It’s no secret that the pandemic has changed everything. However, for most workers, it’s completely turned their world upside down. Employment engagement has been a tough thing to tackle for most small business owners. Why?
Working from home proved to be a challenge at first, but now that we’re in calendar year three of a global crisis, workers are burnt out and dissatisfied with their working conditions. It’s in part why only 30% of workers report feeling engaged and motivated at work. Not only that but 18% feel totally disengaged with their work.
As a business owner, you likely understand the sentiment, but it’s hard not to feel like your bottom line is bottoming out when your employees are disengaged and unproductive. It’s fair, yet you still need to ensure that your workers are working at maximum efficiency (at least, the highest possible given the global circumstances).
Interested in learning how to increase employee engagement for the health and wellbeing of your workers? Here are a few of the top employee engagement strategies for 2022.
How to Engage Employees in 2022
1. Invest in Extended Learning
Most employees, particularly millennials, feel more engaged at work when they feel like their employer is investing in them as professionals. Offering benefits that contribute to the growth and professional development of the employee, either through tuition reimbursements or other training options, will be of great interest to attract and retain great talent in 2022 and beyond.
But it can also help increase employee engagement as well. How? "Continuing education is an essential aspect of company culture,” Paul French, Managing Director at Intrinsic Search, said. “One way we motivate and engage our employees is through education reimbursement for company-approved training and courses.”
2. Celebrate Daily Wins
In a remote world, it’s hard to praise your employees and engage them in praising their fellow coworkers as well. However, celebrating daily wins is one of the best employee engagement strategies for 2022. And, it makes sense, right? One way to engage employees is to not only show them that you see the hard work they’re putting in to grow your business, but to praise them verbally in front of others on a daily basis.
In an interview with Nectar HR, the CEO of Saucey, Chris Vaugn said, “"When it comes to keeping my remote employees engaged, I always make sure to celebrate their successes every day. Even when it comes to the smallest and most minuscule wins at work, I’ve made it a point to cheer them on. Send your employees a thoughtful message, talk about everyone’s hard work at meetings, and tell them what an incredible job they’re doing."
It’s that simple.
3. Give Employees Autonomy
Long gone are the days when employees wanted to work shoulder-to-shoulder with their coworkers in an office while you hover over them, checking their every move. The pandemic has likely changed that forever. With all of us used to working at home now, we still want to enjoy the same sense of autonomy we had when we first went remote in March 2020.
What does this mean? It means that you, as a boss, need to stop micromanaging everybody. While this might sound detrimental to you, it’s in your best interests. Increases in employee autonomy have a direct impact on job satisfaction. And it’s due to the fact that, when you give employees more autonomy, they’re more likely to empower them on the job.
When they feel empowered, they feel engaged in what they’re doing. This is because they feel more in control of what they’re producing, whether that’s the annual customer satisfaction report or a new version of your website.
4. Offer Retirement Benefits and Employee Savings Account:
Offering retirement benefits, such as a 401(k) or IRA plan, is one of the best ways to increase employee engagement in 2022. Why? Offering retirement plans is a great way to show your employees that you care about them personally. It also shows them that you want to invest in their future, regardless of how long they stay with the company.
And, it’s one of the top features that most employees feel are lacking from traditional workplace offerings these days. 92% of employees at small to mid-sized companies ranked “workplace savings and retirement plans” as an important factor in remaining with their employer. And, 40% of employees working for small businesses say that they would leave their current company for another that offers a 401(k) plan.
Increase Employee Engagement with Wealth Stack
At Wealth Stack, we offer simple, affordable retirement solutions for small business owners. Our Wealth Stack Growth Pack includes the setup and payroll management of creating IRA accounts for all of your employees. And, as we’ve just learned, investing in your employees’ financial wellness is one surefire way to increase employee engagement.
For as low as $49/month + $7 per employee, you can offer outstanding employee retirement plans that will not only help your employees grow their wealth as they plan for retirement but also help you attract and retain the top talent you need to scale your business. Happy employees equal productive employees, and that all increases your ROI and bottom line.
Ready to invest in the future growth of your company? Invest in your employees. Click here to learn more about the features and services offered in the Wealth Stack Growth Pack.
