4 ways to help get employees to re-engage after the summer
Summer breaks are over and the nights are drawing in. Yet, not many employers have a plan to boost employee engagement now they are back at work, and beat the post-holiday blues.
After several challenging years, businesses need staff primed for a strong finish to the year.
Here are 4 steps that can help them.
1. Forget visioning and goal setting
A shared vision and goals can be a powerful motivating force when staff feel they are co-creators. It has the opposite effect when staff feel they are being asked to deliver results without the organisation addressing any barriers to delivery. Without genuine dialogue there can be no resolution to blockages.
HR can support line managers to facilitate goal-setting sessions where managers listen to staff concerns and come up with joint solutions. While it might not be possible for a manager to solve all challenges, if the team can agree what’s possible, they will be more committed to delivery.
2. Protect manager wellbeing
Managers cannot expect to see energy and enthusiasm from staff unless they model it themselves. HR’s second priority should be to ensure effective support is in place to protect manager wellbeing. Much has been asked of managers over the past three years and many are operating with depleted energy reserves.
Support should include specialist HR input to review work structures and work design to ensure the organisation isn’t asking managers to deliver the impossible. Now is a good time for organisations with a hybrid workforce to review whether current ways of working are meeting both the needs of the business and the employee.
3. Review benefits and financial support
In the run-up to the end of year its critical to show employees you understand and support their financial circumstances. This autumn will see the extra pressure of high mortgage or rent payments, a second winter of high energy bills and depleted savings that many people need to cope with.
HR needs to find ways to increase employees’ overall financial position. First and foremost, that means paying a fair wage. Beyond that there are other low-cost ways for employers to support employee financial wellbeing.
Review your employee benefits offer and check it still aligns with employee needs. Do you provide staff with access to a savings scheme that provides discounts on a wider range of items? Small acts, such as providing staff with vouchers to pay for lunch, go a long way to helping them feel their needs are being seen.
4. Build a culture of appreciation
Unless people feel their work is recognised and valued, they won’t give their all. Research suggests that many employers struggle to show staff appreciation. In two separate studies, one-third of UK employees said they feel undervalued at work and almost half think the praise they receive is an empty gesture.
HR can support managers by providing a scheme that enables them to give recognition in a personal and sincere way. And where reward is attached to the recognition, provide a way for staff to choose a reward that fits their needs.
This year, seize the opportunity to make the shift into autumn a reset and a re-energising experience for staff. After you’ve set the conditions for a strong start, remember to plan end-of-year reward to celebrate a strong finish.
Supplied by REBA Associate Member, Edenred
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