How engaged are your employees at the workplace this holiday season? This is an important question to marinate on now as disengagement can cost your organization more than you think.
According to Gallup, about 10 to 15 percent of employees are actively disengaged. Actively disengaged workers are those who speak ill about the organization, spend a lot of their work hours distracted, and wander aimlessly ‘til it’s about time to head home. The same report notes that such employees equate to about half a trillion dollars in losses. Not to mention, the cost of turnover is about 6 months to 2 years’ worth of salaries which can include hiring and onboarding, training, beginner error, and lost productivity.
It’s never too late to rethink your employee engagement strategy. Here are some hacks to make the workplace a merry place to be.
Gather feedback
Gone are the days of the reign of top-down management. Today’s leading workplaces give their staff a voice. Gain insights through employee surveys and focus group discussions. Make these a safe space to air out their concerns and craft initiatives to fill in the gaps. Most importantly, don’t forget to follow through. An organization that makes a play of gathering feedback without actionable steps is worse off than one that does not gather feedback at all.
Invest in “empathy training”
Research has shown that about 50% of employees leave because of management issues. Don’t let the busyness of the holiday season be an excuse for empathy to be thrown out of the window. In fact, this season must enable organizations to exhibit this even more. It might be time to re-train your managers with this critical skill. Trust us, showing your care beyond crucial task completions will never go out of vogue.
Watch out for overworked employees
Don’t let your top talents burn out fast. Studies suggest that too much workload is listed as the second top reason for turnover. This is where investing in empathy training for your managers can come in handy. Train your managers to watch out for the signs which can include sudden disengagement, lack of focus, and re-occurring errors, among others, and how best to address them through reprioritization or extra hands for a project. Additionally, you can offer mental health support in the form of service providers offering readily available counselling.
Revisit your paid time-off policies
Are your employees actively working despite their paid time-off schedules? Don’t let this turn into a habit. According to Forbes, workers who frequently take working vacation days are more prone to have increased thoughts of quitting and are more likely to hand in their resignation letters sooner than later. Left to fester, this enables a toxic workplace with an “always on” mindset. It might be time to encourage your employees to take their OOOs seriously without the fear of being judged or punished. Employers that respect working hours and time-offs will always be a green light for employees.
Enhance your total rewards offer
When it comes to total rewards in the workplace, it’s not just about increasing your base pay. It’s all about aligning incentives to your employees’ values. Steer clear of the one-size-fits-all approach and practice flexibility in applying benefits considering the festivities of the holiday season—things like remote work, transportation allowances, and health packages. Additionally, don’t forget to give your employees something special to thank them for their year-long wins. Here at Pluxee, a Sodexo company, we’ve got plenty of instant and hassle-free Christmas gifting solutions to foster Magical Connexions with your employees.
Plus, you can enjoy special discounts and rebates from us for orders of our Sodexo+ and Mobile Pass digital GCs. You can also take your pick from our yuletide offerings of hams, baskets, cakes, and small appliance digital GCs to make your employees’ celebrations even more festive. Interested in enhancing your total rewards offer with us? Let’s make it happen together. Sign up here for our team to get in touch. 
