We all seem to get it by now that more engaged employees perform at a higher level. And, the organizations that get their strategy right in this area provide a superior customer experience, have lower levels of employee churn and higher morale, and ultimately reach much higher financial performance.

How would you rate the level of employee engagement in your business? No matter the size of your organization, there are a few key steps you can take that are easy to implement to improve engagement with employees. Today and tomorrow, Promotional Consultant Today shares these tips from business author and speaker Curt Redden.

1. Embrace And Adopt a Strengths-Focused Culture. As we all know, people excel in their areas of talent and strengths. Work with your employees to identify these strengths and then figure out how you can stretch them in those areas. Once this practice takes hold, it will have an impact on decision making, structuring project teams and the talents that are required for a specific project. This exercise does not mean you ignore an employee’s weaknesses, but your people become more engaged when doing what they naturally do best.

2. Boost Volunteerism From The Top-Down. It’s important to help the communities in which you serve. You cannot underestimate the impact of allowing your people to volunteer (yes, even on company time). Beyond giving back, volunteerism supports team building, networking and uniting around a common problem to overcome obstacles. This is one of the highest-rated items on many employee engagement surveys.

3. Make Friends At Work. According to the 2017 Gallup Study of the American Workplace, having a good friend at work has a high correlation with engagement and higher productivity. But how can your organizations help support this? Mentoring and networking programs are a great place to start. Informally, the more in and out of work activities that you can schedule will help in bonding, networking and ultimately building friendships.

4. Establish “Fun” Committees. Whatever you call or brand your internal efforts to schedule fun stuff, give it to the people who are passionate and let them run. Never underestimate the impact of happy hours, food trucks, bowling and other fun activities to help your people get to know each other better on a personal level, and perform better in teams.

5. Flexibility. Wherever possible, err on the side of providing more flexibility for your people. You hired them, so hopefully you trust them, and if you don’t you probably should not keep paying them. It is about the job to be done and not where it gets done. Working from home a day or two a week or extending flex time goes a long way in helping people better balance their lives.

Looking for more ways to increase engagement across your team? Read PCT again tomorrow.

Source: Curt Redden is a speaker, talent-development expert and co-author of Going PRIMAL: A Layered Approach to Creating the Life You Desire. Redden has spent more than 25 years working to support and encourage employees as they strive for success. He currently is the head of global talent development for a Fortune 50 company. He is also certified by the Association for Talent Development as a master trainer and performance-improvement consultant.