3 Creative Ways to Ensure Employee Engagement & Well-Being

Seek ways to engage staff and promote employee engagement & well-being. Dig deep and get creative.

There is a well known quote in the movie Jerry McGuire when Jerry storms into a room and says to Dorothy, in an effort to encapsulate his feelings, “you complete me.” Human resource professionals face similar challenges because it is so important to address our employees in total.

So I ask you: “What completes your team members?”

A recent study found that 89% of employees with high levels of well-being reported high job satisfaction and nearly two thirds of those employees reported consistently putting in extra effort at work.

Dig deep and think about it: what addresses employee well being? Is it always monetary compensation? What about extra vacation? Regular and important communication? Feedback? How about decreasing levels of stress?

Creating "Fun Fridays"

One way to approach the topic of employee well being is to incorporate “fun” into the corporate culture. For example, every month one department in the company sponsors “fun Friday.” These monthly thirty-minute-to-one-hour events occur over lunch and involve everyone in the company. Stop to make this happen.

Fun Fridays can include indoor putt-putt, fortune telling, a great race around downtown, a dance competition, impromptu acting led by our local university, making snow globes, and even creating imaginary characters.

In short, encourage the team to go just a shade outside of everyone’s comfort zone and persuade the inner child to “just have fun”. Author and inspirational speaker Ron Culberson says, “Do it well, make it fun.”

At via680, we have found our inner child. Fun Fridays are on our company calendar. It is a part of who we are and how important we feel it is to have stress relief and address our employees in full.

Giving your heart and soul

What else contributes to addressing employees in full? Answer: volunteerism outside work, which we call “heart and soul.” When “giving” is offered as an opportunity (not requirement) for participating along with coworkers in charity events, this camaraderie makes a huge difference. The team shares a passion for helping others and becoming actively involved in the community whether it be with time, talent, or financial resources.

There is no doubt that “corporate social responsibility” has been given a high place in HR discussions. But what are some personal ways of achieving this?

Accomplish it through the active involvement of a group of employees helping to select charitable events or causes that match well with the company's mission/identity and values. Commit to participating in four charitable events a year. Communicate opportunities to the team, and share videos, photos, and any feedback from the sponsoring charity.

At the end of every event, take stock of the journey; volunteerism goes a long way to making employees feel “full”.

Knowing your team

Get to know each and every one who works with you. For via680, at the end of the first 90 days at work, a lunch bag puppet magically appears on our company timeline representing our new employee. We take time to find out special talents and interests of each person. It is critical that we know team members outside of their job responsibilities.

Make each person feel valued and appreciated. Celebrate the individual contributions that make the team successful. The lunch-bag personas that decorate the company timeline and wall serve as a constant reminder that we are bringing a complete person to work each day.

As November creeps up on us, we find ourselves looking to complete our team members; we spend over one third of our week with coworkers aimed toward accomplishing company goals.

Why not complete your team by sponsoring Fun Fridays, offering opportunities to enrich hearts and souls and above all else, and celebrating each person’s individual and unique talents?

What are your favorite ways to ensure employee well being?

Today's blog post written by Stephanie Hunter

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