3 Steps to Improve Employee Engagement and Productivity

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to improving employee engagement and productivity. If your company wants to move the needle, you must consider a broad range of employee engagement solutions. However, it doesn’t end there; you’ll need to adjust them to meet your specific needs to achieve the most benefits for your company and your employees. These changing times have made problematic initiatives even more challenging, and many businesses remain at a standstill because they lack fresh and impactful ideas. To help you determine strategies that will make a difference, we’ve compiled three tips to help you improve employee engagement and productivity.

1. Ask for Employee Feedback 

Where can you find the best employee engagement advice? Go straight to the source and ask! That’s right, ask your employees what they feel will keep them more engaged. Although providing every employee with different engagement solutions isn’t feasible, you can try to understand what motivates most of your employees. 

This can be accomplished through activities such as: 

• Individual meetings
• An anonymous survey or suggestion box
• A group discussion

Giving employees a chance to voice their suggestions will make them feel heard and valued. Be sure to provide them with a solution (or solutions) based on their recommendations, and you will begin to see a rise in employee engagement. 

As an added measure, consider taking your efforts further and rewarding your staff for their participation and involvement. Digital rewards provide incentives for employees to stay engaged and productive and can also be implemented into your marketing and sales campaigns to engage your customers and prospects.

2. Invest in Employee Wellness 

Many organizations are adjusting their business models, which have notoriously led to employee burnout. Employees are overworking themselves to keep up with demand, overcompensating for business loss, or adjusting to remote work situations.

Burnout can cause employees to lose motivation and become disengaged. Organizations can avoid this and increase their engagement in 2023 by investing in employee wellness. Here are a few ways you can improve employee engagement and productivity by contributing to the health of your employees.

Mental Health

Chances are, many employees are interacting with their computers for the majority of their 8-hour workday. High engagement with computer screens can cause eyestrain, stress, and brain fog, which leads to headaches and fatigue. By encouraging your employees to take breaks from their computers, you’ll be helping them minimize the physical effects of too much screen time.  

During said breaks, encourage employees to try simple stress relievers like breathing exercises and positive self-talk. For long-term stress, suggest they try to practice meditation and maintain regular exercise as both activities can improve mental health and mood while also relieving eye strain. 

Physical Health

Computer screens are known for keeping employees stationary. Inactive lifestyles take a toll on your physical health, causing weight gain, heart disease, depression, and anxiety – further leading to disengagement. During computer screen breaks, suggest to your employees that they disengage entirely by taking walks or doing simple stretching exercises. These activities will increase their heart rate, improve circulation, and relieve eye strain. Remember that increased heart rate and blood flow positively affect engagement and focus. 

Referred to as computer vision syndrome or digital eye strain, workers who spend most of their day looking at a screen only blink about half as often as they should, resulting in dry, itchy, tired, and burning eyes – reducing productivity. Here are some simple changes you can recommend to your employees:

• Place the computer screen 20 – 26 inches away from the eyes and a little below eye level
• Use a glare filter on the screen
• Use an adjustable chair
• Every 20 minutes, look at something about 20 feet away for 20 seconds
• Post a reminder note on the computer that says ‘blink.’ 

Furthermore, employees with eye conditions such as near-sightedness, far-sightedness, or astigmatism should consider wearing contact lenses rather than eyeglasses – at least while working on their computers. Contact lenses hydrate the eyes, increasing sight sharpness and reducing the glare that eyeglasses can sometimes create. 

3. Consider Flexible Work Arrangements 

As work styles have evolved, so should employee schedules. While it’s always been important for employees to maintain their physical and mental health, it’s even more so today, given the added stress and work changes resulting from the pandemic. Consider implementing flexible work arrangements, such as: 

Flexible Work Hours and Locations 

Some employees are morning people who are more productive earlier in the day, while others are night owls and will be effective into the early morning hours. Let your employees choose their hours (within reason) so they’re the most engaged during their selected working hours. Also, let them choose their location – some employees may be more productive working in the office, others from home, and others may prefer a mix of the two. 

(More) Mental Health Days 

Employees may also benefit from a few extra mental health days. Your organization may only offer PTO or sick days, which employees want to save for a vacation or serious illness. Adding a few additional mental health days allows them to recoup, spend time with loved ones, or catch up on sleep. Employees will return to work feeling refreshed and engaged rather than burnt out and sluggish. 

Team-Building Opportunities 

Socializing outside of the office is another excellent way to boost employee engagement. Communicating away from the office can lead to stronger working relationships, more effective collaboration, and increased job satisfaction. Engage your employees with happy hours, team lunches, and holiday parties. If your employees work remotely, you may want to try virtual team-building activities such as wine and cheese pairing, trivia competitions, or scavenger hunts.

Employee Engagement and Productivity Matters

These three tips can be customized to meet your specific needs to enable your company to boost the engagement and performance of its employees. Productive and appreciated employees are, after all, the most valuable asset.

Are you looking for more ways to improve employee engagement and productivity? Contact the Ariad Team to learn how you can streamline your marketing and sales teams’ efforts in 2023!