello Nipuna:

>In our company we are already doing Employee R & R like star f the month, performer of the month , tea of the quarter, birthday bashes etc.<

These practices should increase employee satisfaction.

>But now my management wants something different.<

Why?

>I am planning for Employee engagement survey.<

Do not ask employees if they are engaged.

>on the findings of this survey, I am planning to move ahead.<

Increasing employee engagement is a huge task.

>But I want to know that what are all the things (other than what I have already mentioned) that I can do as an employee engagement?<

It starts at the top.

Are the CEO's direct reports engaged?

Do the CEO's direct reports have engaged staffs?

>I want some creative things as well as cost saving.<

Start hiring for talent as well as assigning employees to jobs based on their talent.

What management/business/employee problem do you want to fix?

Employee Satisfaction Surveys are often presumed to measure employee engagement and employee engagement is what all managers should be striving to achieve but we cannot measure employee engagement with an employee satisfaction survey.

Employee engagement and employee satisfaction are two different things.

Employee engagement is what we get when an employee is motivated by the job and is successful in the job and is well managed by the supervisor and paid fairly by management.

Employee satisfaction is what we get when we give employees things they want whether or not they are engaged by their jobs.

If we work to satisfy our employees we may well decrease employee engagement because we will be focusing on the wrong things.

A few things to consider.

· Good employees who are successful and managed and paid well will be engaged even if not fully satisfied.

· Good employees who are successful but not managed well or paid well will not be engaged and will not be satisfied.

· Bad employees who are unsuccessful even though they are well managed and well paid will not be engaged even if fully satisfied.

Dear Nipuna,

So far so nice from you, you can try following initiatives:

- Fun at work - (pass on healthy puns, informative articles, flash news through emails)
- Name board - (Best performer for the day - write the name in big block letters)
- Games at workplace - (organize physical games at the end of every Friday or any frequency you prefer)
- Halloween day - (Dress up something that looks odd and scary)
- Helping Hands - (Every month, keep collecting some amount among your willing executives and give it to needy people)

Try these initiatives, Nipuna. They will aid you more in this. Keep thinking... Keep rocking.

Hi,

Please try to create an atmosphere of togetherness in the organization. Employees spend more time in the office than at home. I would suggest creating a carnival; with a very little budget, you can make your office into a carnival. In every conference room or meeting room, you can have carnival games, some movie screenings for kids - cartoons or something. Give them small prizes for participating. Have some soft drinks and basic snacks arranged; it definitely works on a small budget, but employees will remember it for a long time to come because it includes families as well.

Regards,
Sirisha Chada.

Dear Nipuna,

Good thought. Few things to consider:

1) How much will the management be involved?
2) Age group of the employees.
3) HR/Employee ratio &ndash; a balance is required.

The best approach is to hire an external person on an assignment basis. You can conduct an opinion/suggestion survey in your company to gauge engagement levels. Starting an HR newsletter and encouraging contributions, as well as initiating the concept of quality circles, can also be beneficial.

Regards,
Sonali
wagle.sonali@gmail.com

Hi,

We have a lot of fun activities like competitions (cubicle decoration, nameplate making, etc.). Also, twice a month we have training sessions where the employees give presentations on various topics, so that the employees gain knowledge on subjects that are outside their job profile. We have received a very positive response towards this, and this activity has been ongoing for the past 6 months. It is absolutely at zero cost since it is in-house training.

Hello everyone,

We can have a juice day at work place or a family day where employees can bring their children and spouse to the organization to network and enjoy. Additionally, we can have a children's school day where employees' children can be entertained at the workplace. This initiative can motivate employees and reduce family stress.

I hope this suggestion can be helpful.

Regards,
Shafahat Rasool
Osource
Human Resources

Dear,

You can start cross-sectional/divisional training programs under which employees will rotate through other departments. There, they will learn the functionalities of each department, enabling them to multitask. Not only that, but they will also build strong relationships with other departments, having worked in and understanding their functions well. This initiative will motivate them, breaking the monotony of their regular tasks.

I hope this activity will be beneficial for you as it significantly enhances the organization by fostering employee engagement.

Regards,
Durga
chatterjee_durga@rediffmail.com

Hi,

The problem with most talent management programs is that they focus on the collective rather than the individual. Each individual employee will be motivated by different things. It is only once we understand what motivates a particular individual that we will be able to put in place a program that attracts, engages, and motivates that individual. You cannot have a one-size-fits-all approach, as this will only partially satisfy all employees.

We employ a process called Motivation Architecting, wherein we establish the EXACT motivators for key employees that you wish to retain. It would be ideal to apply it to all employees, but this could prove costly. We are having great success with our clients using this tool.

Kind Regards,

Dr. Myles John Hopkins
20:20 Vision Creators

Dear all,

All your company is doing now for employee engagement is purely related to entertainment. Now, try something different like seminars, training programs, etc. :)

Thank you.

Hi,

I would like to suggest a few things that I do in my organization. These are:

1. HR Newsletter and PIC from various departments to contribute.
2. Contests/competitions e.g., Guess Who, Treasure Hunt, poem competition, etc.
3. Create a Workplace Engagement Calendar for the whole year.
4. Change the Notice Board available into a Workplace Engagement Board and post information about newcomers, events, or happenings (e.g., new babies delivered by our staff).
5. HR Weekly Bulletin (e.g., Vacancies, birthdays for that week, and other information).

Based on the Engagement Survey held in my company, communication is the main issue that has been highlighted. Therefore, we have taken the above actions.

Hope it helps you.

Cheers!
Ainie

Hi Nipuna,

I had conducted an employee engagement survey for my summer interns. In my findings, there were a few things that prove to be very simple but quite important. For example, hiring the right employees and clearly communicating and defining the psychological contract during induction. It's also crucial to build leaders who focus on meritocracy, job rotation, and provide a platform for interns to pursue their hobbies and interests. Career planning, assistance with tax calculations, submission of forms, recognizing professional and personal significant events, and providing assistance are also essential aspects.

I hope this information is helpful.

Meenakshi Gulati

Hi all!

I'm an MBA student currently pursuing my internship. My project is employee engagement. I have already prepared a questionnaire. I need some help with the analysis part. If anyone can help, please email me at ekta_s@hotmail.com.

Thanks,
Ekta

Nipuna, there are other simple ways too. For example, if a factory, construction, or any service company starts daycare facilities, then they are engaging in the noble aim to "double the household income as females too can work," resulting in very low attrition rates and providing an upper hand over the competition.

Similarly, by encouraging an entrepreneurial streak in employees, they are setting up future vendors and customers. There are many ways to achieve these goals, limited only by the philosophy of the promoters.

By hiring freshers from rural areas and putting them through the grind for the next 1-2 years, it helps bring marginalized communities into the mainstream of the economy and aids in the rehabilitation of convicts.

Dear Bob Gately,

That was a helpful and insightful explanation. I appreciate your input.

Thank you.

Hi all, Shveta here. It is really nice to read the views of esteemed people from HR. I am doing a project on employee engagement wherein I have to study the best employee engagement practices in a few organizations. Could someone help me out? I am really tense about how to collect the data from other organizations.

Thanks & Regards,
Shveta Kakkar
Email: shveta.kakkar@gmail.com