In the communication industry, engagement is our business – PR has never been more dependent on finding unique ways to cut through the white noise and engage with audiences in a meaningful way.
While working hard to connect our client’s with audiences and heighten engagement, we must not forget to apply our engagement expertise closer to home. At C&B, we advocate employee engagement and believe that it is the key to our business success. It is easy to see why we feel this way if we take a look at the five key characteristics of engaged employees:
- Productive, enthusiastic, and fully absorbed by their work
- Invested in the company’s success and motivated to take steps to further its interests
- Enthusiastic ambassadors for the company and believers in its core values and mission
- Happy individuals who feel fulfilled by their job and appreciated by the company
- Healthy individuals who enjoy a good work-life balance and feel supported by the company
Imagine working with a team made up entirely of such individuals. It may seem a fantasy, but it is possible if companies are willing to invest in their people and recognise them as their key assets. Your employees are not parts in the machine – they are the drivers of your success, and ignoring the human element of your business can have devastating consequences, especially in the high pressure and often stressful industry that we work in.
So how can companies improve employee engagement?
- One of the family: You may think that when you leave your house in the morning, you are waving goodbye to family time for the day. Wrong. You have another family waiting for you at the office. By treating your team as a family, you will bring out the best in your employees and work as a single, cohesive unit.
- Company values: Senior management is responsible for giving employees a clear vision and mission that they can get behind. Employees are best engaged when they feel part of an inspiring company with clear values and goals – define these, communicate them clearly and share them frequently to earn employee loyalty and create your best ambassadors.
- Work-life balance: The physical and mental health of your employees should be a top priority. Work-life balance is no longer a myth; it is an achievable goal that can be reached by creating a healthy office environment, encouraging short breaks throughout the day, offering flexibility where appropriate, and paying attention to the well-being of individuals on your team.
- Take action: Employee engagement must be genuine and include actual initiatives. C&B’s award-winning employee engagement programme – the Happy Committee – is dedicated to promoting happiness by recognising team members for their achievements and serving the community with ‘Happy To Help’ initiatives. Having a dedicated team can help companies to achieve their employee engagement goals.
Good business is about good people; put these steps in place and you will create your dream team.
