Employee engagement a key to marketing the brand culture

The way a employee behaves directly affects the customer experience. We have all had the Julie Roberts shopping experience. Employee engagement is critical in retaining talent and ensuring the best performance of your business. So what are some of the best ideas for employee engagement?

A Employement Engagement Guide for 2016 by Cameron Bain in everyonesocial.com gives some great ideas. I want to highlight some ideas.

1. Make trust a top priority. Employees can feel when you don't trust them. It leads to not empowering them to be the best they can be and stagnates idea generation. Customers also feel this when they always have to defer to another person before they can 

make a decision. 

2. Provide Healthy Foods. Not only does it provide a social reason to connect in the workplace it also is proven to increase productivity. I remember when I worked for HP that we had morning tea provided (fruit, muffins, etc) and it provided a 10 min break to have those conversations that build relationships. Google does it along with many other progressive companies because the benefit far outweighs the cost.

3. Clearly communicate the company goals. I do a survey when I start working with a company and it is often the case that employees want to know the company direction and goals and most are left in the dark. Imagine not having that direction? It is so hard to rally and support something that you don't understand or believe in.

4. Allow for flexible schedules. Our lives have changed and technology allows us to work anywhere so why be a butts in seats sort of organisation? It comes back to trust.

5. Do a survey to find out what your people are thinking and canvas their ideas.