A survey was conducted including 568 companies with 500 or more employees, results found that 71% of the managers felt that employee engagement plays one of the most crucial roles in the overall success of the organisation.
So what is employee engagement? Employee engagement does not mean that your employees are happy, neither do they mean employee satisfaction. According to Forbes, “Employee engagement is the emotional commitment the employee has to the organization and its goals.”
Since employee engagement is so important, you would think that most companies would place high emphasis on their employees’ engagement. However, a study conducted in 2020 showed that employee engagement in Singapore is losing out to that in other countries with 38% of the workforce intending to change jobs within the next 2 years. Meaning, companies have to rehire and retrain one-third of their employees every 2 years, imagine the cost of this.
Fret not, here are some ways you can improve the employee engagement of your staff and stay ahead of the game.
Activities for CSR engagement
One way to boost employee engagement is to organise CSR initiatives. Why? Because doing good doesn’t only do good for the community but it also boosts your employee’s morale, making them have a deeper emotional connection to the work they do. In addition, employees are more engaged in companies where their values and purpose align with. CSR initiatives help to increase the value congruence between employees and companies, allowing employees to be more comfortable with showing their true selves at work and thus become more engaged in the work they do.
1. Gardening together with beneficiaries
Put your green fingers to some use by gardening with beneficiaries in this new and creative CSR initiative. Be it children or the elderly, gardening sessions are not only fun but good for everyone’s morale. Interacting with greenery is also proven to help buffer against stress levels. Alternatives to this outdoor activity are also available with gardening kits provided to have some virtual gardening sessions. Sounds bizarre but it definitely works just as well!
2. Online volunteering sessions
Are your corporate activities halted due to the pandemic? Fret not, we have found a way around this. Introducing virtual CSR programmes such as virtual storytelling sessions, virtual creative writing sessions, virtual arts and craft sessions and many more! Look on the bright side, having virtual CSR programmes allow us to engage with many more beneficiaries with just the click of a button.
Activities for fun relaxing experiences
Did you know that a recent report found 52% of employees are currently feeling burnt out? This is 9% higher than that pre-COVID. Being burnt out is brought by feeling stressed for a long period of time, leading to mental and emotional exhaustion. This not only affects employee engagement but it affects the mental health of your employees as well. Everybody needs a break sometimes and so do you and your employees! Let us plan a fun and relaxing time out for your company to take a chill pill for the day.
3. Cooking/Baking together
Pick up a new hobby or learn a new skill while distressing. Let us plan a fun-filled cooking/baking sessions with you and your colleagues! Bring your family along for a time of family bonding session as well. This session can be organized as a virtual event with baking/ cooking kits being provided to each employee at their residence.
4. Art Therapy
Letting your creative juices flow is a great way to counter the rigidity and stressful nature of your job. Be it painting, drawing, pottery, etc all these art and craft fun are bound to help you relax your mind. This activity also serves as a great team building activity where you can partner or team up with your colleagues to build a masterpiece together. This session can be enjoyed virtually as well!
Gifts to show your appreciation to your employees
Another top driver of employee engagement is the recognition of good work. Employees want to know that they are appreciated and that the work they put in are seen by their superiors at work. Here are two simple ways you can show your appreciation to your employees.
5. Show your appreciation through events & gifts
Having a friendly ‘Employee of the month’ initiative is a great way to appreciate the employees who put in their utmost effort and to motivate others to do the same.
Other than announcing the employee of the month in monthly meetings, show that you appreciate your employee of the month through gifts as well. As simple as it sounds, gifts are a great way to show you acknowledge your employees and show you recognise the work they put in.
Check out this customisable gift hamper. Comes in a variety of assorted snacks you can choose from to suit your employee’s tastes.
Another option is this Market for Good Gift Hamper Set, items can be 100% customisable, including edibles, tech accessories or lifestyle accessories. It includes a customised message card for you to personalise to show your heartfelt gratitude to your employees.
Check out our Market for Good platform for more gifting options for your employees from over 60 social enterprises from Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, and more! .
6. Techie Tuesday!
Are you the curious kind who enjoys creating products and being the “inventor”?
Well Techie Tuesday is just for you! Receive DIY kits at home for you to create an amazing functional product that can be used by you or be donated to a beneficiary.
DIY kit options- Bluetooth speaker or Solar Panel or Music Box and more!
7. Calming Wednesdays!
How relaxed can you feel in a mid-week? Well you have progressed 50% in the week and for the balance 50% of the week we can help you feel charged by creating beautiful candles using natural fragrances and stones.
Create your very own Candle Set with the choice of aroma, wax type, color, decoration and much more! Feel the calming energy and strengthen your mind and soul with this beautiful calming fun activity.
8. Fun Fridays!
Who doesn’t look up to a Friday! And how much more fun would it be if we are able to celebrate the end of the week with a short virtual cheer! Introducing the amazing Fun Friday Kits for teams to enjoy and kick start their weekend.
Cocktail Gift Set!
An exclusively created cocktail gift set with cocktail recipes, ingredients to follow and fun game activity for the team to enjoy a good virtual party!
Activities for Team Building
According to a Gallup report, one of the factors that drive employee engagement lies in having strong coworker relationships. This is not surprising at all, given that a study conducted by MIT found that communication was the key to building successful teams, with face-to-face communication being the most significant form of communication while texts and emails were the least. With better communication, coworkers have stronger relationships, leading to greater employee engagement and a more successful team.
And what better way to improve people’s communication than to host some team building activities.
9. Have a company sports day
What’s fun about a company sports day is that you get to ignite your competitive spirit between departments and help break the ice in your own department. Your boss will now just be another teammate to beat out the other teams. Make it into a family sports day event as well where colleagues can bring along their spouse and children for some family/team building fun! Once your colleagues meet your family, that's when your job will feel a bit more like a second home.
10. Do the ‘simple yet works like a charm’ egg drop
You’ve probably heard this one a million times, but there is also a reason why. This simple yet magical team building activity only takes a good 30 minutes but the excitement from dropping an egg definitely brings the team together. All you need is an egg, some materials like newspaper, tape, straw, etc and viola you’re ready to go. Group your colleagues into teams and have them compete against each other for a more competitive time of team building fun!
