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Most businesses have a mix of clock-watching minimum effort makers and enthusiastic workers who arrive at every staff event (social or otherwise) too early - on a scale of 1 to 10, how engaged are your employees in the lead up to holidays?
We all want a team of 10s for 5 days a week, 12 months of the year but that’s a tad unrealistic.
As we move into a busy period for our personal lives, professionally your employees might become less engaged in their work, your company and their colleagues.
But with unemployment rates at an all-time low, this is not the time for employers to take a back seat. Our employees have more choices than ever, so if they don’t feel a deep sense of connection and belonging in your organization, then you may as well say your goodbyes now.
Fostering connections in the workplace during the festive season often goes down in the form of office parties, but there are other meaningful ways to do this that don’t require alcohol or mistletoe.
It’s the perfect time of year to bring your team together, inject creativity into your workday and test some engaging communication tactics. Here’s how to do it.
The definition of employee engagement
First up, let’s define employee engagement as a term that relates to the level of an employee's commitment and connection to an organization.
An engaged employee adds value and proactively seeks to achieve their company’s mission, they’re also 59% less likely to seek out a new job or career in the next 12 months.
They’re our ideal team member, someone who walks into the office with a bounce in their step each and every morning. But what do we do about the ones that don’t radiate commitment?
43% say the main reason they become disengaged and look for a new job comes down to company culture.
Now culture can’t be forced, but it can certainly be fostered with creative strategies championed by the leaders in your organization. Stay with me, there are ideas to come!
Why prioritize talent retention during the festive season?
With career-related New Year’s resolutions ever so common, finding a new job come 2020 may be high on your employee’s list.
We probably don’t need to reiterate that losing and replacing employees is expensive and time-consuming. But with unemployment at a five-decade low, prioritizing retention has never been more important.
Instead of focusing on the workplace perks that may attract candidates in the new year, turn your attention to connecting the bunch of individuals that keep the engine running every day.
Your employees are the lifeblood of your company and we think the best way to re-engage them is through the universal human language of laughter.
How to inject more fun into the workplace with employee engagement activities
All work and no play is definitely not the answer to a thriving, productive and connected team.
Thankfully this end of year period is often cause for pause with an annual work celebration or social gathering. But have you considered that your usual park BBQ and Kris Kringle may not be enough?
Fostering deep connection goes much further than these seasonal activities. There’s a guaranteed way to inject a new form of fun into the month of December and close out the year on a team engagement high; video.
Surprise and delight your team with a creative video idea that not only brings them together but cements their sense of belonging into 2020.
End of year video ideas to bring the team together
This festive season we’ve developed two creative video formats to help you boost team spirit and connectedness.
Inspired by highly successful reality TV shows, these concepts are sure to bring some giggles back into the office.
One is a game often played at hen's parties or after the final rose ceremony on The Bachelor and the other is a take on the hit show Survivor.
The implementation of these two video ideas is determined by how much time and resources you have at your fingertips.
So our Tis The Season quiz and video ideas generator has been designed to help you figure out which concept is best for you.
Why video can enhance your employee communications
Once you’ve completed the quiz, got your hands on the example script and step-by-step video planning guide, it’s time to consider distribution.
These employee engagement videos are designed for your internal channels and to start a positive conversation across your organization.
Even if only a handful of your team members feature in the end of year video, embracing a video-first internal communications strategy can help you connect with every single employee.
So whether your templates and platforms are stuck in the dark ages or you’re on the cutting edge of design and technology, you can embed video into your employee comms and watch your engagement skyrocket into the new year.
