Don’t kid yourself, just because it’s rough out there due to our faulty economy, we as employers must continue to work hard to keep our staff engaged. Times are tough and money is tight which can sometimes mean bonuses and raises are just not an option. How then can we reward individuals for a job well done? With so much else to worry about, taking a few steps to allow your employees to feel valued will go a long way. Teri Hires, Ph.D. and Senior Vice President of the U.S. East Region of PDI North House, shared ideas for “Perks That Keep People Engaged” in a recent issue of Talent Management Magazine. The following are some of her thoughts
- Assist your Employees in Managing Their Finances. This can be done in several ways, for example, offer classes on choosing a mortgage or saving for a child’s education. Bring in a financial planner to speak to preparing for the future or how to cope with plummeting 401K’s.
- Address Health and Wellness Issues. Implement exercise programs, yoga sessions, morning group runs or lunchtime walks. Bring in inexpensive healthy treats, one organization Teri worked with instituted ‘Fresh Fruit Fridays” another brought in reduced cost shoulder massages at lunchtime.
- Encourage Volunteerism. Recent studies show that gen Xers in particular are extremely interested in reaching out to their communities and helping those in need. Teri suggests “Create an on- loan program where employees can take an afternoon once a quarter to volunteer their services to a food pantry or organizations such as Habitat for Humanity”.
- Offer Sabbaticals. While this could be difficult to pull off in this economy, “consider offering a month off every three years for employees to do what they wish as unpaid leave- with the ultimate goal of recharging their batteries”.
- Offer the Opportunity to Work Remotely. In our tech savvy work it is not difficult to set an employee up with a laptop and single reach phone for mobile, office and home numbers. Inexpensive, quality webcams are readily available and relatively inexpensive. Consider giving employees the option to work from home once a week.
All these perks may not be feasible for every company and are no replacement for the “tried and true vehicles for engagement, such as helping to develop solid managers and fostering open communication”, according to Teri. Many though are low cost options to let employees know they are valued members of the organization as a whole. Perhaps a consideration for your company would be to put together a task force to weigh what options will work best in your environment. Times are tough, but it is never impossible to let your employees know that they are valued. A bit of creativity goes a long way.
PS – When was the last time you measured your employee engagement?
