HR shouldn’t be a purely administrative department, it should be at the core of strategic cultural and personnel development. If your company isn’t large enough for a dedicated HR department, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be taking steps to develop HR strategies.

photo credit: Sebastian Herrman / Unsplash

71% of executives believe that employee engagement is vital to their company’s success, whilst 69% of employees say they work harder when their work is appreciated. So, here are five ways to keep your employees engaged:

Invest in career development

If you want your employees to engage in your business, then you have to engage with them. After all, this has to be a two-way street. The goals and plans of your employee should be important to you, and facilitating career coaching can make them more productive. Apps such as CoachHub offer remote coaching where employees can develop as a person and as a leader.

This investment can pay off in terms of recruitment, too, as you will likely have better scope for internal hiring. Internal recruitment can save money, time, and harbour a long-term company culture.

Stop micromanaging staff

Employees want to feel although they’re trusted, and the number one to contradict that is by telling them how to do their job. Unless they’re in a training or it’s big project decisions, day-to-day tasks should be left to employees as much as possible. This fosters empowerment and a sense of control, which is conducive to taking pride in their work and feeling valued.

Having trust in autonomous work is all the more important now that most companies are operating remotely. It’s more difficult to micromanage over the internet, so it may be best to learn how to trust staff.

Company vision

Employees want to feel although that the company they are working for has a purpose. After all, work takes up most of people’s lives, and people crave meaning in their lives – so why not at work? A company needs an effective and clear mission statement with goals, targets, and to regularly communicate these to staff.

This can be done through business newsletters, for example, which can remind people what the company is working towards – and thus why their role is important to help make that happen.

Feedback

Employees want to be heard. Often, they end up knowing more about their job than managers, because they’re doing it day-in, day-out. Managers need to welcome regular feedback, which can be a chance for employees to not only help improve the efficiency of operations by giving recommendations but also feel although they are heard and valued.

Employee wellbeing

Receiving compensation for a job is expected, of course, but it can be a cold transaction. To put more thought into the compensation that employees receive is to include stuff that is conducive to their personal wellbeing. For example, gym memberships (or an on-site gym) and free mental health assistance can help employees in their personal and professional lives, making them ultimately more productive in the long-run.

Allowing employees to burn out isn’t a good strategy, which is why many firms go all-out on an annual holiday or party. The longer the hours you expect of your employees, the more important these wellbeing-related work benefits become.