Employee participation may be the answer. Companies where employees know their voices matter and opinions count are more likely to have an engaged, motivated workforce, leading to greater productivity and a healthier work environment.

Contents
What is employee participation?
Employee participation versus employee involvement
Why is employee participation important?
How to increase employee participation
7 steps to developing an employee participation program
Company examples of an employee participation program
Measuring employee participation program effectiveness
FAQ

What is employee participation?

Employee participation is a strategic approach that ensures all employees have a voice and a shared responsibility in decision-making processes. This collaborative approach can foster a strong sense of belonging and ownership, creating an environment where you can harness your workforce’s collective potential to meet business goals. 

Elements of employee participation

Key elements of employee participation include:

• Opportunities for collective decision-making: Enabling employees to contribute meaningfully to discussions and solutions on matters impacting them, the organization, and its clients.
• Teamwork and collaboration: Leveraging diverse perspectives and problem-solving skills among employees to drive innovation and achieve specific goals.
• A greater sense of ownership and belonging: Giving employees a voice and making them feel invested in the company’s direction and development.
• Empowering growth: Offering training and development to realize employees’ potential and propel their professional growth.

Your organization’s employees can bring a wealth of experience and new ideas to the table. Organizations can benefit from tapping into their unique perspectives on areas like innovation, training, benefits programs, budgeting discussions, team-building activities, and employee rewards programs.

Employee participation versus employee involvement

Although the terms ‘employee participation’ and ‘employee involvement’ are often used interchangeably, there are a few differences between the terms.

Why is employee participation important?

Employee participation can be an impactful, strategic driver of business success. Here’s how: 

It deepens communication

A company culture that prioritizes employee participation encourages open dialogue between employees and management. This allows team members to freely share ideas and concerns, knowing that receptive managers will listen to and support them.

It boosts morale and makes work meaningful

When employees feel valued because their opinions matter, they develop a sense of ownership, and their job satisfaction naturally increases. This facilitates a positive work environment and can inspire other employees to follow suit and become more engaged.

It lowers the employee turnover rate

Happy, engaged employees are unlikely to actively seek employment elsewhere. This translates into lower turnover rates, saving HR time and resources they’d otherwise need to spend on attracting, recruiting, and onboarding new hires.

HR tip 

Use intrapreneurship to grow participation

Run workshops that teach employees how to think and act like ‘intrapreneurs’ to identify company challenges and develop innovative solutions. Additionally, encourage them to consider how their ideas can fuel growth and offer resources to help them build and test prototypes. This will foster a culture of ownership and generate a pipeline of fresh ideas to drive innovation.

It promotes productivity and innovation

A participatory environment encourages innovation and problem-solving. Engaged employees are more committed to their work, which means they tend to be more productive and efficient in their daily tasks, completing projects and finding solutions to problems.

It breeds quality

When employees have a stake in business outcomes, they’re more likely to do everything to the best of their abilities and even go the extra mile. This, in turn, results in a higher quality of work and minimal errors overall.

How to increase employee participation 

There are various ways to increase employee participation. One way is through financial and non-financial employee participation incentives.

1. Financial incentives

Compensation and benefits are a key factor in attracting and retaining talent. According to Indeed, 39% of job seekers started searching for new employment because they wanted better compensation or benefits. You can incentivize employee participation with any of the following financial benefits:

• Bonuses or profit-sharing: Reward employees when the organization hits or exceeds its financial targets. Being able to share in the profits makes employees feel more invested in the company’s financial health and motivated to contribute to its growth.
• Gainsharing plans: Reward employees with bonuses for contributing to improvements in certain areas of the business. For instance, say a factory reduces its product waste due to an employee participation initiative. A portion of the savings can be divided among the workers to allow them to share in the financial gains from their improved performance.
• Stock options: Incentivize employees by giving them a long-term financial stake in the organization’s growth. As the company thrives and its stock price increases, these options link employee performance to rewards, motivating them to focus on and contribute to the company’s financial success.”
• Competitive total packages: This helps you attract top talent who value financial and job security, indirectly leading to a more motivated, innovative workforce.
• Paid health insurance and employee assistance programs: Offer employees assurance and security in case of illness or other issues, thereby improving their wellbeing. This, in turn, makes them more likely to be engaged and motivated at work.

2. Non-financial incentives

• Recognition programs and awards: Allow the company to publicly acknowledge and celebrate employee contributions, thereby fostering a sense of accomplishment, inspiring others, and making a great addition to any résumé.
• Career mapping: Linking participation in key initiatives to clear internal advancement opportunities demonstrates how the company values its employees. This motivates employees to perform to the best of their abilities.
• Paid sabbaticals: Sabbatical leave gives employees time and space to rejuvenate their creative zest and build new skills.
• Tuition reimbursement programs: Encourage employees to invest in their development, which may result in improved problem-solving skills. This can, in turn, benefit the organization.
• Employee training programs and workshops: These enhance employees’ professional skills and knowledge and demonstrate that the company is invested in their growth.
• Mentorship programs: Connect experienced employees with newer team members, fostering knowledge sharing and building the confidence necessary to speak up and participate more actively at work.
• Diversity and inclusion programs: Create an environment where all employees feel accepted and more comfortable sharing their ideas, leading to richer and more varied participation.
• Surveys and focus groups: Regularly gathering employee feedback and responding to and acting on it will motivate employees and assure them that the organization values their opinions.

HR tip

How an organization handles failure is crucial, especially if it encourages employees to take initiative and risks. Accounting software company Intuit gives a special award for the ‘Best Failure’ and holds ‘failure parties’ as it believes every failure carries a special lesson that can seed the next great idea. 

A former Coca-Cola CEO also once said: “If we’re not making mistakes, we’re not trying hard enough.” 
Microsoft also pursues bold experimentation and innovation by demanding that its culture reward both risk and failure.

7 steps to developing an employee participation program

You’re now aware of the merits of employee participation, but how can you make it happen? By creating a formal framework for employee input, HR can unlock valuable ideas and perspectives from the workforce to benefit your team and organization.

Here’s a guide to developing an effective employee participation program:

1. Conduct a needs assessment: Begin by understanding your organization’s current state. Consider using surveys, focus groups, or one-on-one interviews to identify areas where your managers and teams believe employee participation would be most beneficial.
2. Develop the program structure: Determine your program’s format. Will it be driven by committees, suggestion boxes, or online forums? Define clear goals and objectives and determine how to integrate employee input into decision-making processes. Be sure to obtain buy-in from all senior stakeholders and managers before you proceed further.
3. Get budget approval: Get all relevant parties to sign off on the resources you’ll need to make your program a success. This may include software for online forums, training for managers on fostering participation, or recognition programs for employee contributions.
4. Design a communication plan: Clearly communicate the program’s purpose, structure, and benefits to all employees. Use multiple channels, such as town halls, email blasts, and internal communication platforms, to inform and update everyone.
5. Implement your program: Launch your program with a clear timeline and expectations. Provide training for employees on how to participate effectively and get the most out of it.
6. Collect feedback and adjust: Regularly gather feedback from your team and managers through surveys or suggestion boxes to assess the program’s effectiveness. Analyze the data and be prepared to adjust your program based on employee input.
7. Recognize and reward employees: Acknowledge and celebrate employee contributions. Publicly recognize valuable ideas and participation by offering financial and non-financial incentives for continued engagement.

Company examples of an employee participation program 

Toyota 

‘Kaizen’ is one of the 12 core principles of Toyota’s famous production system. The concept translates into ‘change for the better’, also known as ‘continuous improvement’. The auto manufacturer prioritizes this philosophy, requiring employees to come up with two ideas for improvement per month.

Toyota values employee participation so much that every team member is given 15 minutes each day to identify possible improvements in efficiency and waste reduction. The company also discourages managers from opposing changes, even if they’ve failed before. This is because the company believes trial and error is necessary for personal development.

Toyota favors intrinsic motivators over individual financial rewards for improvements but does provide collective bonuses. Consequently, each employee takes ownership and strives to make their work easier for themselves while improving the quality of Toyota’s vehicles. 

Facebook

Facebook’s legendary ‘hackathons’ are round-the-clock company-wide events where willing employees are organized into groups to pitch and prototype creative, innovative ideas. The objective is to develop a proposal so innovative and compelling that it inspires the company’s product team to bring it to life.

The ‘hackathon’ concept originated in the company’s early years when employees eager to try out new ideas would order takeaways for dinner and work on novel projects at the office until 6 AM the next morning.

Facebook engineer and driver of its nocturnal hackathons, Pedram Keyani, said: “The thing around here is, code wins arguments. You could argue something for two days, or you could just make it and prove your point in an hour.” He added: “Lots of other groups – legal, HR, business development – can use hackathons to rethink how they do their job or how they can restructure what they’re doing. I think the core idea is to take ideas you haven’t had a chance to focus on and think about them in a different way.”

Facebook hackathons continue to this day, giving employees who participate the chance to win the ‘mic-drop award’ and have senior-level executives review their ideas and potentially roll them out.

Semco: Adopting total employee participation

Brazilian industrial manufacturer Semco is perhaps the most radical example of employee participation in action. The company has a policy of no policies. Instead, it provides employees with a 21-page ‘Survival Manual’ to introduce them to its culture.

Here’s a snippet: “Our philosophy is built on participation and involvement. Don’t settle down. Give opinions, seek opportunities and advancement, and always say what you think. Don’t just be one more person in the company.”

In fact, Semco became internationally renowned for upending business as usual with its revolutionary HR practices. The company operates without traditional job titles, organizational charts, or a fixed headquarters. Employees, including factory workers, can set their own schedules and determine their salaries, choosing from 11 different compensation options.

Additionally, the company’s financial information is public, so all employees know their colleagues’ salaries. This transparency discourages unfair pay practices, so those who overpay themselves may face their peers’ resentment. Employees also have to reapply for their positions every six months, creating accountability and further discouraging unfair compensation.

Salaries are also directly linked to the company’s profits, fostering peer pressure to practice responsible budgeting. At the same time, employees have the authority to select their own managers and assess them twice a year, with the assessment results made public. At each board meeting, employees have two seats set and voting rights reserved for them on a first-come, first-served basis.

Measuring employee participation program effectiveness

Measuring the success of your employee participation program goes beyond simply tracking participation rates. You must also understand its effect on business goals and employee well-being. Here’s how to use key metrics to analyze your program’s effectiveness:

• Overall productivity: Employee participation fosters innovation and problem-solving. Track metrics like output per employee or project completion rates (and correlate these with job satisfaction data for richer results) to see if participation has translated into improved efficiency and production.
• Goal achievement rates: Did teams with high participation rates achieve goals at a higher rate? Monitor specific department or team goals and analyze whether employee participation has played a role in meeting or exceeding company targets.
• Employee engagement: Effective employee participation fosters a sense of ownership and purpose. Use 360-degree surveys and tools that measure employee engagement to gauge whether participation has led to a more invested and motivated workforce.
• Job satisfaction: Meaningful participation empowers employees and increases their sense of value. Conduct quarterly or bi-annual employee satisfaction surveys to measure improvements in morale and overall job satisfaction. Remember also to poll workers on their managers’ level of participative leadership.
• Employee retention and turnover rates: Employees who feel satisfied and engaged are less likely to resign. Track your turnover and retention rates to see whether your participation program has positively impacted employee retention.

HR tip

Are your managers cut out to support employee participation? 
Encouraging employee participation goes beyond simply asking for ideas – it requires a company culture that values psychological safety. This way, employees are more likely to feel comfortable sharing their ideas. In fact, a recent Global Workplace Study found that employees are 14 times more likely to be fully engaged when they trust their team leader.

That’s why it’s vital to equip your managers with soft skills such as empathy and active listening. They must also be able to steer collaboration, communicate effectively, and provide constructive feedback — the building blocks necessary for building trust and participation.

To sum up

Your employees possess a wealth of collective potential, input, and ideas. If you’re not taking full advantage of harnessing this rich resource for innovation to drive your business forward, beware of your competitors who are.

FAQ

The post Your (2024) Guide to Employee Participation: What It Is and How To Increase It appeared first on AIHR.

According to McKinsey, teams with a powerful sense of connection are more productive and complete tasks faster. Social capital builds trust between colleagues and managers, motivates employees to go beyond their job duties, improves retention, and makes staff more likely to recommend their company as a great place to work. And HR has a key role to play in fostering these interpersonal relationships.

In this article, we will further unpack why strong interpersonal skills are important – now more than ever – and provide you with steps on how to develop social capital in your organization.

Contents
The need for interpersonal skills in the workplace
What is social capital?
The benefits of social capital
How HR can foster social capital in the workplace
1. Build strong relationships
2. Promote employee engagement
3. Drive innovation and creativity
4. Support organizational resilience

The need for interpersonal skills in the workplace

The world has seen significant shifts in the last few years — fast advancements in technology, changing ways of work, and rapid development and uptake of AI tools, coupled with volatile political, social, and global economic changes. It’s impacted the skills we need to do our jobs and how we connect with others. 

The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs report indicates a significant change in the skills needed for the future workforce. Out of the top ten skills expected to be in high demand by 2025, eight focus on human qualities like emotional intelligence, creativity, leadership, and social influence.

However, as McKinsey’s survey reveals, we connect with others less frequently, have smaller networks, and spend less time and effort building relationships.

For those in HR, this shows an important point: it’s essential to invest in people’s social skills and foster a work environment where everyone can work well together, innovate, and deliver business results.

What is social capital?

Social capital is about the connections, relationships, and trust built within organizations. These networks help us communicate well, work together, and solve problems. By prioritizing social capital, HR creates a positive environment where individuals and the organization thrive.

This approach is key to increasing employee satisfaction and engagement, sparking innovation, and strengthening the company’s ability to adapt and grow.

Relationships marked by conflict and mistrust will have the opposite effect. Strained relationships lead to limited collaboration, low morale, and higher turnover rates. This can negatively affect both employee and organizational performance.

Social capital is helpful in many ways. As an employee, having a good relationship with a more experienced colleague can mean getting helpful advice on doing their job better. On a group level, social capital makes it easier for different departments to work together to achieve a shared goal. In the broader community, social capital helps unite people around a common cause, leading to action that benefits everyone.

The benefits of social capital 

Social capital in the workplace brings many benefits, including increased employee engagement, innovation, and organizational resilience. Strong relationships and networks provide access to expertise, information, and resources. 

This boosts innovation, problem-solving, and productivity by tapping into employees’ collective intelligence and creativity. The idea exchange, collaboration, and experimentation that social capital encourages are key for creating new products, services, and processes, giving companies a competitive advantage.

Simply put, social capital improves organizational performance and competitiveness.

For HR, social capital links HR practices to organizational success. In Talent Acquisition, for example, tapping into employees’ networks—a form of social capital—facilitates access to top talent. In talent management, promoting social capital helps to create an inclusive environment where individuals feel valued and purposeful, which is crucial for retaining talent. Likewise, social interactions and informal networks are vital for knowledge-sharing and organizational learning.

How HR can foster social capital in the workplace

1. Build strong relationships

At its core, social capital is all about relationships — nurturing those that exist and building new ones. 

Stronger relationships have various benefits. When people get along better, they can work more efficiently, be more creative, and work together more cohesively. Open communication and collaboration lines help to establish a culture of trust and mutual respect. 

For HR teams, building stronger relationships involves creating opportunities and platforms that facilitate connections among employees. 

How HR can foster its own social capital

1. Build trust and credibility: HR professionals need to build their own trust and credibility to increase their social capital with others in the organization. This is done by openly sharing policies, decisions, and processes. It also involves demonstrating transparency, consistency, and fairness in their application.
2. Acting on employee feedback: Listen to what employees have to say and do something with their suggestions or worries. Feedback mechanisms could include employee suggestion programs, regular surveys, or open-door policies.
3. Implement DEIB practices: Lastly, it is essential to incorporate diversity and inclusion practices into HR strategies. Feeling included and being accepted for who you are strengthens social bonds and builds trust among colleagues. This not only helps to build trust in HR but also to increase social capital within the organization. 

Example: Relationship-building at Salesforce

Salesforce, a cloud-based software company, is an excellent example of how an organization can prioritize relationship building. The company has an Ohana culture that emphasizes inclusivity, trust, and collaboration. This culture encourages employees to support one another professionally and personally, fostering solid social connections and mutual respect. Furthermore, the company also promotes social capital through initiatives such as employee resource groups (ERGs) and volunteer programs. Such initiatives provide opportunities for employees to connect, share experiences, and give back to their communities.

2. Promote employee engagement

Strong social ties are a crucial driver of employee engagement. HR should play a role in creating an environment where employees are not just passively fulfilling a role but actively participating and contributing in meaningful ways. But also in developing a culture where people feel respected, trusted, and part of the team. 

When done well, employees feel more connected to their work and each other, leading to increased organizational social capital.

Boosting job satisfaction and morale is also key to building social capital in the workplace. Employees who are happy and fulfilled in their roles tend to form strong bonds with their colleagues and work together more effectively. High morale creates a sense of loyalty and commitment among employees. Happy employees are also more likely to participate in team activities and go the extra mile. This helps strengthen relationships and trust and ultimately builds strong organizational social capital.

How HR can foster its own social capital

Promoting employee engagement is also crucial to increase the social capital HR holds with others within the organization.

1. Make work meaningful: Listen to employees, support their career growth, and make their work meaningful. By doing so, HR improves the work experience and strengthens their own relationships with employees. 

Engaged employees are more likely to trust HR and their colleagues, work well with others, and help create a positive work culture – which is key to the company’s success.

Example: Zappos unique organizational culture fosters social capital

Zappos, an online shoe and clothing retailer, strongly emphasizes building social capital through its unique organizational culture. The company prioritizes employee relationships and engagement by fostering a sense of community and belonging. Zappos produced an annual “Culture Book” where employees contributed personal stories and insights about the company culture. Additionally, Zappos offers cultural immersion programs for new hires to integrate them into the organization’s values and practices.

3. Drive innovation and creativity

Social capital acts as a catalyst for creativity and the sharing of new and innovative ideas. It builds a foundation for strong, collaborative networks where individuals feel more comfortable and inspired to share their insights and breakthroughs within the team or organization — leading to more diverse perspectives and experiences.

These diverse perspectives can result in a richer pool of ideas, helping to challenge conventional thinking and explore innovative solutions. This enriches both HR’s and the organization’s social capital. When everyone feels welcome and valued, no matter their background, they’re more likely to share their ideas. Likewise, a culture where everyone is open and works together leads to more creativity and new ways of thinking.

How HR can foster its own social capital

1. Enhance HR’s own social capital: When HR works hard to create a place where new ideas are welcome, it improves relationships and teamwork across the organization. It also significantly enhances HR’s own social capital. 
2. Value employee contributions: By demonstrating a commitment to and trust in employees’ abilities and ideas, HR signals that it respects and values employee contributions. This, in turn, helps to enhance HR’s reputation and influence within the organization.
3. Build external social capital: Creating a place that values new ideas and creativity not only boosts HR’s image within the company but also helps to build external social capital. Innovative and creative cultures help attract top talent and enhance the organization’s reputation as a forward-thinking and dynamic workplace. This good reputation helps HR find more talented people and build stronger connections, making it even more successful both inside and outside the company.

Example: Google values innovation and collaboration

Google is known for its strong emphasis on fostering social capital in the workplace through various initiatives to drive innovation and collaboration. One notable example is its “20% time” policy, which allows employees to spend a portion of their workweek pursuing projects outside their core responsibilities. This policy encourages employee collaboration, creativity, and knowledge sharing, leading to innovations such as Gmail and Google Maps.

4. Support organizational resilience

Social capital becomes a vital resource for organizations during change and crises. Strong connections can be a source of support, information, and resources. 

The COVID pandemic showed just how crucial HR is in using social capital to keep things running smoothly. During this time, HR professionals across the globe served as the central point of contact for communication and coordination to ensure everyone knew what was going on and that work continued safely.

By tapping into the organization’s existing relationships, trust, and networks, social capital can help promote organizational resilience and drive successful change. 

How HR can foster its own social capital

Supporting organizational resilience enhances the social capital HR has within an organization. HR becomes a key source of stability, flexibility, and ongoing operation during changes or challenging times. Clear and direct communication, along with policies and practices that look after employees’ wellbeing, builds trust. This shows employees they are supported and valued.

When HR proactively contributes to building resilience, it not only aids the organization in navigating challenges but also strengthens the relationships, trust, and collaboration essential for social capital. Engaging employees in the change process, addressing their concerns, and providing the necessary training and resources reinforce HR’s role as a trusted advisor and change agent. 

Example: Patagonia prioritized employee health and safety

Known for its commitment to sustainability and employee wellbeing, Patagonia lived up to its reputation during the pandemic by prioritizing the health and safety of its employees. The company quickly adapted its operations, implementing safety measures in its warehouses and maintaining full pay and benefits for all employees, even those unable to work due to store closures. This level of support reinforced the trust and loyalty between Patagonia and its employees, crucial elements of the company’s strong organizational capital. 

How HR professionals can develop their own interpersonal skills

Developing interpersonal skills is not just advantageous but essential for those in HR, too. These skills help HR professionals navigate the complexities of the current work environment, spur innovation, and manage the balance between daily tasks and the overarching strategic objectives.

In the AIHR T-shaped HR Competency Model, the Execution Excellence competency is centered on creating meaningful connections and encouraging teamwork to achieve goals efficiently. A key strategy that HR can employ to achieve this is through cultivating social capital.

Final words

Social capital is crucial for organizational and HR success. It sets the foundation for creating an innovative, engaged, and resilient workforce. HR plays a critical role in building an environment rich in social capital, which helps organizations harness the collective potential of their human capital. 

In the digital future of work, it will not be our digital skills that will make us successful. Our ability to connect as human beings, leveraging social capital and authentically connecting with each other will be what makes the difference.

The post Social Capital in the Workplace: How HR Can Build Stronger Employee Connections  appeared first on AIHR.

In this article, we’ll explore the importance of workplace transparency, the consequences of its absence, and nine actions organizations can take to promote transparency in the workplace.

Contents
What is transparency in the workplace?
Why transparency in the workplace is important
The impact of the lack of transparency in the workplace
Examples of transparency in the workplace
How to improve transparency in the workplace
FAQ

What is transparency in the workplace?

Workplace transparency is when an organization and its employees openly and freely sharing information about processes, decisions, objectives, expectations, and more. 

In today’s workplace, there is also a legal element to transparency that organizations and HR need to consider. Legislation around pay transparency, for instance, aims to ensure employees receive equal pay for work of equal value.

Increasingly, we see companies taking their transparency beyond the workplace and into the wider world as they publicly share their progress regarding, for example, DEIB.

Why transparency in the workplace is important 

There are several reasons why transparency in the workplace is essential:

• Builds trust: When done well, transparency fosters a sense of trust between employees and managers.
• Promoting a culture of openness: An environment where questions, concerns, and ideas can be freely expressed encourages innovation and continuous improvement — and attracts candidates. According to a 2018 Slack research, 87% of workers wanted their future company to be transparent.
• Reduces rumors and misinformation: Transparency minimizes the chances of rumors and misinformation spreading within the organization. 
• Improves decision-making: With access to more complete and accurate information, employees at all levels can make more informed decisions. 
• Facilitates change management: During times of change, transparency can help reduce employee resistance and fear. 
• Encourages accountability: When actions and decisions are made transparently, it creates a sense of accountability among employees. 
• Ensures compliance with legislation: An example of this can be found in the Illinois Workplace Transparency Act. The purpose of this act is to fight sexual harassment and other types of discrimination. Put simply, it forbids employers to enter into a contract with employees (contractors, freelancers, etc.) that includes a non-disclosure clause covering workplace harassment or discrimination. 

The impact of the lack of transparency in the workplace

On the other hand, a lack of transparency in the workplace has its consequences, too. Here’s what they can look like: 

• Reduced innovation and creativity: Transparency fosters an environment where ideas can be freely shared and debated. Without it, innovation and creativity can be stifled, as employees may feel unsafe or unmotivated to contribute their ideas. 
• Compromised ethical standards: A lack of workplace transparency can lead to questionable practices going unchecked. This situation can compromise the organization’s ethical standards and lead to legal or reputational risks. 
• Communication breakdowns: A lack of transparency often results in poor communication throughout the organization. Misunderstandings become more common, leading to inefficiencies and errors in work. 
• Lower employee engagement: Employees who feel left out of the loop can plummet their engagement and motivation. This disengagement affects productivity, job satisfaction, and the overall morale of the workforce. 

Examples of transparency in the workplace 

What does transparency at work look like? There are numerous examples in the various phases of the employee life cycle.

In this section, we’ll share three of them:

1. Transparency in recruitment and selection

DHL Aviation provides a prime illustration of transparent recruitment and selection practices. They fill 65% of vacancies internally, with over half of the C-suite comprising individuals who began on the frontline. 

By sharing these statistics with candidates, recruiters set realistic expectations and demonstrate the company’s commitment to internal growth opportunities.

2. Transparency in compensation and benefits 

MIMOSA Diagnostics embraced radical transparency concerning pay, conflicts, and organizational and business matters. They only refrained from disclosing personal information that employees wished to keep private, as well as investor details.

For instance, in terms of pay transparency at MIMOSA, employees were required to understand the criteria that determined their pay before individual pay figures were disclosed, ensuring fair wage determination. To facilitate this, the company established a structured approach for making pay decisions.

3. Transparency in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB)

Creating a comprehensive DEIB section on a corporate website is one thing; being a truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive employer is another.

Many organizations celebrate their commitment to female representation in leadership on International Women’s Day via social media. One year, Francesca Lawsome and Ali Fensome developed a gender-pay chatbot that extracted publicly available data from these companies. The aim was to assess the companies’ commitment to gender equality in the workplace. 

The findings reveal significant disparities between rhetoric and action. For example, despite Heathrow Airport highlighting its “Women at Heathrow,” women’s median hourly pay is 14% less than that of men in the organization.

Some companies are making strides in getting transparency in the workplace right. Nike, for example, has published its ‘2025 Purpose targets’, with various reports for visitors to download, which explain what the company is doing around pay equality, representation, inclusion, and more within the organization. 

How to improve transparency in the workplace 

There are several strategies HR can adopt to improve and ensure transparency in the workplace throughout the employee life cycle. 

Strategy 1: Adopt transparency in your employer branding 

Rather than (over)selling the benefits of working for the organization, think about conveying all sides (even the less glamorous sides) of the job and the industry. 

For example, suppose you’re hiring people to work in a role that can be physically demanding. Explain to candidates what the role will require. Include uncensored employee testimonials from people who recently joined the company on your website that paint a true picture of what it takes to successfully perform the role. 

Strategy 2: Set realistic, fact-based expectations

Recruitment and selection transparency encompasses various aspects. 

Firstly, it involves clarity about the application process: What should applicants anticipate? How soon can they expect a response? What is the timeline for the entire process? Who should they contact for inquiries? 

Secondly, it includes being transparent about job and organizational expectations: What salary range is offered? What growth prospects does the organization provide, and in what timeframe? What performance standards are expected from employees? 

Lastly, an often overlooked yet crucial aspect is setting clear expectations about what not to anticipate. For example, in a fast-paced company, it is vital to tell candidates or new hires that many aspects will be unstructured and require self-driven initiative.

Strategy 3: Explore different levels of transparency

Recognize that not all information can or should be shared openly with every employee (as we saw earlier in the MIMOSA Diagnostics example). 

Categorize information and determine the appropriate level of transparency for each level based on factors like relevance, sensitivity, and potential impact.

Strategy 4: Encourage a continuous conversation

Train managers on approaching performance management as a continuous conversation (also referred to as a continuous dialogue) and have ongoing conversations with their employees throughout the year instead of on an annual basis. 

Doing so creates a stronger relationship between manager and employee, often leading to greater trust and transparency. 

Strategy 5: Open communication channels

Establish and maintain multiple channels for open communication, such as regular (company-wide) meetings, town halls, suggestion boxes, and digital platforms where employees can voice concerns, ask questions, and provide feedback. 

Ensure these channels are accessible to all employees and actively monitored for responses and action.

Strategy 6: Involve employees in decision-making

According to a Visier survey, 52% of the respondents who trust their employer do so because they’re transparent about company policies and practices. 

Actively involving employees in decision-making plays a vital role in this. This can be achieved in various ways, for example, by enabling them to set their own objectives and KPIs or organizing brainstorming strategy days.

Strategy 7: Provide regular updates and reports

Provide regular updates on company performance, including successes, challenges, and areas for improvement. This can be done through newsletters, emails, Slack channels, or dedicated meetings. 

Strategy 8: Build a culture of feedback

Cultivate a feedback culture where giving and receiving feedback is encouraged and valued. This includes both positive reinforcement and constructive criticism. Training staff on effectively giving and receiving feedback can help build a more open and communicative workplace

It’s also essential for both employees and the business to act on the insights they receive. According to the Visier survey, one of the top reasons employees did not trust their employers was that the company did not follow through on employee feedback. 

Strategy 9: Create clarity on rules and expectations

Provide clarity on roles and expectations. Use tools like 30-60-90-day plans, roles and responsibilities templates, employee development plans, and performance metrics to help employees understand what’s expected of them. 

Key takeaways 

• A transparent workplace is one of the cornerstones of employee trust and engagement. It’s a key element for people when deciding what company they want to work for. 
• Transparency plays a role in every aspect of the employee life cycle. To create more workplace transparency, the nine action points listed in this article can be an excellent place to start.

FAQ

The post Achieving Transparency in the Workplace: Strategies for Success (With Examples) appeared first on AIHR.

Research by FTSE Russell analyzed 25 years of market data of the annual returns of publicly traded companies featured on the ‘100 Best’ lists versus the rest. The results weren’t impressive, they were staggering. The 100 Best Companies beat the market by a factor of 3.36 – that is a lead of more than triple. 

At the 100 Best Companies, 83% of employees reported a healthy workplace, versus just 52% at typical U.S. businesses – and revenue-per-employee doubled for companies on the 100 Best list. Conversely, it’s estimated that unhappy workers cost the North American business economy over $350 billion per year in lost productivity. 

Contents
Why measure employee happiness?
21 Employee happiness survey questions to ask
Checklist: How to conduct an employee happiness survey
How to analyze the employee happiness survey results
Employee happiness survey dos and don’ts 

Why measure employee happiness?

Measuring employee happiness provides valuable and actionable insights for companies. Why? Because when employees are happy, they tend to be more productive and put more discretionary effort and enthusiasm into their work.

Happy employees are also less likely to leave your company, saving you the costs associated with recruitment and training. Happy employees often translate into better customer service interactions and, therefore, happier customers. The bottom line is that measuring and fostering employee happiness can positively contribute to the overall success of your company.

21 Employee happiness survey questions to ask

Here’s a cheat sheet of powerful questions to help you build your employee happiness survey and gain valuable insights from your team:

Overall satisfaction questions:

1. How happy are you with your current job? As a simple starter, this question measures general job satisfaction.
2. To what extent do you feel your work is meaningful and contributes to the company’s goals? This question measures the employee’s sense of purpose and contribution.
3. Would you recommend working at this company to a friend or family member? This question measures general company advocacy.
4. Thinking about your total wellbeing, how satisfied are you with your current work-life balance? This question evaluates tension levels on time spent on work versus personal priorities.

Work environment and culture questions:

5. Do you feel comfortable expressing your ideas and opinions openly at work? This question measures an employee’s sense of psychological safety and open communication.
6. How well do you feel your colleagues collaborate and work as a team? This question measures an employee’s experience of the team culture.
7. Do you feel valued and respected by your manager and colleagues? This key question measures a sense of belonging, inclusiveness and appreciation.
8. Is your workplace environment physically and emotionally safe and supportive? This question measures an employee’s sense of comfort and safety. 
9. Do you feel you have been given the necessary resources and tools to perform your job effectively? This question gauges how well-equipped your employees feel in their roles. 

Did you know? 

When it comes to predicting a company’s attrition rates, a toxic work environment is 10.4 times more important than compensation compared with industry norms. 

Career growth and development questions:

10. Do you feel the company has assisted you with clear career goals and development planning? This question helps you gauge an employee’s perception of their opportunities for development and upward mobility within your organization.
11. Do you feel you are being provided adequate learning and professional development opportunities? This question measures an employee’s perception of their opportunities for growth and training.
12. Do you feel your current role allows you to fully utilize your skills and talents? This question measures job fit and utilization of full potential.
13. Do you feel confident and empowered to make decisions within your role? This question measures the degree of autonomy employees believe they have.

Management and leadership questions:

14. Do you feel your manager provides you with clear and consistent communication? This question measures the perceived effectiveness of their manager’s communication.
15. Do you feel your manager is supportive of your professional development and career goals? This question measures the level of a manager’s support for growth as perceived by the employee. 
16. Do you feel your manager provides you with helpful feedback and performance reviews? This question measures an employee’s perception of the effectiveness of feedback from their manager.
17. Do you feel confident in the leadership team’s ability to guide the company toward success? This question measures an employee’s overall trust in your company’s leadership.

Did you know? 

57% of employees have left at least one job due to a bad manager.

Compensation and benefits questions:

18. Do you feel your current compensation and benefits package is fair and competitive? This question measures satisfaction with their total compensation package. 
19. Are you satisfied that the company offers a variety of benefits to meet your specific needs and overall wellbeing? This question measures an employee’s satisfaction with the benefits your company offers.
20. Do you feel your workload is manageable and appropriately compensated for the time you invest? This question measures your employees’ perception of workload fairness and compensation balance.
21. Do you feel the company offers opportunities for advancement and increased compensation? This question measures the employee’s perception of opportunities for career progression and salary growth.

Checklist: How to conduct an employee happiness survey

Follow this eight-step guide to conduct your own employee happiness survey. 

1. Determine the purpose of your employee happiness questionnaire:

• What exactly do you want to learn from the survey?
• Which areas of employee happiness are you most interested in?
• How often will you conduct the survey (for example, quarterly, bi-annually, or annually)?
• Determine how you will benchmark your results. For example, you could benchmark results internally by comparing them to results from your previous surveys, or you could benchmark externally by contrasting your results with similar industry-aligned research surveys.

2. Decide how you will collect answers:

• An online survey software tool will help you collect data anonymously and effectively analyze its results. 
• If you are providing your non-desk workers with the opportunity to complete paper-based survey forms, data capturers can load these responses into your software tool once the survey is closed so that all your data is centrally stored. 

3. Develop the survey questions:

• Use various question formats suited to the information you wish to obtain, such as:
  • Yes/no/maybe
  • Multiple choice
  • Likert scales (i.e., using a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 = Strongly Agree and 5 = Strongly Disagree)
  • Open-ended questions to enable employees to add their own comments.
• Keep your questions clear, concise, and easy to understand.
• Avoid using double-barreled questions such as: “Are you satisfied with your work-life balance and compensation?” Combining two or more factors into one question makes it impossible to gauge accurate responses to specific issues.  
• Avoid leading or biased questions where answer choices are unfairly weighted towards a particular response, as these can skew results. For example, “How satisfied are you with your work-life balance? (a) Very satisfied, (b) Satisfied, (c) Somewhat satisfied, (d) Neutral, (e) Dissatisfied.” 

4. Pilot test your employee happiness survey:

• Ask a small sample group of your employees to review the survey and provide you with their feedback.
• This will help you identify any problems with the survey, such as unclear questions or technical issues.

5. Inform your employees about the survey:

• Explain the purpose of the survey and be clear about how the results will be used.
• Assure your employees that their responses will be anonymized or kept confidential if you require their identification.
• Provide clear instructions on how to take the survey and deadlines for completion.

6. Encourage employee participation:

• If you have non-desk workers, make it easy for everyone to take the survey by offering multiple survey methods (for example, online, app-based, paper, etc.).
• Offer incentives, such as prize draws, to encourage higher participation rates. 

7. Analyze the results:

• Once the survey is closed, analyze the data you’ve received to identify trends, patterns, strengths and weaknesses.
• Pay attention to both the quantitative data (e.g., numerical responses) and the qualitative data (e.g., open-ended responses).

8. Take action:

• Use the survey results to develop a plan to improve your employees’ happiness.
• Prepare reports based on the data that senior leaders, divisional managers, and HR can act on to target employee happiness weaknesses and give recommendations for how you can leverage strengths. 
• Communicate your employee happiness plan to employees and keep them updated on your progress.

How to analyze the employee happiness survey results

It’s crucial for HR to analyze employee happiness questionnaires so they can take the pulse of employee sentiment, identify areas for improvement, and implement strategies to enhance your team’s satisfaction and overall well-being. This is key to ultimately creating a more productive and engaged workforce.

Step 1: Compile and organize your data

Collect and organize all survey responses in a central location, such as a spreadsheet or dedicated survey analysis software.  If your organization provided a paper-based questionnaire, capture that data into your central digital system.

Step 2: Clean the data

Ensure consistency in data format (for instance, if answers were provided numerically, ensure standardized formatting) and address any missing or incomplete responses. If you are correcting errors in open-ended questions, be sure not to alter an employee’s intended meaning.

If you have data capturers loading answers from paper-based forms into a spreadsheet or survey software system, implement a cross-check to ensure capturing accuracy.

Step 3: Identify key metrics

If your survey is lengthy, prioritize the most critical aspects of employee happiness you want to analyze based on your survey goals. These might include overall satisfaction, company environment, work-life balance, career development opportunities, or feelings toward leadership.

Step 4: Sort and segment data

Group responses by relevant categories, such as department or job level. Segmenting your data in this manner will help you compare specific groups and identify potential variations in sentiment within your workforce.

Step 5: Analyze the data

Select an appropriate analysis method based on your question types: 

• Quantitative data (multiple choice, Likert scale):
  • Calculate descriptive statistics like averages, medians, and percentages for each key metric and segment to identify key trends. 
  • For instance, you can use charts or graphs to depict answers to questions such as these: “On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = Strongly agree and 5 = Strongly disagree), is your workplace environment physically and emotionally safe and supportive?” 
• Qualitative data (open-ended responses):
  • Analyze thematic patterns or recurring themes in employee feedback.
  • Use word clouds or sentiment analysis tools to identify common keywords and major themes to gauge overall sentiment.

Step 6: Compare with benchmarks

Benchmark your research internally, comparing your latest results to previous surveys. Benchmark your research externally against industry averages or other relevant data sources. This provides context and will help you assess your standing compared to your past performance and similar organizations operating in your sector.

Step 7: Identify areas of strength and improvement

Based on your analysis, highlight areas where employees are highly satisfied and engaged. Similarly, pinpoint areas with low scores or negative feedback to prioritize improvement efforts.

Step 8: Conduct root cause analysis

For areas needing improvement, delve deeper to understand the underlying reasons behind low satisfaction or negative feedback. If necessary, organize follow-up focus groups, one-on-one discussions, or additional targeted surveys to gather more specific insights.

Managers have an outsized impact (good or bad) on employee experience, so be on the lookout for indicators pointing to problem managers. If you receive a lot of negative feedback on questions relating to managers’ communication, support, or feedback, for instance, ensure you’re able to address the issue with the manager/s concerned. 

Step 9: Storytelling and data presentation

As an HR professional, your ultimate objective is to obtain actionable outcomes from this survey that improve your workforce’s happiness. 

In order to make changes, you’ll need to inform and persuade senior stakeholders and managers. This requires the ability to translate your data into a compelling narrative that highlights key findings, trends, and areas for action.

When you create management reports and presentations, use clear, concise language and visuals (charts, graphs) to communicate insights to these audiences effectively.

Step 10: Create a dashboard

Develop an interactive dashboard with graphs and charts to help you visualize trends and track key metrics over time. This allows for quick and easy monitoring of progress and facilitates data-driven decision-making regarding your employees’ contentment.

Employee happiness survey dos and don’ts 

What to do and what not to do when it comes to conducting your employee happiness survey:

Do:

1. Do ensure confidentiality. Employees must feel comfortable and safe sharing honest feedback, so guarantee their anonymity throughout the process.
2. Do communicate clearly. Explain the survey’s purpose, how the results will be used, and how confidentiality is ensured.
3. Do ask the right questions. Tailor questions to your specific goals and avoid leading questions and ambiguous language.
4. Do keep it concise and relevant. A lengthy survey may lead to lower completion rates and can make it difficult for employees to focus on providing thoughtful answers.
5. Do take action on the feedback. Demonstrate that you value your employees’ input by creating an action plan based on the results and communicating it to them.

Don’t:

1. Don’t use too many open-field questions: Open-field answers can yield deeper insights in cases where employees provide a lot of detail. However, including too many in your survey will limit your ability to identify key patterns and trends that closed-ended questions can provide. 
2. Don’t pressure participation. While encouraging participation is okay, making it mandatory may lead to resentment.
3. Don’t collect personal information. Focus on work-related questions and avoid asking for any personal details because, in some cases, requesting demographic or tenure details may void your employees’ anonymity (for instance, if only one male in a given tenure range works in a particular department).
4. Don’t use the data to punish employees. The survey is meant to improve the workplace, not target individuals.
5. Don’t ignore negative feedback. Critical feedback is valuable for identifying areas for improvement, embrace it.
6. Don’t present the results without a plan. Employees deserve to know how their feedback will be used, so have a clear action plan in place before sharing the results.

Key takeaway

Implementing these guidelines will empower you to design a comprehensive survey that accurately captures sentiment. But remember, enhancing employee happiness is an ongoing journey, not a one-time event. 

So, conduct regular surveys, act on feedback, and demonstrate your commitment to your employees’ well-being to build a more positive and productive work environment.

The post Employee Happiness Survey: 21 Questions To Ask & How To Analyze the Results appeared first on AIHR.

There are many hybrid work models that organizations can adopt and implement to suit the varying needs of their employees. Let’s explore some of the most popular hybrid work schedules below.

Contents
1. Fixed/specific onsite days
2. Full autonomy
3. Asynchronous work arrangements
4. Shift arrangements
5. Core office hours
6. Remote-first
7. Half-day on-site, half-day remote
8. On-site/office-first
9. One week/month in the office
10. Four days on-site, one day remote (4/1)
11. Three days on-site, two days remote (3/2)
12. Two days on-site, three days remote (2/3)
13. Day on-site, four days remote (¼)
14. Alternating weeks
15. Optional on-site days
16. Team-driven
17. Company-driven

17 hybrid work model examples

1. Fixed/specific onsite days

A fixed hybrid work model means that there is one common approach set by the company that everyone follows. For example, everyone works in the office on Monday and Tuesday, with work-from-home options on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Or, everyone works in the office on the first day of each month but can work from anywhere they like every other day. 

2. Full autonomy 

Each employee gets to decide when and where they work without any restrictions. Envoy’s AT Work survey found that 56% of companies surveyed who have adopted a hybrid work model allow employees to choose which days they come into the office.

3. Asynchronous work arrangements 

Asynchronous work means that employees are not required to work at a specific time, which means that the majority of communication will not be in sync; for example, replies to emails will be delayed. Employees can work the hours that best suit them, enabling people in different time zones to work as part of a team. 

4. Shift arrangements 

Another hybrid work schedule is shift arrangements. Employees are given specific days they should be at work and start and finish times. Schedules are then staggered to ensure there are always enough workers “on” and available throughout the day or night. This model can also be used across time zones for roles such as customer service or technical support for software.

5. Core office hours

A core office hours model is where employees are given a set of hours each day when they are expected to be available for meetings, reply to emails, and collaborate, whether they are in the office or working remotely. 

For example, core hours could be 10am-3pm, and employees can choose when they would like to complete their additional hours. If they’re required to work 8 hours per day, they might choose to start work at 7am and finish at 3pm. Alternatively, they might work 10am-3pm, then take a break, and complete their hours by working 6pm-9pm.

6. Remote-first

There are many companies that take a remote-first approach to work, especially following the pandemic. This hybrid work schedule means that employees are never expected to come into the office but can if they would like to.

7. Half-day on-site, half-day remote

Another hybrid remote work schedule offers employees a split between working in an office and working from home each day. Employees are often given the choice of whether they want to come into the office in the morning or the afternoon.

8. On-site/office-first

Organizations that take an office-first approach require employees to primarily come to work in an office and occasionally permit working remotely. There may be certain positions in a company that are more suitable for remote work compared to others, and work schedules will be agreed on a case-by-case basis.

9. One week/month in the office

An underutilized hybrid work schedule is the one-week-the-office approach. Employees are allowed to work from anywhere they like (including the office) for three weeks each month, and the final week sees everyone uniting in the office for team meetings, in-person learning and development, and social events. 

10. Four days on-site, one day remote (4/1)

The 4/1 hybrid work schedule requires employees to be in the office at least four days each week and allows them to work remotely for one day each week. Gallup found that the percentage of hybrid workers working on-site for four (or more) days each week dropped from 35% in 2022 to 30% in 2023.

11. Three days on-site, two days remote (3/2)

This is one of the most popular hybrid work schedules, where employees are required to work in the office for at least three days each week and can work remotely for the remaining two days. Gallup found that the percentage of hybrid workers working on-site three days per week rose from 18% in 2022 to 24% in 2023.

12. Two days on-site, three days remote (2/3)

This is another split-schedule hybrid work model that requires employees to work on-site two days each week and allows them the freedom to work remotely for the other three days. Some companies will specify the days required in the office, while others will leave it up to employees. According to Gallup, on average, employees prefer to be in the office between two and three days per week. This hybrid work schedule has been found to optimize employee engagement for many roles.

13. Day on-site, four days remote (¼)

The final variation of a split schedule approach is where employees work one day on-site and the remaining four days remotely. Gallup found that in 2022, 32% of hybrid employees worked one day or less on-site, which dropped to 29% in 2023. For many companies, this suggests a move to a greater balance between days in and out of the office.

HR tip

If you’re operating on this hybrid work schedule, encourage employees to make the most of this one day on-site by engaging in face-to-face meetings, discussions, and collaborations — work and tasks that can’t be done solo at home.

14. Alternating weeks

In this hybrid work model, employees spend a full work week in the office, followed by a full week working remotely at a location of their choice. This hybrid schedule aims to strike a balance between in-person collaboration and the flexibility of remote work.

15. Optional on-site days

Some companies take a remote-first stance but also offer employees the opportunity to work on-site if and when it benefits them. This means that remote work is the default, but the office remains open to everyone at all times.

16. Team-driven

With this hybrid work schedule, each team determines the days that employees will work in the office.

17. Company-driven

A company-driven hybrid approach is where leadership decides on the days that everyone will work in the office and the days that are remote. This could be a standard policy for everyone or altered for each team, depending on their needs.

To sum up

By providing these 17 hybrid work schedule models, we hope to inspire HR professionals to craft a working setup that’s both efficient and benefits both the organization and the employee. Finding the right hybrid work model requires you to examine your organization’s and employee’s needs, the company culture, and what will lead to better productivity and collaboration for all.

The post 17 Hybrid Work Examples For Organizations Embracing New Ways of Work in 2024 appeared first on AIHR.

In a world where nearly 80% of employees are not engaged or are actively disengaged, companies with higher levels of engagement can outperform their peers. In fact, Gallup research found low levels of employee engagement correlate with higher levels of absenteeism, safety incidents, staff churn, shrinkage, quality defects, and customer dissatisfaction.

Effective internal communications can be decisive in building a workplace environment where employees feel informed, heard, and recognized. These factors contribute to higher levels of employee engagement and productivity.

Contents
What exactly is internal communication?
17 Internal communication examples from companies
1. Amazon
2. Aviva
3. Banco Santander Portugal
4. Bauder
5. DHL
6. DSV
7. Golf Town
8. H&M
9. Jefferson Dental & Orthodontics
10. Jetblue
11. Lowe’s
12. Nordstrom
13. RHI Magnesita
14. Skyscanner
15. Spotify Technology
16. Walmart
17. Zingerman’s Community of Businesses
Developing your internal communication plan

What exactly is internal communication?

HR-focused internal communication is the two-way flow of information within a company that aims to align employees with the organization’s goals. This is achieved through targeted messaging and feedback loops using various channels to inform, motivate, and engage employees. 

Ultimately, HR internal communication aims to foster understanding and alignment and create a positive work environment where everyone feels connected and empowered.

Types of internal communication

The HR department plays a central role in driving the following types of internal communication:

• Strategic communication to inform and align employees with the company’s vision, mission, values, and goals
• Employee onboarding communication to welcome new hires to the company and help them to integrate into your team and company culture
• Employee surveys to gather important feedback on job satisfaction, engagement, and other topics
• Policies and procedures communication to inform your employees about new or updated company policies and explain how they will impact them
• Employee engagement communication to foster a strong company culture and positive work environment
• Diversity and inclusion communication that demonstrates your company’s commitment to DEIB
• Benefits communication to drive uptake of your health and wellbeing programs (and any other perks you offer)
• Change management communication to help employees understand and accept new initiatives
• Performance management comms to provide information on expectations and feedback on performance and skills development
• Employee relations communication to handle issues, such as grievances and disciplinary matters.

Why is internal communication relevant to HR professionals?

No employee wants to be kept in the dark, that’s why internal communications is a critical function for HR to get right:

• Employee engagement: Providing regular updates and creating platforms for open dialogues and recognition through internal comms builds a sense of community and purpose, fostering a more engaged workforce.
• Clear communication from HR: Timely and consistent updates on company news, decisions, and employee contributions create a culture of transparency, which boosts trust and confidence, leading to higher morale and motivation.
• Conflict resolution: By establishing open, two-way communication channels, you can encourage employees to express their concerns early on and resolve issues before they escalate. This minimizes conflict and promotes a harmonious environment.
• Cultural alignment: By clearly communicating your company’s values, expectations, and success stories, internal employee communications can help your team understand and embody the desired culture and behaviors to foster a unified and positive work environment.
• Change management: Transparent, proactive communication about upcoming changes, their rationale, and how they will impact your employees will help to reduce anxiety, enable smoother transitions, and successful change adoption.
• Feedback and improvement: Effective two-way communication channels provide a platform for your employees to supply valuable feedback on their experiences of processes and policies, helping HR to identify areas for improvement and implement positive changes.
• Retention and recruitment: Communications that support a positive and transparent work environment can help you attract top talent and motivate current employees to stay.
• Employer branding: Sharing your company’s achievements, employee success stories, and positive workplace culture via internal communications can also lead to building a strong brand narrative that resonates with potential candidates when your current and former employees communicate their experiences with your organization externally.

17 Internal communication examples from companies

Seeking some inspiration? Let’s take a look at some examples of how other companies are using internal communications to solve HR challenges.

1. Amazon

Like many other US employers, Amazon competes to attract the best talent in its space. To highlight open career opportunities and amplify its employer value proposition (EVP), Amazon produced videos captured by its employees to build trust with their audiences. They did this by having their employees tell authentic stories demonstrating the company’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, and climate change to appeal to younger candidates.

To fill 300 open positions in their Brand Specialist role, Amazon’s Employer Brand team released the video, ‘Brand Specialists, what do they do?’.

The video was featured throughout the candidate journey, embedded on their careers page, shared via social media channels, and included in advertising campaigns. To date, it has been watched over 70,000 times, and when it was launched, it doubled the click-through rate on Amazon’s jobs page.

HR tip

Consider how you can grow your employer brand by leveraging video to give your employees the platform to share their experiences and stories – providing an authentic look into what it’s really like to work for your company.

2. Aviva

As a leading health and protection business, it was important for the British multinational insurance company Aviva to use its expertise to support their employees’ wellbeing.

The company created Wellbeing@Aviva, an internal online hub comprising a suite of products and advice to support its people in staying healthy and providing care when they become ill.

In building the platform, Aviva actively sought data and feedback from employees at all levels of the organization and onboarded ambassadors. Dubbed ‘health heroes,’ employee volunteers keen to make a difference helped to introduce the wellbeing program and build excitement amongst colleagues about it.

This program has reportedly resulted in greater awareness surrounding mental health and general wellbeing in the team and a 14% increase in employee engagement.

HR tip

Enlist the help of your employees in your wellness and other initiatives to generate bottom-up interest – this could be in the form of surveys for input or by getting early adopters involved as ambassadors to assist with promotion.

3. Banco Santander Portugal

Banco Santander Portugal’s Internal Communication team plays a crucial role in the European bank’s ongoing cultural transformation. 

While upgrading systems and processes is important, the real challenge lies in shifting mindsets and communication styles. 

One innovative initiative that involved a unique spin on ‘Carpool Karaoke’ broke the mold. An informal talk show format introduced employees to their colleagues’ roles and their personalities and interests. This seemingly small act, embedded within a larger cultural movement, humanized the bank and its leadership, demonstrating a shift towards openness and modernity.

This out-of-the-box approach resonated with employees, reflecting the bank’s commitment to building a more open, personal, and modern culture. 

HR tip

Individual initiatives such as these that humanize leaders can significantly contribute to breaking down barriers and building a culture of transparency. However, these projects are most impactful when they form part of a comprehensive cultural strategy.

4. Bauder

For more than 160 years, Bauder has been manufacturing roofing products. Today, the company operates eight plants in Germany and Austria and has 16 subsidiaries with over 1,200 employees in Europe. 

To counteract internal comms challenges related to an information imbalance where office employees were more informed than their non-desk colleagues, Bauder replaced their quarterly company magazine with a mobile app. Using this app, they can now instantly update all employees daily with built-in translation features to reach 15 different country groups. 

HR tip

Seek digital solutions to enable real-time updates and interactions with all your employees to ensure every team member has instant access to company and product information, regardless of where they are based.

5. DHL

Following the pandemic, video calls and video conferencing have become mainstays for many businesses, particularly those operating in physically diverse locations. As efficient as digital interactions are, they cannot replace the immediacy and impact of in-person meetings. 

That’s why global logistics giant DHL’s executive team sought creative ways to make its digital communications more meaningful. The company sent out regular video messaging updates about the business, designed to build a resilient workforce with its focus on the ‘three C’s’ – Calm, Confident, and Courageous.

In addition, DHL launched a virtual Employee Appreciation Week, where a different online event would take place each day of the week, including interactive sessions and classes. DHL also built a microsite to amplify its recognition platform and allow employees across different regions to get involved.

HR tip

Digitizing elements of your internal comms enables efficiency and scaling benefits. If you’re aiming for impact and meaning, consider how you can personalize these efforts by involving your executive teams and your employees.  

6. DSV

DSV, a global logistics and supply chain company, needed to improve its onboarding process for new hires. They wanted to create an engaging learning experience that would captivate recruits and make them more likely to stay with the company using video. They also wanted to streamline the content creation process so that it would be more time and cost-efficient, so the company elected to use AI avatars to present their content. 

With AI video, DSV was able to transform its onboarding process by creating captivating training videos at a fraction of the cost, with time and productivity savings of up to 50%. They also found that learners responded well to the videos and that they helped to improve employee engagement and increase retention of information.

HR tip

Have you considered using AI avatars to enhance and scale your company’s onboarding and training efforts? Vendors such as Colossyan and Synthesia provide access to high-quality AI presenters, AI voices, and built-in translation features.

7. Golf Town

Canadian golf retailer Golf Town wanted to equip their frontline workers with timely facts and figures on major golfing tournaments like the PGA to make sure their team could converse knowledgeably with their golf enthusiast customers. 

To do so, they sent out real-time golfing updates to employees and used survey tools to engage their team by having them predict who would win the trophy.

HR tip

Consider communication, digital channels, and messaging to better equip your frontline team with the knowledge they need to have quality conversations with your customers.

8. H&M

When clothing retailer H&M restructured its North Europe division, it realized there were 22,000 employees spread across 640 offsite locations in seven countries. The majority of them had not worked with one another before and were not used to seeing themselves as a single team. 

The company turned to internal communications to engage its diffuse workforce. It built a regional community through locally relevant messaging that showcased a shared sense of direction and purpose between colleagues working in different countries.

H&M North Europe leveraged videos and storytelling to create various stories. This included employees sharing results and quarterly presentations, seasonal messaging, training videos, recruitment videos highlighting career success stories, campaign launches, and more. 

The content has been shared across a variety of channels and now resides on H&M’s Internal Communication platform.

HR tip

Take a creative approach to forge deeper team connections and boost a sense of shared purpose by having your employees showcase their work and unpack their experiences using videos and storytelling.

9. Jefferson Dental & Orthodontics

Jefferson Dental & Orthodontics (JDO) operates more than 70 outlets in the US. When its employees returned to work following the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, the company had to communicate a host of new protocols and safety procedures to all its workers in all locations. 

To do so, JDO took a light-hearted approach with multimedia micro-communications. They switched to fun activities instead of dry training sessions, embedding their messaging into trivia contests, team updates, and scavenger hunts. This approach boosted morale and helped everyone stay up-to-date on crucial procedures and protocols.

HR tip

Critical internal comms don’t have to be boring. Consider how you can inject more fun and levity into your critical communications to increase interaction, understanding, and retention of important information.

10. Jetblue

To make its content more engaging, US carrier Jetblue Airways transformed its employee handbook into a visually-driven read on its culture and values. 

HR tip

Remember, it’s not simply about the wording of your internal comms. When you want to engage employees, pay attention to how well your information is packaged and how impactful its visual appeal is.

11. Lowe’s

US-based home improvement retailer Lowe’s believes that training should be continuous. To ensure their frontline teams are equipped to perform to the best of their ability, they have digitized their entire training journey – from onboarding to interacting with customers and updates on products. 

Now, all Lowe’s associates have access to bite-sized training and communications on every device to upskill without leaving the shop floor. Content is personalized to each department and comprises over 800 micro videos, plus quizzes, photos, illustrations, and hands-on activities. 

Today, over 80% of Lowe’s employees log in between two and five times a week to access company communications and complete quick training sessions.

HR tip

How can you digitize your onboarding and training materials to enable your employees to access the information they need anywhere, anytime?

12. Nordstrom

Nordstrom’s approach to onboarding employees into their customer service ethos is succinct. So succinct; in fact, it’s just one sentence: “Our one rule: Use good judgment in all situations.” 

Published in their employee handbook and reinforced through ongoing training and messaging, it’s an instructive lesson in the power of simplicity and brevity in internal communications.

HR tip

Sometimes, less is more. Use internal comms to build a strong organizational culture by often focusing on a single core value and reinforcing it.

13. RHI Magnesita

Located on four continents, RHI Magnesita is a supplier of refractory materials and products with over 14,000 employees, 60% of whom are plant workers. Before its merger, RHI and Magnesita existed as two separate entities. 

The company launched its MyRHIMagnesita app to replace outdated modes of internal communication materials, such as its printed newsletter. The initial purpose of the app was to keep employees informed with change management comms throughout the merger process and maintain optimal performance. 

The app included an App Manual available in eight languages, plus press releases about the company, fact sheets, brochures, event registration forms, surveys, quizzes, and shift schedules. The company credits the app as one of the main drivers during its cultural transformation and a contributor to the 11% revenue growth after the merger.

HR tip

Employees do not necessarily fear change, they fear uncertainty. Consider how you can make your internal change management comms more transparent and effective by adopting a digital app.

14. Skyscanner 

Skyscanner is a travel agency and search aggregator with over 100 million users per month. Maintaining a distinct culture can be challenging for a fast-growing company with a workforce distributed across seven different time zones, comprising over 60 nationalities and 40 languages. 

Skyscanner’s internal comms team uses a range of digital tools to maintain a network across the globe that enables its employees to connect across time zones via video conferencing, Slack, its Intranet, and weekly online ‘town hall’ meetings. 

The business encourages building face-to-face relationships using video interactions, and the over one million messages sent via Slack every month build rapport with colleagues in different regions.

HR tip

Not every internal employee comms initiative requires a custom-built app or a large investment. Leverage your existing tech stack and other cost-effective tools and connect employees with their peers to build comradery and shared purpose.

15. Spotify Technology

Music streaming giant Spotify says this about its HR blog: “Our company is changing the world, all while growing at hyper speed. For us to stay ahead, both our people and the company must develop faster than the world changes. This demands us, the HR department, to create an environment where a diverse crowd of innovative and passionate people can work together and be their best.” 

Perhaps one of the most interesting posts on the blog is about their Manager’s Manifesto. It’s a great internal communications example of codifying and amplifying your company’s management principles to build a strong culture.  

HR tip

A manifesto is a public declaration of your aims and commitments – publishing your own management manifesto will help your organization determine and remain accountable to its highest principles.

16. Walmart

Global retailing behemoth Walmart operates one of the world’s largest distribution networks and private trucking fleets. The challenge? How do you create and reinforce a safety culture and change employee behaviors to dramatically reduce the risk and cost associated with accidents and injuries? 

Walmart rolled out a digital platform that allows 75,000 workers across 150 distribution centers to log in for 3–5 minutes per day and play a fun game while answering safety questions and getting instant feedback. 

This online system is integrated with on-the-job performance criteria, enabling Walmart to measure behavioral changes on the job. A 54% decrease in incidents was recorded during the pilot program. 

HR tip

Consider how you can digitize and gamify your internal safety procedures and policies for greater traction with your employees. 

17. Zingerman’s Community of Businesses

How do you create a baseline standard for customer experience across different businesses and locations? Zingerman’s will tell you. 

Having started with a deli in Detroit, US, Zignerman’s now operates bakeries, coffee shops, candy stores, creameries, and roadhouses. Zignerman has launched the offshoot, ZingTrain, a consultancy that provides a behind-the-scenes look at how the company equips its 700+ employees and builds a healthy organizational culture. 

At 88 pages, its Staff Guide is a thorough and fun-to-read employee training and development manual designed to onboard recruits into the organizational culture effectively.

HR tip

Zingerman’s Staff Guide sticks with the food theme by unpacking information in simple-to-follow ‘recipes,’ such as its 3-step recipe for great service. Consider how you can theme your employee handbook to make it more engaging.

Developing your internal communication plan

1. Set clear goals and objectives for what you want to achieve with your internal communication plan and how you will measure success
2. Get buy-in from senior leadership to make internal communication a priority and secure the necessary allocation of funds and resources
3. Identify your audience by getting specific about who you are trying to reach and what their needs and preferences are
4. Decide on the communication channels that will be most effective for reaching your audience
5. Consider a mix of traditional and digital channels, such as email, newsletters, intranets, apps, meetings, and town halls
6. Ensure your communications are clear, concise, and consistent across all channels, and identify ways to reinforce your core messages
7. Use visuals and storytelling to make your communication more compelling and engaging
8. Personalize your internal comms whenever possible
9. Celebrate successes and recognize employee achievements
10. Build trust with employees by being open and honest in your communication; admit mistakes and be clear about the challenges your company is facing
11. Create opportunities for employees to ask questions, provide feedback, and share their ideas
12. Track your progress towards your goals and objectives and make adjustments to your plan as needed.

To sum up 

Effective internal communication is crucial for HR professionals to get right because it fosters employee engagement, builds trust, and promotes a positive work environment. 

This, in turn, translates into benefits such as stronger cultural alignment, better conflict resolution, and more successful change management – ultimately leading to improvements in employer branding, recruitment, performance and retention.

The post 17 Internal Communication Examples from Companies Big and Small appeared first on AIHR.

Let’s take a look at what the future of employee experience is and how organizations can overcome the challenges that prevent them from fully capitalizing on its benefits.

Contents
The current EX reality in organizations
6 challenges that stop companies from getting value from EX efforts
Challenge 1: EX is everything and nothing – there is no clear definition
Challenge 2: EX is a thing to do – not a way of doing
Challenge 3: EX is not for everyone
Challenge 4: EX is seen as a data exercise
Challenge 5: Limited investment in EX maturity
Challenge 6: EX is not measured at different levels
The Employee Experience Value Driver Model

The current EX reality in organizations

The current EX reality is one of paradox.

On the one hand, organizations have demonstrated the value of EX by showing its positive impact on productivity, employee engagement, retention, and performance. These businesses recognized EX’s value and embedded its principles deeply within their HR frameworks, showcasing a clear commitment to fostering a vibrant and productive workplace culture.

Conversely, the journey towards fully integrating EX into organizational DNA has proven challenging for others. There are even speculations about an impending “EX-recession” as companies contemplate dialing back on EX investments amidst a shift towards a more employer-dominated market.

However, neglecting EX will be a detrimental mistake for organizations. The repercussions of such a decision—ranging from tarnished employer branding and diminished employee productivity to a decline in retention rates—could have a profound and adverse effect on overall business performance.

The reason for businesses passing up the opportunities EX brings is often the critical obstacles that prevent their EX initiatives from reaching their full potential.

We discussed the current and future employee experience with Ben Whitter, EX author, speaker, and coach. Watch the full interview below:

6 challenges that stop companies from getting value from EX efforts

Challenge 1: EX is everything and nothing – there is no clear definition

Many organizations face a common challenge in clearly defining EX and understanding its value proposition.

This ambiguity can lead to EX embodying the characteristics of the department that initiated it. For instance, when HR leads the charge, EX is often perceived purely as an HR initiative. If spearheaded by an analytics team, it’s viewed as a technology-focused endeavor concerning people analytics. Similarly, EX might be seen as just another project when driven by a change management office.

This lack of a precise definition carries the risk of EX becoming overly broad, trying to be all things to all people, which dilutes its focus.

Instead of fostering a way of thinking that promotes a cohesive and holistic employee experience, this ambiguity leads to fragmented and disconnected activities. These may create memorable moments but fail to offer a comprehensive approach to EX, thus diminishing its potential impact and leading stakeholders to question its value.

Challenge 2: EX is a thing to do – not a way of doing

The transition of EX from project mode to a core organizational capability is a significant hurdle for many companies.

Initially, due to constraints like limited resources, EX often begins as a focused project aimed at enhancing a single aspect of people practices, such as onboarding. This narrow approach can inadvertently cement EX as a transient “task” rather than a foundational element of the organization’s culture and strategy.

A recent report highlighted that just over 50% of EX teams focus solely on EX, with the majority of organizations adding EX to already overburdened team members with other responsibilities.

For EX to evolve and truly add value, organizations must embrace it as a comprehensive mindset that permeates all aspects of people management and workplace experiences. This means shifting away from viewing EX as a series of isolated projects to integrating it as a fundamental perspective—a lens through which every decision about people’s practices is viewed, designed, developed, and delivered. 

Achieving this level of maturity requires a deliberate effort to embed EX into organizational culture, ensuring it influences all facets of employee interaction and engagement.

Challenge 3: EX is not for everyone

Unfortunately, EX tends to focus predominantly on professional service or desk workers in many organizations.

Frontline employees, who often face unique challenges related to the size of the workforce, location, and working conditions, receive considerably less attention regarding EX initiatives. This oversight is particularly regrettable since the essence of EX is to foster inclusivity and improve the work lives of all employees, not just a more accessible minority.

Integrating EX strategies into the practices affecting frontline staff can bring substantial advantages to the business. These benefits include enhanced productivity, improved employee performance, and deeper commitment.

Achieving these outcomes requires a broader, more inclusive approach to EX that recognizes and addresses the specific needs and challenges faced by frontline workers, ensuring that EX initiatives are truly comprehensive and benefit the entire workforce.

Challenge 4: EX is seen as a data exercise

The push towards evidence-based HR and the incorporation of people analytics has significantly benefited the EX domain. However, some organizations have overly fixated on the quantitative aspect, neglecting the essence of EX as a comprehensive approach. 

Data plays a crucial role in informing EX initiatives, but it should serve as a means to an end rather than the end itself. EX transcends mere data collection; it’s about utilizing insights to continually refine, guide, and enhance the employee experience over time.

When organizations become preoccupied with gathering data, EX risks being reduced to a passive listening exercise. This approach can lead to an abundance of insights and feedback but results in minimal actionable change or meaningful impact on employees’ lives. For EX to fulfill its potential, it’s essential to balance data-driven insights with actionable strategies that directly improve employees’ everyday experiences, ensuring that the data serves as a powerful tool for holistic and impactful EX development.

Challenge 5: Limited investment in EX maturity

Establishing an EX capability is akin to enhancing any other organizational function. It requires dedicated investment and strategic focus. However, the challenges outlined previously have led to a few organizations adopting a systematic approach to develop their EX capabilities. It’s not easy to secure the necessary expertise and position EX as a key driver of strategic value.

Implementing a step-by-step methodology designed to elevate EX demands a substantial commitment to educating stakeholders and strategically aligning EX within the organization. This is a process that many organizations unfortunately overlook or inadequately prioritize.

Challenge 6: EX is not measured at different levels

The final hurdle in optimizing EX lies in its measurement. Many organizations do not have a comprehensive framework for evaluating the impact of EX, resulting in its value often remaining unseen.

To effectively measure EX, a nuanced, multi-tiered framework is essential. This framework should encompass the operational aspects of EX, the outcomes derived from EX initiatives, and the broader impact of EX on the organization. Each level should address different facets of EX value, providing a holistic view of its effectiveness.

The Employee Experience Value Driver Model

Addressing the common employee experience challenges is both possible and crucial. When approached correctly, establishing a well-defined EX practice can yield significant benefits for the business.

Taking a more integrated approach is necessary for EX to evolve into a strategic asset and consistently deliver its promised value.

The model presented below outlines essential value levers that organizations must prioritize to enhance their EX capabilities. The five levers are designed to guide organizations toward achieving long-term success in their EX initiatives:

• Strategy: There needs to be a well-defined and integrated strategy in place that links EX to the broader business and people strategy. The strategy needs to set out a clear path for EX and determine its focus concerning the most significant areas of impact. It should also clarify how the organization defines EX, what it is not, and how they will measure the impact of EX.
• Structure: The organization needs to implement an EX structure that defines an EX operating model and how it will work with other parts of the organization. EX is a function that has to collaborate with various parties such as Facilities, IT, Operations, and Marketing. A clearly defined EX Operating Model will allow for smoother collaboration and value. Notably, the model also needs to highlight where decision-making will occur and who takes accountability for the EX mandate.
• Skills: The organization requires access to EX-specific skills and invests in building the team’s capability to deliver on their ambition. EX skills are diverse, and a robust talent approach should help organizations understand which skills they want to buy, borrow, build, or bridge to meet the employee experience demands.
• Systems of work: The systems of work refers to how EX work gets done within the organization, specifically focusing on four domains:
  • Process refers to establishing business as usual, incremental improvement, and project processes that guide the delivery of EX activities. Processes require clear accountability and workflows to be efficient and drive a mindset of execution.
  • Technology describes a clear set of technologies such as platforms, AI, and cloud solutions that support and enable EX activities. This will include a future roadmap highlighting new developments and ensuring that EX is integrated into HR and line of business systems.
  • Data refers to how EX data will be collected, stored, accessed, and analyzed to drive evidence and insights-driven EX practice.
  • Governance is about the habits, forums, and routines that need to occur within the organization for EX to be effective. This could include EX operations meetings, incorporating employee experience into the strategy agenda, and quarterly showcases of EX initiatives.
• Stakeholders: Given the integrated nature of an EX function, stakeholder management is paramount to its success. For the EX capability to be successful, it requires a clear understanding of its key stakeholders, ranging from those who sponsor EX at an executive level to the target audiences of the designed experiences.

These domains of EX can only be successful if guided by a strong EX-focused leadership team. This implies a team that understands the value of employee experience, actively champions it as part of business practice, and believes in the underlying philosophy that a great EX makes for a great company.

When all these levers work together, they contribute towards a human and experience-centric culture that drives business value.

You can utilize the model above to evaluate your EX practice’s current health and identify priorities and areas of focus:

Wrapping up

Organizations that invest in employee experience will benefit from improved performance, productivity, and engagement. However, achieving lasting value from EX demands a structured and targeted approach.

The EX driver model equips organizations with a strategic framework to implement the necessary levers for sustained success, ensuring that investments in EX lead to meaningful and long-term value.

The post The Future of Employee Experience: The EX Value Driver Model appeared first on AIHR.

This article provides fifteen Employee Appreciation Day ideas that HR professionals can use as inspiration for their initiatives this year.

Contents
What is Employee Appreciation Day?
When is Employee Appreciation Day?
15 Employee Appreciation Day ideas
Employee Appreciation Day message examples
FAQ

What is Employee Appreciation Day?

Employee Appreciation Day (EAD) takes place annually on the first Friday of March. The idea is for employers to recognize and thank their employees and show them their appreciation.  

Employee Appreciation Day was invented by Dr. Bob Nelson in 1995, initially to market his book ‘1001 Ways to Reward Employees.’ 

Together with his publishing company, he made sure that the holiday appeared prominently on workplace calendars. This was a successful strategy; the book sold over 2 million copies and was translated into over 25 languages.

When is Employee Appreciation Day?

In 2024, Employee Appreciation Day is on Friday, March 1. 

As mentioned above, Employee Appreciation Day takes place on the first Friday of March. Here’s an overview of the dates on which EAD will be celebrated in the next few years:

Ideally, though, organizations show their appreciation for their employees all year round. This is why some companies have an employee recognition program and organize their own Employee Appreciation Day or events at different times throughout the year.

15 Employee Appreciation Day ideas

How your company celebrates Employee Appreciation Day should reflect your unique culture and values.

If your organization prides itself on teamwork and collaboration, group activities or team-building events might be the ideal way to show appreciation. Providing a platform for employee-led projects or creative showcases would be more fitting for a company that values innovation and creativity.

The key is to celebrate in a way that not only resonates with your employees but also reinforces the fundamental principles and ethos of the organization.

Let’s take a look at Employee Appreciation Day ideas your organization can consider. Some of them are great for in-office or workplace celebrations; others work well when people are remote.

1. Make employee appreciation part of your organization’s DNA

As mentioned a couple of times before, recognizing and appreciating your employees should be an inextricable part of your organization’s culture. 

If this isn’t the case yet, for example, because you’re in a start-up or because of other priorities, this year’s Employee Appreciation Day can be the perfect time to start creating a culture where employee appreciation is part of people’s everyday experience at work. 

2. Ask your employees what they appreciate

Employee Appreciation Day is about saying thank you to your employees. Therefore, asking them what they would like to see or get from their employer on this particular day makes sense.

Rather than HR departments coming up with tons of different ideas and giving everyone in the organization the same gift card, thank you note, or coffee mug, asking employees what they want is a token of appreciation in itself.  

3. Create an employee spotlight program

An employee spotlight is an opportunity for your employees to share their unique stories and get recognition for their performance.

Benefits of implementing an employee spotlight program include the fact that it i) recognizes people, ii) builds a culture of appreciation, and iii) fosters connections among employees.

4. Host an employee award ceremony

What better way to recognize people’s performance and say thank you than by organizing an employee award ceremony on Employee Appreciation Day? 

The ceremony can be held in the office or workplace while making it accessible to those working remotely by simply inviting them to an online meeting. 

5. Give managers an Employee Appreciation Day budget 

If the financial resources are there, giving managers an Employee Appreciation Day budget can be an excellent idea. It kills several proverbial birds with one stone:

• The fact that you reserved a budget shows people that you care and appreciate them.
• It allows managers and their teams to come up with a way to celebrate EAD that suits them best, supporting team bonding. 
• It gives managers and teams the autonomy to decide how they want to commemorate and spend Employee Appreciation Day.

6. Give employees a paid birthday off

This is a typical example of doing things throughout the year that show people that the organization they work for cares about them and appreciates them. 

It’s also something that probably no one has any objection against or doesn’t appreciate, and it is something very personal – people’s birthday – that at the same time happens to everyone, which makes it innately inclusive.

7. Offer employees a subscription to a wellness app of their choice 

Offering employees a subscription to a wellness app of their choice is not only a token of appreciation but can also be part of the organization’s total well-being approach.

To make it easier for people to choose which app they would like to subscribe to, HR teams can put together a list featuring apps in various categories, such as:

• Fitness apps
• Mental health apps
• Meditation apps 
• Yoga apps
• Menstruation tracker apps.

8. Gift personalized fortune cookies

This is an idea that can take various forms. The most straightforward option is to have ready-made fortune cookies with a personalized message, or a thank you note inside for all employees.

Another option can be to suggest this as a fun team activity on Employee Appreciation Day or to ‘let employees be the author of their own dessert destiny’ and gift them a DIY fortune cookie kit.  

9. Organize a gratitude exchange

You can adapt the concept of secret gift exchanges like Secret Santa to show gratitude to your employees.

The idea is that everyone receives the name of a colleague (there are tools you can use for this) and that on Employee Appreciation Day, they send this person a personalized message of appreciation. 

This can be an excellent activity for managers to do with their teams rather than a company-wide event simply because team members know each other better, and it is difficult to say anything meaningful to people you don’t know. 

10. Spin the wheel

This Employee Appreciation Day idea involves having a big spinning wheel in the workplace that employees can spin. Doing so allows them to win prizes determined by which segment the wheel lands on. As each segment offers a different prize, there is always a chance to win something.

Prizes can be physical gifts or, as we did at AIHR, experiences like a dinner for two in a unique location or an indoor skydive. What you include depends on your budget.

11. Buy employees a lottery ticket 

A relatively low-budget but usually much-appreciated Employee Appreciation Day idea is to buy employees a lottery ticket. It marks the occasion which, if your organization already has a culture of employee appreciation, can be enough. 

12. Throw a celebratory event 

If your organization has all of its employees working in the same location, or if various locations have their own budgets for these kinds of things, hosting an event like a concert or a comedy show can be a great way to celebrate Employee Appreciation Day.

Don’t forget the option to offer an option to join remotely if you have telecommuting employees.

13. Say thank you 

If there is only one thing you do on this year’s Employee Appreciation Day, let it be saying a heartfelt ‘Thank you’ to your employees one way or another. 

As we’ve seen in this article, there are a million ways to do this, but as long as it is sincere, the rest doesn’t matter all that much. You can simply write ‘Thank you, I appreciate you’ on a Post-It note and leave that at people’s desks, or encourage managers to do so.

14. Offer employees a gift card of their choice

While gift cards might not be the most original present, many people are happy that they can decide for themselves what they want to get from their favorite store and appreciate the gesture. 

In that regard, offering employees a gift card is an excellent way to mark the occasion. But again, this only works if your organization has created an environment where employee recognition is already commonplace. 

15. Ask for feedback 

If, from an HR perspective, your organization has built a culture of recognition and appreciation, Employee Appreciation Day may be a good time to ask your employees what they think. 

How do they look at initiatives such as your peer recognition program or quarterly employee award events? Do they feel appreciated in their everyday work experience? What do they believe could be improved? 

Employee Appreciation Day message examples

Besides recognizing their employees with small gifts, events, or tokens of appreciation, companies often share messages on their communication channels, such as Linkedin.

Below are four Employee Appreciation Day message examples that can inspire your own appreciation posts.

1. Deluxe

This LinkedIn post from multidisciplinary service provider Deluxe shows the power of simplicity:

• A straightforward thank you to their employees
• A collection of pictures from the people working at the company, and
• The mention that they appreciate their employees today and every day.

When the latter truly is the case, this message is all you need on EAD. 

2. Ferring Australia

What’s nice about Ferring’s employee appreciation day message is that rather than posting something on the ‘official’ Employee Appreciation Day, they choose to celebrate their employees at a different time. 

In fact, they decided to do so after what seems to have been a long and busy period for their employees. This in itself demonstrates the organization’s commitment to recognition and appreciation throughout the year.

3. DoubleTree by Hilton Atlantic Beach Oceanfront Hotel 

Another great example comes from a DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel. Here, too, the message is straightforward and demonstrates that at this DoubleTree, they have what they call Random Employee Appreciation Days, which indicates a culture of appreciation. 

4. Ironhorse Funding LLC

Instead of celebrating Employee Appreciation Day, they decided to give it a little twist and had what looks like a great Employee Appreciation Night at one of the offices of Ironhorse Funding LLC. 

HR tip

If you’re looking for inspiration, be it for Employee Appreciation Day messages or gift ideas, type #EmployeeAppreciationDay in the LinkedIn search bar, and you’ll get lots of results.

Key takeaway

It’s cliché but true: every day should be employee appreciation day. If this isn’t the case yet in your organization, use some of the ideas listed in this article to start building that culture of recognition and appreciation. Happy Employee Appreciation Day! 

FAQ

The post Employee Appreciation Day 2024: 15 Ways To Celebrate Your Employees appeared first on AIHR.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at preboarding, how it differs from onboarding, why employee preboarding is so essential, and how HR teams can create an excellent preboarding process.

Contents
What is preboarding?
Preboarding vs. onboarding: The key differences
Why is it important for HR to conduct preboarding?
Preboarding process in 7 steps
Preboarding checklist for HR (and managers)
FAQ

What is preboarding?

Preboarding refers to the process an organization has in place during the period between a candidate signing the employment contract and their first working day.

Preboarding employees aims to prepare them for their first day while keeping them excited to get started.

Preboarding vs. onboarding: The key differences

Preboarding refers to the process of engaging and preparing new hires for their roles prior to their official start date, while onboarding involves integrating them into the company and their position once they begin working.

Both processes should be considered an integral part of your employee experience.  

In the table below, we’ve listed some key differences between employee preboarding and onboarding.

Why is it important for HR to conduct preboarding?

Consider the scenario where a candidate accepts a job offer and signs the employment contract but then receives no communication or engagement from the new employer for several weeks.

This lack of interaction can make the new hire feel neglected or reconsider their decision to join the company.

In contrast, a strong preboarding process keeps the new employee engaged and informed from the moment they accept the offer until they start. It builds excitement and a sense of belonging, which can significantly increase new hire retention and reduce the likelihood of them backing out before their start date. Effective preboarding ensures that new employees feel valued and prepared, setting the stage for a successful and lasting employment relationship.

To summarize, HR needs to create an effective preboarding for employees to:

• Keep people engaged and excited to start: Staying in touch during preboarding is welcoming and keeps new hires excited to join the company.   
• Provide new hires with crucial information: There is much information to be shared with people once they’ve signed their contract. The preboarding period is a perfect time to do this. 
• Have people meet their onboarding buddy: If your organization has a buddy system at work, the ideal time to introduce new hires to their buddy is during preboarding. 
• Complete all administrative tasks upfront: Send out any documents that new hires need to read and sign before officially becoming employees during the preboarding process.
• Have new hires get to know their future team members: Preboarding is an opportunity for employees to familiarize themselves with future colleagues and gain insights into team dynamics and meeting structures. This early interaction helps build rapport, ease anxieties, and provide a clearer understanding of their upcoming work environment.
• Avoid new hires going to the competition: 1 in 5 people who have signed their contract don’t show up on their first day. Chances are they have gone to a competitor that did give them an excellent preboarding experience.

Preboarding process in 7 steps

An effective preboarding process makes sure that the new hires feel welcomed, informed, and prepared even before their first day.

Here are some process steps to consider:

1. Sending of welcome emails 

First impressions last. It is, therefore, essential to make new hires feel welcome and appreciated right away. Sending people a warm welcome email contributes to a positive first impression and increased retention.

A welcome email for new hires is also a great way to share information and introduce your new employees to your company culture.

HR action points

• Create a welcome to the team template that managers can use as a basis for their welcome emails for new hires
• Add a video message from the CEO or founder(s) where they welcome new employees into the company
• Check out our Welcome to the team article to inspire your communication with new hires.

2. Drafting the onboarding agenda for the first day and the first week

Most people like to know what to expect on their first day and the onboarding program they will go through.

Creating an onboarding agenda requires the active participation of multiple people in the company, so planning this is key to creating a smooth first day – and subsequent onboarding for the new employee.

HR action points

• Map out the onboarding process, starting with the (HR) elements that are the same for every new employee. Make sure to also carve out timeslots for managers and other people involved
• List all the people involved in onboarding new hires and their involvement in the process. Set up a meeting with everyone involved to align
• Ask managers and other people involved to choose their timeslots and add their parts to the onboarding journey
• Based on this, managers should be able to draft the onboarding agenda for the first day and the first week and share it with their new team members.

3. Sending and completing pre-employment paperwork

As we’ve already mentioned, the preboarding period is an excellent time to get all the necessary pre-employment paperwork out of the way. It allows new hires to go through this (sometimes relatively dry) paperwork at their own pace rather than rush through it during onboarding.

Documents to think of in this regard include various tax and employment forms, company policies, the employee handbook, and information about available resources, benefits, and perks offered by the company to its employees.

HR action points

• List all the paperwork that needs to be shared with or signed by new hires
• Create a timeline that indicates when you’ll share which information. Include (automated) reminders for documents that the new employee needs to sign
• Avoid sending too much information at once to keep things manageable for new hires
• Ask new hires for feedback about this part of their preboarding; what do they believe went well, and what can be improved?

4. Prepare the work environment and equipment 

The preboarding period allows HR and managers to ensure that all the practicalities are taken care of (well) before the new hire’s first day. 

People’s work environment and equipment need to be in order, and as simple as this may sound, this often isn’t the case. What this looks like, however, will vary greatly depending on what role and industry a person is starting in.

The action points below are examples of an office-based job.

HR action points 

• Clearly communicate new hires’ start dates to the people involved in getting everything ready for them (i.e., office management, IT, legal, etc.)
• A couple of days before a new employee starts, double-check if the work environment and equipment are all set up, including:
  • The desk area
  • The hardware, including the user agreement for equipment that is yet to be signed by the new hire
  • The necessary software access, network logins, and email address
  • The welcome kit
  • The workplace access card
  • The business travel card
  • Etc. 
• Check-in with the new employee’s manager a few days before their first day to gently remind them of their new team member’s arrival and ask them if they need anything from HR.

5. Remind managers to inform the team of the new hire

Telling the team about a new person starting is not something most managers will forget, but it’s good to provide them with some guidance on how to go about this. 

Briefing the team on the new hire, their role and responsibilities creates role clarity and explains what projects the new colleague will be involved in. It also helps make the new hire feel welcome on their first day.

HR action points 

• Create a template that managers can use to write an email or message to their teams introducing them to the new colleague, their role, responsibilities, and projects
• Remind managers to encourage their teams to reach out to their future coworker – for instance, via LinkedIn – to say hi and welcome them into the team
• Remind managers to invite the new hire once or twice to a team meeting or (social) event during preboarding to ensure an even smoother transition on their first day.

6. Help draft a 30-60-90-day plan

A 30-60-90-day plan, also known as a 3-month plan, can help new employees navigate their new workplace and role. It provides structure and direction around company culture, processes, and expectations.

While the 30-60-90-day plan is something managers ideally define together with their new employees, HR plays a key role in facilitating this process.

HR action points 

• Create a 30-60-90-day plan template for managers to design their new hires’ plans. For inspiration, multiple examples, and a free template download, go here
• During the preboarding process, remind managers to have their 30-60-90-day plan ready for new hires and to share it with their new team members according to the preboarding timeline
• Regularly check in with managers and new hires during onboarding to see how things are going.

7. Be available and stay in touch 

As we’ve discussed earlier, one of the main goals of preboarding employees is to keep them engaged and excited to start their new job.

Therefore, it is crucial to stay in touch with them throughout the preboarding period and be available whenever a new hire has questions or concerns.

HR action points 

• Map out the preboarding process and create a timeline, specifying what actions occur at what moment
• Intentionally carve out moments in that process where HR or the new employee’s manager checks in with them
• Make it easy for new hires to contact HR and their future manager
• If your organization has a buddy system in place, ensure that the buddy reaches out to their partner during preboarding and that they are also easy to reach.

Preboarding checklist for HR (and managers)

HR tip

Consider using technology to automate and structure the preboarding process. If your budget allows it, you can implement onboarding software to help you save time on recurring tasks before and after your new hire starts.

To sum up

HR can create a great preboarding experience with these best practices:

• Before you develop and implement a preboarding process, make sure you get all the parties involved (founders, managers, IT, legal, etc.) truly onboard. 
• Consider creating a preboarding resources library where managers and others involved can find all the templates, checklists, documents, and other elements they need to do their part in preboarding new employees.
• Automate as much as possible. Many preboarding actions are recurring and the same for every new hire. Identify which parts can be automated when mapping out the preboarding process and timeline.
• During their onboarding, ask new hires about their preboarding experience. Use this feedback to keep improving your preboarding process.

FAQ

The post What is Preboarding? 7 Steps To Take for New Hires appeared first on AIHR.

And it’s not without some challenges.

According to Gallup, employees who work entirely remotely experience an eroding connection to their organization’s mission or purpose. Only 28% of respondents indicated that they feel connected to their company’s mission or purpose. This shows a clear need to focus on remote employee engagement and help employees feel more connected with the organization and their team.

Contents
What is remote employee engagement?
The impact of remote working on employee engagement
13 Employee engagement ideas for remote workers
3 best practices for developing remote employee engagement strategies

What is remote employee engagement?

Employee engagement is the extent to which employees feel a passionate connection to the organization, are committed to their work, and put in the extra effort. 

Remote employee engagement is similar to traditional in-office engagement, however it poses its own set of unique challenges, which can make it difficult for organizations to create that passionate connection and commitment. HR teams, therefore, need to consider the remote factor seriously when developing their employee engagement strategies.

For clarity, we’ll refer to remote employee engagement regarding people working entirely remotely. Technically, remote engagement also concerns hybrid working, and while many of the things we mention in this article will also apply to hybrid employees, the approach isn’t the same. 

The impact of remote working on employee engagement

Working remotely does impact employee engagement – both positively or negatively depending on various factors – including an employee’s personal situation and preferences. 

The positive impact

Aspects of remote working that can positively impact remote employee engagement include:

• Increased autonomy. Remote work and autonomy in the workplace are closely connected. Autonomy in the workplace means giving people the freedom to work in their preferred way. Employees can choose when, how, and sometimes even what they work on.
• Good management. Remote employee management may be challenging to get right than traditional management. The key to success – and engagement – is in a coach-like approach described as micro-understanding by HBR. This requires managers to be a coach who is in the game but not on the field.
  Examples of situations in which micro-understanding is required include:
  • Setting priorities and clarifying
  • Problem-solving
  • Checking in and showing compassion.
• More flexibility. Increased autonomy and flexibility go hand in hand. Working remotely usually provides employees with greater flexibility. 
• No commuting stress. A study by Tracking Happiness found that employee happiness decreases as commute times increase. While in another survey, 87% of respondents said commuting impacted their stress levels. As remote working involves little to no commuting, this positively affects remote employee engagement.
• Strong team cohesion. While strong team cohesion isn’t a given in a remote setting, it absolutely should be. Making people feel connected, committed, included, and engaged is crucial.

The negative impact

Aspects of remote working that can harm remote employee engagement include:

• Bad management. Similar to how good management can boost engagement, poor management can cause it to decline. 
• Technological or connectivity issues. Tech problems such as internet connectivity, VPN access, inability to open files, and difficulties in joining video calls can significantly impact remote workers’ experience and morale.
• Feelings of isolation, loneliness, and disconnection. According to a survey by Promoleaf, 53% of men and 39% of women experienced loneliness while working remotely. Implementing effective management practices and fostering strong team cohesion can help alleviate some of these feelings.
• Suboptimal remote work set-up: Working in cramped spaces, such as a small apartment or sharing the kitchen table with a remote-working partner, can have a negative impact on employee engagement.

13 Employee engagement ideas for remote workers 

In this section, we take a look at thirteen different ways organizations – and HR in particular – can create an environment that fosters remote employee engagement. 

1. Create an great remote onboarding experience 

As soon as a candidate signs the employment contract, their pre-boarding and onboarding should begin. Remote pre-boarding and onboarding are crucial elements to get right as they lay the foundation for a healthy and lasting employee-employer relationship. The four main things to consider here are communication, culture, connection, and remote management.

2. Provide a remote work allowance

As an employer, providing a remote work allowance is a good step in demonstrating your commitment to remote work. By offering financial support to help employees establish a comfortable and functional home office, you not only boost employee satisfaction, performance, and engagement, but also set yourself apart from organizations that neglect this aspect. 

Also, this allowance indirectly contributes to your employees’ wellbeing and health, as they can use the funds to get the necessary ergonomic office equipment.

3. Create an (onboarding) buddy system

A buddy system at work is an excellent way to make a strong first impression with new hires and help them feel supported and welcomed into the organization – especially when remote.

There are many benefits of having a buddy system in the remote workplace. During onboarding, for example, buddies will act as a beacon of advice and encouragement to help the new hire settle into their new role. Other benefits include:

• Casual learning: A buddy program helps new hires develop their knowledge and skills through social interaction. 
• A faster integration: A buddy program increases the chances of new employees settling in faster.

4. Develop great remote managers 

The two most important factors that impact remote employee engagement are probably a strong, close-knit team and remote management. Great remote managers know how to be a coach who provides support and guidance. 

Managing remote teams requires, among other things: 

• A different type of communication
• The ability to delegate and trust that the work will get done
• Empathy
• The ability to give people the right tools to solve a problem, without giving them the answer
• Adaptability.

5. Prioritize clear communication and set clear expectations

Communicating openly and clearly about what is expected of employees is crucial for creating a positive work environment. 

A well-designed 30-60-90-day plan can be a valuable tool to provide structure and direction for new remote hires and recently promoted employees. The plan covers various elements, including company culture, processes, and expectations, ensuring everyone is on the same page.

6. Foster workplace autonomy

Companies that foster autonomy in the workplace show higher employee motivation and engagement rates and have less turnover. By embracing employee autonomy, organizations recognize that individuals are best positioned to determine what strategies work for them. This approach also empowers employees to take ownership of their work. 

7. Create a standout remote employee experience 

The remote employee experience differs from the traditional employee experience in the sense that the employee physically finds themself in a non-traditional work environment, which is often their home. 

Elements to get right in a remote employee experience include: 

• Remote preboarding and onboarding
• The work equipment provided by the organization, meaning:
  • Fully working and updated hardware and software. 
  • Easy-to-use to use collaboration and communication software to keep teams close.
• Strong, close-knit teams and excellent remote management
• An easily accessible remote working resources library. More on this later in this article.

8. Recognize remote employees 

A Gallup/Workhuman survey found that employees who feel recognized at work are four times more likely to be actively engaged. 

Recognizing an employee for a job well done doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive; a simple thank you can suffice. And that’s the beauty of it. Recognition can be given between peers, managers and team members, and between employees. 

9. Build cohesive, present teams 

Cohesive and present teams are a critical factor in remote employee engagement. Without a strong team culture, it can be easy for remote employees to feel isolated and disconnected

Building cohesive, present teams remotely requires organizations and HR to be even more intentional about creating opportunities for collaboration and promoting virtual team-building activities. Managers also play an instrumental role in this, of course.

10. Create a remote work resources library 

No matter how good of an onboarding experience, great buddy, and excellent manager remote employees have, it’s always good to have a virtual place to go to where employees can find all the resources they need whenever they need them.

Ideally, remote employees can find anything they need to do their job and everything that comes with that in your organization’s remote work resources library.

Think of:

• The home office guide or one-pager 
• Actionable information on health and work-life balance when working remotely 
• Troubleshooting information in case they encounter an IT or other issue
• Where or whom to go and when with questions regarding, for example, HR.

11. Foster employee involvement in decision-making

Involving employees in company decisions has been shown to increase engagement and strengthen the relationship between employees and the organization.

Employee involvement can take many different shapes and sizes. Examples include the good old (virtual) suggestion box, co-defining people’s goals and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and involving employees in company policy-making. 

12. Offer learning and development opportunities

The fact that employees are working remotely doesn’t mean they aren’t interested in growing their skills or furthering their careers. 

There are several opportunities for employees to learn remotely, but the exact options will depend on what you currently have in place within your organization. The main thing to remember here is that everybody learns differently, so, if possible, give people various options.

Create memorable in-person gatherings 

There is nothing quite like a memorable in-person gathering to boost remote employee engagement. Depending on where people are based and the available budget, consider an in-person event at least once or twice a year.

In-person gatherings bring people together and strengthens personal connections. It also offers a welcome change from all-day video calls without spontaneous interaction and working in an isolated environment.

3 best practices for developing remote employee engagement strategies

1. Align engagement strategies with your organization’s business strategy by making your remote engagement plans part of your overall HR strategy. 
2. Ask for employee feedback and adjust. Employee pulse surveys can be a good way to gather feedback about remote employee engagement. 
3. Hire right and be transparent in your employer branding. Working remotely is not for everyone. Be clear about what remote work entails in your organization in your employer branding and throughout the hiring process to avoid mishires.

Key takeaways 

• Creating a work environment that fosters remote employee engagement requires an even more intentional approach from organizations and HR than traditional engagement.
• The 13 ideas in this article provide a great starting point for HR practitioners looking to boost the engagement of their remote workers in 2024.

The post 13 Remote Employee Engagement Ideas To Boost Engagement in 2024  appeared first on AIHR.