Michael Reitsma
I’ve worked with hundreds of companies to help them build their employee engagement strategy. And yet I still have a tough time stopping a groan when I hear a client talk about a “quick fix” to employee engagement. They mean well - the need to better attract, engage and retain their employees is still top of mind, but something is missing.
I’m here to let you in on a little secret, the most dangerous mistake you can make when it comes to your employee engagement strategy: There’s no silver bullet answer.
Every one of the 1,700+ companies that Reward Gateway works with is unique in its setup and this makes their employee engagement unique too. And that’s the way it should be.
It would be wrong to assume that just because a strategy or benefit works for one company, it would be successful, or even possible, for others. Let’s take us, Reward Gateway, for an example. We have lots of great engagement strategies, tactics and innovative perks in place which are only possible because of our particular size, demographic and the technology we have available. A 30-person start-up with a nearly non-existent budget, or a global corporation with thousands of employees who are mostly field-based would have completely different approaches. And those are just three types of companies. The possibilities are endless.
What goes into a successful employee engagement strategy?
When designing your employee engagement strategy (or working with someone like us), the most important piece of advice I can give is to understand what makes your company unique. That’s how we’ll arrive to the perfect employee engagement solution for you. Things to consider include:
- Company values
- Company size
- Company demographic
- How many locations within the company
- Available technology
- Available communication channels
Once we understand these things, it’s easier to work with HR, Reward and Communications Teams to build an employee engagement solution and delivery tactics that will engage with your employees.
Along with understanding what makes your company stand out, I encourage our clients to use a range of solutions for the best possible outcome. I’ve seen companies try and increase engagement and decrease turnover simply by introducing one new benefit, such as pre-tax purchases (available in some countries), and putting all of their hopes on it. It isn’t going to work. It takes a combination of solutions - whether that’s a discounts platform and an innovative employee recognition program or a combination of something else entirely - to really increase or create employee engagement.
Something all successful engagement solutions have in common is that employee communication is at its heart. Communication strategies will vary from company to company, using a variety of formats including emails, TV, posters, social media and of course SmartHub®. But no matter what format is being used the messaging needs to be clear, interesting and honest. If you get this right then you’re well on the way to having a successful employee engagement solution.
We follow this model in all our engagement strategies. To find out more about the different puzzle pieces of employee engagement, check out our page on the Engagement Bridge™. And if you want to get in touch with us, just click on the button below.
