Employee engagement has traditionally been seen as an internal matter — one that does not concern anyone else outside the company. However, time has shown that workers can do more for their organizations beyond putting in time at their desks. As a brand strategy agency in Dubai, we know what engaged employees can do to help their respective companies reach their potential.
High levels of staff engagement can enhance many sectors of the organization, including work productivity, employee and client retention, sales, and profits. Let us share a few tips for transforming your workers into the most passionate advocates for your brand.
1. Define the company’s vision and values
Communicate and define the company’s vision and values from the employee’s early days working for the organization until he leaves. The company’s vision is a set of guidelines and objectives that your workforce can believe in and work towards achieving. Engagement naturally follows employees who are loyal and committed to the company’s ideals, vision, and values.
2. Establish and build trust
Transparency is critical within the company to obtain a person’s trust, loyalty, and commitment. Staff need it to work with other people, follow instructions, and accomplish the company’s goals.
Follow through with what you say. Whether it is delivering the company’s vision, explaining its values, or discussing the year’s goals or progress, your team will always be watching your behavior. Be sure to monitor your words and actions as people will use it as a reference for how they should think and behave at work.
3. Allow staff to contribute content
The movement of ideas and information should not be limited to one direction. People feel more empowered when they know that they have a voice or when other people listen to their insights, regardless of their rank or experience.
Feature content created by the employees themselves. It could be an idea from an intern or a new hire, videos of employees taken during events, or opinion pieces written by executives. Doing so gives your brand a human side and highlights the people who make your company amazing.
Studies have also shown that a variety of content produced by the employees themselves can generate as much interest (if not more) than those shared by the brand’s official channels. Something as simple as group pictures of employees during a company trip can be reshared multiple times, so make the most of these opportunities.
4. Create a flowing dialogue
Allowing people to share feedback is a powerful way to secure people’s loyalty. Ask people to share their feedback. Information should be freely shared, discussed, and reacted regularly, and not just during annual performance evaluations.
Provide ways for employees to share any ideas, opinions, or information that they have that could be beneficial to the company.
5. Provide purpose
Think back on the early days of the company, when you came up or worked with a branding agency to create something as simple as your corporate stationery design. Each component, whether it is the logo design, its size, placement, or the text, had a distinct purpose. The same goes for your employees and each section of your company.
Help each individual see their purpose and importance in the company. It is not enough to give them roles and responsibilities. People also need to feel that what they are doing is essential and helps the company achieve its goals and ideals.
Individuals become more willing to perform exceptionally at work once they understand their purpose and role in the company. You can boost their self-worth and confidence by explaining why their jobs are essential and how these work in line with the brand’s vision and towards achieving the company’s goals.
Recognizing employees’ efforts can do wonders for their engagement. Something as basic as giving a compliment on a job well one or organizing an awards night for exemplary performance can help get employees excited about their work.
6. Make it fun
Finally, some people are naturally competitive. Gamification challenges people to accomplish more while making even the most mundane tasks enjoyable at the same time.
For instance, you can devise games to entice employees to create content and reshare it. You can award prizes for the most shares, likes, or leads generated by their efforts. Organizing contests such as these may not yield long term effects, but they can help in keeping things interesting for your employees.
Going the extra mile for your team
Boosting employee engagement takes time to plan and execute. The following tips can help you accomplish this goal. This is where our team at Yellow Branding can give you a hand.
Contact us today if you are in the process of developing or implementing your employee advocacy program. Our branding team can work with you to come up with ways to get your employees engaged day in and day out.
