A new year offers opportunities for everyone and many take this as their chance for a complete fresh start. But, for HR teams, the new year offers the perfect moment to reconsider their employee engagement strategies, explore new ideas to inspire teams and create a refreshed, thriving workplace.
In today’s workforce, employee engagement is more important than ever. Engaged employees are not just more productive, but they’re also more likely to stay with a company, contribute to a positive culture, and ultimately help drive the success of the business.
So, now that the new year is in full swing, it may be time to revamp your employee engagement strategies. We all make resolutions, but where can you start to make a genuine difference?
Focus on employee wellbeing
Wellness was widely embraced in 2024, and it is only growing in importance. With a focus on personal wellbeing, employees are keen to see this reflected within their place of work. A good starting point for this could be encouraging a healthier work-life balance by offering flexible working options, wellness programmes, and mental health assistance.
These show a genuine investment in your people and therefore create a sense of trust and loyalty between the company and its employees. Going one step further, employers could consider how to best invest in their teams’ wellness outside of work, whether that is offering experiences like yoga sessions, spa visits or mindfulness retreats as part of their wellbeing initiatives. Investing in employee wellness does not only enhance their health but also boosts productivity and reduces absenteeism.
Celebrate milestones and reward achievements
Alongside supporting and encouraging a focus on wellbeing, business leaders can also engage their employees by recognising hard work and key milestones amongst their workforces.
Celebrating and rewarding employees is an important way to create a culture of consistent recognition, going beyond the usual ‘thank you’. Whether it’s a personal milestone (a Birthday, a wedding, a pregnancy), or an achievement in their work life, (a completion of a project, meeting an objective or securing a win for the team), regular celebrations such as these can go a long way in making employees feel appreciated and know they are a valued member of the team.
In fact, recognition and professional development go hand in hand. When employees know they will be appreciated for their work, they are 2.7x more likely to be highly engaged. Expanding opportunities for employees to meet their goals and progress through their career, not only benefits the employee but also drives business success through increased engagement and productivity.
In addition, by offering mentorship programmes, leadership training, upskilling and development workshops, business leaders can solidify their genuine investment in their employees as well as their commitment to supporting them in their career path.
Regular rewards, recognition and opportunities to develop can be a great motivator for employees. A company that invests in their workforce will find their employees are more productive and engaged, which typically increases loyalty and staff retention.
Shake up the onboarding process
Welcoming new team members is the perfect opportunity to showcase your employee benefits and rewards offerings. This can set the tone for long term employee engagement and highlights the suite of benefits you have on offer.
A structured onboarding plan doesn’t always have to be droves of text on paper. There are many ways to incorporate new members into the team and introduce them to their new role. Consider offering welcome kits, a mentor or buddy programme, or interactive sessions to demonstrate the team dynamic and culture of the company.
Budget depending, some companies may choose to welcome new team members with a small welcome gift; be it a £5 coffee gift card, or a small treat. This way, they can truly showcase their commitment from day one. Thoughtful touches like these make all the difference and can massively improve talent retention and attraction. In fact, 79% of workers say an increase in recognition rewards would make them more loyal to their employer.
Switching rewards strategies
While celebrating milestones is crucial, switching up reward strategies can offer even more impact. It should be remembered that while more material things like flowers or bubbly are fun to receive, it’s the memorable experiences and time spent with loved ones that really stick with people. All of this should be taken into consideration when gifting employees, whether that’s new starters, or long-standing team members.
Of course, work can get stressful with deadlines, meetings, and constant tasks, which is even more reason for employers to inject some fun and excitement into their teams when it comes to their rewards and benefits. Adding a bit of enjoyment to the mix can really help balance out the pressure and keep employees motivated.
We recently partnered with Merlin Entertainments for this very reason – we want our team to have fun, whilst making lasting memories to ensure they feel both rested and rewarded from their hard work. Rewarding employees with experiences like a weekend getaway, a ride in a supercar, or a unique dining experience can be tailored to suit individual personality types, while creating lasting memories and getting people excited – a great way to boost employee engagement.
By incorporating fresh employee engagement ideas into your HR strategy, you can create a more motivated, loyal, and inspired workforce this year, making a real impact on your company culture.
Danni Rush
Danni Rush is Chief Operating Officer for Virgin Incentives, Virgin Experience Days and Virgin Experience Gifts. Her passion for team engagement, having seen the positive impact that a highly engaged and motivated team can have on business performance. Danni leads the customer experience, corporate sales, product development, partnerships and the people strategy and helped the business navigate through the challenging pandemic period to increase employee engagement ratings and win gold at the 2021 UK Employee Experience Awards.
