Category: Staff

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Navigating the Festive Season: Employee Engagement Strategies

Keeping employees engaged can sometimes be a strenuous task, especially during the holiday season… but not to worry, here are a few strategies that can aid in motivating employees through the festive season.

  • Flexible scheduling:

We all know that the holiday season comes with personal commitments, therefore offering flexible schedules or remote work options can demonstrate understanding and support for your employees’ work-life balance. This flexibility allows them to manage their responsibilities while enjoying the holiday season.

  • Team building activities:

Organize holiday-themed team-building activities to promote camaraderie and boost morale. Whether it’s a virtual Secret Santa, a festive decorating contest or a potluck lunch. Not only will these activities create a sense of unity and shared celebration among your team but is also the thing to get everyone in the holiday spirit and covert a holiday ‘Grinch” or two.

  • Express gratitude:

Taking the time to express appreciation for your employees’ hard work throughout the year can make employees feel valued and recognized. A personalized note, a small token of appreciation or a heartfelt holiday message will do just the trick and go a long way.

  • Holiday Décor and Atmosphere:

Transform the workplace into a festive and welcoming space. To create an overall atmosphere that reflects the joy of the season, decorating the office or playing holiday music will do just that. A visually appealing and festive environment can positively impact the mood and energy in the workplace.

  • Encourage Time Off:

Recognize that everyone deserves a break during the holiday season and encourage employees to take the time they need to rest and recharge. This will contribute to their well-being, help in maintaining productivity and prevent burnout in the long run.

  • Share Success and Goals

Reflect on the achievements of the year and set positive expectations for the upcoming one. By sharing the success stories and discussing future goals will give employees a sense of purpose and collective accomplishment, which motivates employees to stay engaged and committed.

By implementing these strategies, you can create a workplace that not only acknowledges the holiday season but actively embraces it as an opportunity to strengthen team bonds and boost employee morale. Ultimately, a festive and supportive work environment contributes to a positive company culture that lasts beyond the holiday season.

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Winning the War on Talent

When it comes to talent recruitment, small businesses can often be at a disadvantage. You may lack the budget and resources of larger employers, making it difficult to compete for top talent in your industry. However, there are strategies a small business can use to level the playing field and attract the best candidates. In this blog post, we’ll explore how small businesses can compete for talent against bigger employers.

When you know why you’re in business and what you’re trying to achieve, it can help you attract the best talent. Make sure your mission statement is clear, concise, and easily understood by everyone. Show your team that they will be part of something special and that their work will have an impact.

By getting clear on your why, you can attract and retain the right people to help your business grow.

Flexibility in working patterns are a high priority for many people, such as the option of remote working, hybrid working or even job sharing. Give employees the freedom to choose when and where they want to work, providing them with more control over their lives. Other options to  create a positive work/ life balance include offering generous vacation policies and allowing employees to take time off for personal reasons. Employees appreciate knowing that their employer values their work/ life balance, and this can go a long way in making employees feel valued and appreciated.

It is important for small businesses to create an environment that encourages personal and professional development. This can be achieved by providing training opportunities, encouraging team building activities, and offering mentorship programs. Such initiatives can help employees feel supported and motivated in their job, which can lead to higher job satisfaction and better performance.

Retention of staff is about the whole package that you can offer. Keep benchmarking your pay and benefits, and perhaps offer a changing, flexible personal package to meet the different life stages of your teams. This could include benefits such as holidays, pensions, childcare and healthcare.

A good way for small businesses to level the playing field and compete with bigger employers is to focus on skills and talent rather than purely qualifications when recruiting. By focusing on what a candidate can bring to the table from their past experiences, small businesses can ensure that they are getting the best candidate for the job, no matter what kind of budget they have.

Plus, look out for awards and citations which will flag you as an excellent employer. The Times- “Best Places to Work” awards or business awards in your field or local area are a good place to start. Winning these kinds of awards will raise your profile and help to attract and keep great people.

To keep people long term, look at investing in career progression and leadership opportunities for your team. The opportunity to take on greater responsibility, be involved and move up within the organisation keeps people engaged in your business longer rather than looking elsewhere.

If you can bring together some, if not all, of these initiatives, then you will start to win the war on talent and build your dream team.

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The 5 Best Ways to Engage and Keep Your Team

Two of every five workers who switched jobs over the past year are looking for work again, according to a new survey published by consulting firm Grant Thornton [1].

So how can you boost morale and ensure your team remains engaged and motivated? Keeping your team happy and productive is essential for the success of your business. In this blog post, we’ll cover five of the best methods to engage and keep your team motivated and successful. Read on to learn more about how you can maximize your team’s potential!

1. One of the most effective ways to engage and keep your team is to offer them opportunities for training and development allowing them to continuously learn new skills and stay up to date with industry trends. Additionally, by investing in their growth, you demonstrate that you value their contributions and provide them with a sense of security and stability in their job.

2. Open communication is key to any successful team. When your team members feel they can openly share their ideas and concerns, they’ll be more likely to feel engaged and connected with the company. Encouraging open communication means creating a safe environment where everyone can voice their opinions without fear of judgment or repercussions.

3. Creating a positive work-life balance is essential to keeping your team engaged and productive. Studies have shown that workers who feel their work-life balance is under control are more likely to report higher levels of job satisfaction and better overall performance.

4. To promote a positive work-life balance, it’s important to consider the individual needs of your team members. Do they need flexible work hours to attend to personal commitments? Can you offer working from home options for some staff members? Encouraging employees to take breaks throughout the day is also important for productivity. Providing an area for relaxation, or even just encouraging employees to take a walk around the block, can help them stay refreshed and focused.

5. Recognising and rewarding good work is an essential part of employee engagement. It can help motivate employees, build morale, and increase job satisfaction. This can be done through a variety of methods, from verbal praise to monetary bonuses. Simple gestures like hosting a team lunch or organising a team-building event can help foster team unity and build morale, which in turn can lead to increased engagement and job satisfaction.

By investing in your employees, you can create a positive, productive work environment where employees feel supported and valued. Ultimately, this will lead to morale boosting, increased job satisfaction, loyalty to the company, and improved team performance.

We work with the Investors in People (IIP) framework to help organisations become up to 21% more profitable and teams become up to 17% more engaged. 89% of our organisations claim they have a more motivated workforce as a result of working with IIP.

[1] Source: “The war for talent’ continues. 40% of recent job switchers are again looking for a new position, survey finds”, CNBC, 11 April 2022