Many surprising benefits can be associated with boosting employee engagement, such as lower turnover, increased productivity, better customer service, and reduced absenteeism.

With such lucrative advantages on the line, it’s only natural for business owners and managers to pull out all the stops to improve employee engagement levels. However, they won’t all succeed in this task. In fact, it’s common for them to make some of the following mistakes. 

Not Researching Employee Engagement Ideas

You might think you know exactly what it will take to engage your employees, but that might not be true unless you actively search for ideas for boosting employee engagement.

Many experts have compiled lists on this topic, providing employers with helpful ideas to benefit themselves and their teams. If you don’t seek information from experts to provide guidance, you might not achieve your goal of having a much more engaged and happier workforce. 

Thinking Perks Solve Everything

There’s no denying that health insurance, remote access, and occasional free lunches can go a long way toward employee satisfaction, but they don’t solve everything. You won’t immediately benefit from an engaged workforce simply by providing benefits they might not receive at other companies. 

While you can still provide your team with incentives like mental health support, health insurance, and competitive wages, don’t forget to address the cause of what might have led to a reduced engagement. For example, you might like to put plans in place to encourage teamwork when you feel it’s lacking or find out what’s leading to dissatisfaction with management and fix it. 

Not Adjusting Your Strategy for Different Age Groups

Everyone’s goals within a business are different. Younger employees might be more likely to strive toward promotion and training opportunities, while older employees reaching retirement age might be more inclined to seek out perks like health insurance. 

While you might have an overall strategy to address employee engagement, don’t forget to adjust it to suit the various generations within your company. However, it doesn’t have to be a guessing game. When you undertake employee performance reviews, ask them for their opinions. Their feedback can be invaluable and might even ensure they get what they want. 

Sending Too Many Surveys

Many businesses use surveys to receive feedback from employees who might not wish to share their thoughts in person. Most surveys are anonymous, and they can be helpful when you’re able to create actionable plans from the information you receive. 

However, if you send surveys too frequently but fail to make any permanent changes, employees might not see the point in filling them out. Instead, send out surveys once or twice yearly and put together plans to create meaningful and lasting change from the information you obtain. When your employees notice those changes, they might become more engaged and more willing to fill out surveys with their honest opinions in the future. 

There are many effective ways to boost employee engagement, but not all will be right for your business. Avoid making these mistakes above, and you might be better positioned to experience positive change. 

Picture: Amy Hirschi 

HR Future Staff Writer