In an effort to improve retention rates and productivity, companies often try new things they assume their employees will like. After all, it seems to work for Fortune 500 Companies that offer perks like free lunches, exercise classes, and a playground-esque campus.
But if you dig a little deeper, you’ll see that true employee engagement has less to do with being able to bring your pet to work and more to do with feeling valued.
Even money isn’t always the solution when it comes to making and keeping a happy, engaged workforce. How, then, do we find a way to engage employees in a meaningful way? As it turns out, software created for exactly this purpose is getting serious consideration over traditional benefits.
Is another software purchase worth the investment? Let’s take a closer look. Here are five benefits to adding employee engagement software to your business.
- Increases employee engagement
Employee engagement software is designed to do exactly what its name suggests, but it’s more than simply allowing employees to chat online throughout the work day. When people can react to one another and to clients immediately (collaborating on solutions, solving problems, and clarifying communications), they feel more like part of a team. More importantly, they feel part of the bigger picture that makes up your company’s mission. If employees go weeks without a check-in from management or feedback from peers, they start to disconnect.
- Gives employees a voice
Employee engagement software helps employees and managers to gauge, in real time, how everyone really feels. Most platforms have the ability to conduct surveys, provide feedback, offer support and encouragement to co-workers, and coach new hires as they develop. Beyond feeling heard, this makes employees feel valued, especially when their feedback or suggestions are utilized and implemented by management.
- Improves onboarding
Being the “new person” is intimidating. Not only do you have an overwhelming number of things to learn, you have the added pressure of acclimating to your team and that nagging feeling it’ll be months before you’ll add real value. It can mean a lot to a new employee to be asked for feedback and reassured that their past experiences and personal opinions are valuable to the team. This can make the difference between, “Do I want to stay here?” and, “I already feel like part of the team.”
- Improves retention rates
Take a look at the top reasons people leave their jobs, and you’ll see most of those reasons have little to do with salary, free coffee, or even health insurance. People leave because they lack recognition for job performance, they have poor relationships at work, or they can’t contribute to business goals with their skills. Through employee engagement software, employees can find more ways to connect with their team and their leader consistently, receiving the feedback and recognition they crave. This process will also help employees see how their individual role fits into the broader goals of the company.
- Increases productivity
An engaged employee is a productive employee. When people know their value and how their work impacts the organization, they’re more likely to contribute at a higher level and push themselves beyond the minimum requirements of their position. Employees will feel more invested in their responsibilities, and they’ll drive more growth and success for the business.
Employee engagement and satisfaction may be simpler than you think. As you look at ways to improve retention and productivity, consider the value of an engaged workforce and the software that can help align them with your company’s mission.
About the author
Jessica Barrett Halcom is a contributor for TechnologyAdvice.com, with specializations in employee engagement, learning management system, and ERP software. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay and currently lives in Nashville, TN.
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