Employee engagement. Maybe it sounds like such an ultra-trendy term that only applies to a luxury office environment with highly skilled workers. Nothing could be further from the truth. Especially with the current tight labor market, employers in production and logistics are eager to fill their vacancies. So if we can give you a tip? Nurture your employees in the workplace. Invest heavily in employee engagement there too. It's going to bring you a lot!
Many people translate employee engagement as “employee engagement”. In other words: how connected do your employees feel with you as an employer and the organisation in which they work?
However, employee engagement is not quite the same as employee engagement. After all, engagement goes even deeper. Then you talk about real enthusiasm. About being completely in your flow when you're at work, being inspired by it and (although that's becoming a bit of a popular term these days) true passion for your profession.
It's not just employees who are happy when they feel connected to the organisation where they work. As an employer, you also reap the benefits of employee engagement. Just think, if you ensure more employee engagement, your employees will be:
The good news is that you can ensure employee engagement at all levels of your organisation. Whether you work in a production environment or in a high-tech IT company, the benefits remain the same. Although the approach will have to differ a bit on some points if you want to achieve an optimal effect.
We'll give you some tips to help you reach colleagues in the workplace better.
Where people in the office are used to working with the keyboard and monitor all day, things are usually different in a factory or transport. Assume that not all employees there are digitally skilled. Take this into account in your approach.
So don't just invest in providing information online, but also free up time and space for personal contact, work with paper newsletters or old-fashioned message boards. Avoid complicated language and be clear in your communication. Do more nationalities work in the company?
Then make sure you translate the information you want to convey.
In daily practice, the management of production employees usually lies with a company or team leader, who in turn acts as a connecting link to MT or higher management. However, we also advocate regularly getting out of the ivory tower ourselves. After all, you get a lot in return.
By showing yourself in the workplace, you create a connection with employees. Consciously plan time to regularly walk around the warehouse, cold store or warehouse. Talk to employees so you know what's going on and who's working. These conversations not only provide you with valuable information about the core business from the company, your genuine interest also sparks a spark among your employees themselves.
Share where you want to go with the company and emphasise what role each employee can play in this. Again, don't make it more complicated than necessary. Use clear language and alternate text with visuals or a video message. Such a multimedia approach ensures that the mission and vision can really be felt by every employee.
Show how important it is that everyone is committed to achieving business goals and keeping customers happy. Also, be clear about the various tasks that lie ahead and who could take on them. When someone knows what part they could contribute, there is a sense of co-responsibility and engagement grows almost automatically.
Every person wants to feel heard and understood. This also applies to employees in the workplace. Therefore, check in with them regularly by means of a employee satisfaction survey and explicitly invite everyone to share ideas. Open up different channels to do this: an online platform is of course super handy, but not equally accessible to everyone. You can also overcome this by old school to place paper forms at strategic locations. And of course, you can also just start the conversation!
Have you picked up and implemented an idea? Or maybe made improvements in response to a complaint? Don't forget to also link this back to the rest of the organisation. In addition, you can also mention the name of the person who triggered the improvement.
Such a form of recognition and appreciation underlines the importance of the input of every employee within the company.
Wherever you work and whatever your job, technology or processes change where you stand. Therefore, ensure a sufficient training budget at every level within the organisation. This is not only practical, it also feels like personal recognition for an employee.
Make use of a digital learning environment such as Pluvo: it is very flexible and can be customised for each employee. It's easier to vary the language and knowledge levels and match a specific position.
We said it before: not everyone is equally computer savvy. However, by also making the learning environment accessible from a phone or otherwise making it easier to take an online course, you can significantly lower the threshold. To do this, for example, read our blog on this topic.
Again, the following applies: to keep people as enthusiastic as possible, personal attention is very important. Therefore, alternate online teaching materials with physical lessons in the classroom (blended learning), or use a so-called 'flipped classroom'.
Good for mutual collegial contacts, and it also nicely links theory to daily practice.
Without bragging: over the years, we have built up a great deal of knowledge in the field of information provision and training. We also like to think along with you. So if you have any questions or just want to exchange ideas about employee engagement, feel free to contact us! Click here for a demo or call +31 (20) 560 5001.
As an educational expert specialising in online learning, I have been writing blogs for Pluvo for 5 years. My focus is on powerful learning solutions for organisations. Universal Design for Learning and inclusive learning are my passion; I believe that education should be accessible and fun for everyone.
I've been combining my 35 years of HR experience with copywriting for over 15 years. And even then, I learn new things over and over again. That's what makes writing blogs for Pluvo so incredibly interesting!
