My friends used to call me a party planner! I was always arranging staff events and refreshments were always part of the deal!
You see, in a former life, I used to spend a lot of time trying to find the magic formula for retaining great staff. Improved communication and employee engagement has always been in the top 5 list of staff initiatives for our clients, regardless of size or industry.
The major question that employers ask is how to engage with staff at the most efficient price point. Often the biggest expense is the staff Christmas (and/or summer) party; but not everyone likes to party or to drink, so what other things can you do?
Most recently a client of mine held sessions with staff and asked what interested them most, the variety on the list was astounding:
- Business briefings
- Employee/team of the month
- Volunteering opportunities
- Mentoring
- Lunch time learning sessions
- Parties
- Pay day Friday drinks
- Charity events (coffee mornings, Christmas jumper day, etc)
- Charity activities (running, 3 peaks, etc)
The interesting thing was diggings down into how staff like their hard work to be recognised otherwise all your efforts go completely over their heads and they feel unappreciated even though you are putting in all that hard work.
I’ll be taking about employee engagement activities in the next few weeks and how to monitor their effectiveness.
But first things first, what motivates you and your team? How do you like to be appreciated (on top of your renumeration)?