Ideas Archives | Adam Christing

6 Leadership Retreat Ideas You’ll Want A Corporate Emcee To Guide You Through

Adam Christing — Wed, 14 Jun 2023 08:00:28 +0000

Nailing down the perfect idea for a leadership retreat can be a challenging task. There’s always the undeniable fear that it will become something unproductive, disorganized, or just downright boring.

Key Takeaways

L – Learning workshops
E – Executive coaching seminars
A – Adventure-based activities that cultivate team bonding
D – Developmental assignments
E – Engaging panel discussions that offers new knowledge
R – Reflective sessions for self-development

However, with a corporate emcee, you can ensure the success of your upcoming retreat. An emcee will be able to guide your attendees to success while maintaining an engaging atmosphere.

Keep reading, and I’ll share with you six great ideas for a leadership retreat by breaking down the word LEADER.

#1. Learning Workshops

Retreats offer employees a chance to break away from the routine of their daily work activities in search of something new. Everyone could do with some quality time learning more about themselves while gaining new skills!

Hosting a leadership retreat can offer your team countless benefits that can’t be achieved in the regular office. Changing up the scenery and atmosphere can help inspire creativity, broaden horizons, and increase motivation.

When it comes down to it, it’s more than essential to treat your team to a retreat. But planning and leading a successful retreat might be more challenging than you think!

How Do You Lead A Successful Retreat?

When done right, a great retreat can offer your team strength, confidence, and empowerment. It can help them develop new skills that are essential both in the office and in their everyday lives.

But if you want to lead a successful retreat, you need to focus on a few key aspects.

For starters, you need a solid agenda. You need to be able to design your retreat to meet key goals and provide your team with a meaningful experience.

It’s a good idea to also ensure your retreat is well-rounded. Especially for leadership retreats, you need to cover all your bases.

For example, you can spend the morning doing group yoga, take a lunch break to engage in some strategic discussions, and then finish up the evening with some interactive team-building activities.

Lastly, you should encourage everyone to participate. Even the introverts of the office should have a solid chance to actively engage and lead a portion of the retreat! That’s what leadership is all about.

What Should A Leadership Retreat Include?

Planning the perfect event or retreat isn’t going to be a piece of cake. It takes a lot of time and effort to prepare a fun, engaging, and beneficial leadership retreat for your employees.

If you want to have a successful retreat, you need to include some critical elements:

Start the retreat with plenty of interactive icebreaker activities. Icebreakers are a must-have to ensure everyone feels comfortable and open.
Incorporate plenty of skill development. This is the meat and potatoes of any great leadership retreat!
Include plenty of fun and engaging activities. This is a must-have for ensuring people stay active and entertained.
Spend time eating meals together. In the midst of the energetic elements of your retreat, don’t forget to take time to eat meals with the team.

Of course, you can change up your event to include any number of activities or games. Tailor it to what your team needs!

A Foundational Idea For Any Leadership Retreat

Picking out the best leadership retreat is all about considering what your team needs. All organizations are different, and you can’t rely on a one-size-fits-all type of solution.

For a fantastic leadership retreat, a great idea is to host a learning workshop. And you can even incorporate this into any number of other retreat ideas.

A workshop offers employees a unique chance to learn and develop new skills. You can focus on any type of skills or strategies, including leadership skills.

Feel free to invite expert speakers, trainers, or corporate emcees to conduct sessions on subjects. You can pick topics such as effective communication, decision-making, team management, and emotional intelligence.

This is one leadership retreat idea that a corporate emcee can truly help with. They will ensure everything runs smoothly and your employees enjoy the professional benefits they deserve!

#2. Executive Coaching

Leadership retreats are all about growing professional skills. And often, people want to gain knowledge that will help them stand out.

One-on-one executive coaching activities can give aspiring leaders the personalized guidance and support they need to thrive. There should be plenty of opportunities for attendees to discuss their challenges, set goals, and receive feedback to enhance their leadership abilities.

With a corporate emcee, you can truly empower and coach your team to success. The right emcee can effectively guide your attendees along the path they need to discover their leadership potential.

#3. Adventure-Based Activities

One of the biggest fears many event planners have when organizing a function is that it will end up being a boring affair. But with the right activities scheduled during your retreat, you won’t need to worry about this.

A great way to do this is by incorporating plenty of fun, action-packed activities.

As a corporate emcee, I swear by fun and engaging activities. Team-building exercises are a must and can help to relieve tensions, grow workplace relationships, and create a welcoming atmosphere.

Picking The Right Activities For Your Team

Of course, you can pick any type of adventure-based activities you want for your team. Some common options include team-building exercises like escape rooms, rock climbing, or survival challenges.

Events like this can help encourage leaders to step out of their comfort zones and develop new skills.

Bonus: 3 Best Opening Lines To Start Your Emcee Gig With

#4. Developmental Assignments

Leadership is all about stepping up and taking charge. And this retreat is the perfect chance for your attendees to discover more about their own leadership abilities!

Assign leaders developmental projects or tasks during the retreat to help them stretch their capabilities. These assignments can be designed to provide hands-on experience, foster innovation, and promote creative thinking.

#5. Engaging Panel Discussions

If you truly want your team to enjoy an informative and beneficial retreat, it’s a good idea to involve a panel discussion.

A panel is a great way for your team to benefit from the wisdom and expertise of outstanding industry professionals. You can host influential speakers and successful leaders to give your attendees some great role models.

Feel free to include topics that cover anything from industry trends to the challenges of leaders. Don’t forget to encourage active participation and Q&A sessions. That’s how learning really happens!

#6. Reflective Sessions

Leadership retreats are often action-packed and energetic events that stuff your brain full of useful information. But when it comes down to it, too much of a good thing isn’t a good thing anymore!

That’s because your team can only benefit from the great knowledge they’re gaining if they know how to utilize it. That’s why reflective sessions are a critical element of any corporate retreat.

Allocate time for reflective sessions where attendees can reflect and review their leadership journey while setting goals for personal and professional growth. This’ll help prepare them for what’s to come while making sure the benefits of the retreat truly sink in.

Don’t forget to provide prompts for self-assessment and encourage activities like journaling or group discussions. That way, you can successfully promote self-awareness and continuous improvement.

Wrapping Up

Putting together a great leadership retreat can be a challenge, but it’s necessary so that your attendees walk away with a meaningful experience under their belts. A corporate emcee is a must-have for facilitating the growth and development of your team in a beneficial and positive manner.

With these ideas in mind, it’ll be easier than ever to host a leadership retreat your team truly deserves.

Keep Reading: 8 Tips On How To Be The Best Master Of Ceremonies At Your Event

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Adam Christing has been called “The Tom Brady of emcees.” He has hosted more than 1,000 company meetings, special events, gala celebrations, and more. He is the author of several books and founder of CleanComedians.com. For more event tips, follow Adam Christing on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

The post 6 Leadership Retreat Ideas You’ll Want A Corporate Emcee To Guide You Through appeared first on Adam Christing.

7 Company Retreat Ideas To Inspire Team-Building With A Corporate Emcee

Adam Christing — Wed, 31 May 2023 08:00:14 +0000

For some, a corporate retreat sounds like a cheesy, nightmare-inducing evening stuck with coworkers. And that doesn’t seem to carry any sort of festive ring to it.

Key Takeaways

R – Relax at a spa retreat
E – Escape rooms are a must
T – Take a trip to the movies
R – Revisit your favorite sports
E – Enjoy a company event
A – Arts and crafts night
T – Trivia night is a classic

But studies have shown that spending time away from work can actually boost your mood and well-being, which is precisely why your team needs to engage in activities that will help them rediscover that strong sense of camaraderie.

It’s time to reclaim the idea of a company retreat and make it into something that can actually benefit your employees. So, keep reading, and I’ll let you in on some of the best company retreat ideas that will reenergize even the most introverted members of your team.

#1. Relax During A Team Spa Day

If you want to host a killer company retreat, you need to revisit what the entire point of one is. It makes no sense to try facilitating a retreat for your team if you aren’t even sure of the event’s true objectives.

A work retreat is all about achieving a goal.

It’s essential to find a purpose in your retreat. Even in daily workplace activities, creating goals and defining objectives is essential for success.

It’s no different for your company retreat! If you want to succeed in hosting a compelling and engaging event, you need to prepare beforehand. And these preparations should include defining a clear purpose for your upcoming retreat.

Planning The Perfect Corporate Retreat

Good things come to those who prepare. You can’t expect the hard work to happen for you! If you want to create a captivating and intriguing retreat for your employees, you need to prepare for it.

So, let’s dive into the foundation of any great plan. The purpose.

Each retreat or event will have a unique purpose, and it’s up to you to figure out what it is. It could be to provide your team with a much-needed break after a busy season, or it could be to reawaken a genuine team bond.

An Irresistible Purpose For Your Retreat

For many corporate retreats, a common purpose is to foster strong relationships between employees and offer some sort of relaxation. And in today’s fast-paced world, it seems like we can never have enough peace!

In fact, the benefits of taking time to relax and rest away from work are seemingly immeasurable. It’s important for employees to find ways to unwind after a long day, but that doesn’t mean you can’t help give them the relaxing evening they deserve.

Making Rest And Relaxation A Priority

A corporate retreat idea that everyone can get on board with is a trip to a wellness spa. Your employees are likely dying for a chance to truly rest and relax. And this will give them the perfect opportunity to do so!

A spa retreat allows your team to unwind while surrounded by each other. Plus, it’s easy to host and will leave your team with glowing results.

A spa retreat is also an excellent way to combat work-related stress and burnout. And nowadays, it seems like it’s becoming more and more common for workers to suffer due to their profession.

In fact, studies show that 49% of workers experience work-related burnout. And with figures like that, it’s easy to see how a spa wellness retreat can benefit your team!

So, if you’re looking for the perfect corporate retreat idea that your employees will be more than excited to partake in, this is it. You can never go wrong with a spa day. Count me in!

#2. Escape Room

Corporate retreats are all about team bonding. Taking time away from your dull office space can reinvigorate the hearts and minds of your team and remind them of what really matters.

Teamwork and collaboration are the foundation of any healthy and successful workplace. These factors should never be discounted or overlooked, as any team will inevitably fall apart without them.

So, it’s important to host a company retreat that capitalizes on this. Your retreat should be team-centric enough to promote genuine team-building. And with fun team-building activities, that will be easier than it seems.

Escape rooms are great ways to improve team relationships in a fun-loving manner. These interactive puzzle rooms are all the rage right now, and your employees will likely love a chance to complete one!

It’s probably one of the best ways to promote team-building. An escape room forces your team to work together to solve puzzles and mysteries to escape a “locked” room within a certain amount of time.

It’s the perfect mix of thrill and adventure to keep your team thinking quickly on their toes while communicating with each other. Plus, it’s fun for everyone and is just genuinely enjoyable!

These rooms are specifically designed to improve teamwork and leadership, which are more than necessary skills for any office environment. That’s why even corporate events often utilize things like an escape room.

As an experienced emcee, I’ve seen firsthand how fun and interactive team-building activities can truly transform a crowd. It isn’t just about entertaining an audience (though they are great at that). It’s about giving your employees the support outside of the office to thrive in their everyday lives!

#3. Take A Trip To The Movies

If you’re worried about your employees being unimpressed by your company retreat, go back to the basics. After all, it can be nerve-wracking to try and organize some sort of modern, far-fetched retreat.

But when you revisit the activities that your team is guaranteed to enjoy, nothing can go wrong.

A simple and easy idea for a retreat is to take a trip to the cinema. The great thing about this is that you can really make it your own.

Whether you go to the movie theater or a drive-in, your team is destined to have a great time.

You could also host your own office movie night with your team if you want to take it a step further. All you need are things like a projector and plenty of snacks and drinks.

Going Back To The Basics

This timeless idea is perfect for a chill and laid-back retreat to help your team refocus on what matters.

It’ll reduce distractions and help your employees recenter their attention. When your team can focus on spending quality time with each other in a simplistic setting, it’s a surefire way to promote better bonds and relationships.

Bonus: 5 Ways A Corporate Emcee Can Help You Host A Successful Conference

#4. Revisit Your Favorite Team Sports

If you’re looking to bolster your team’s collaboration levels, you can’t go wrong with an age-old classic. Lawn games and sports!

The best team-building activities are ones that we’ve been enjoying for years. You don’t have to focus on what’s trending at professional events. Go back to your roots!

You likely enjoyed some sort of team sport when you were younger. Whether you were a football guy or a volleyball girl, sports likely played a big role in your life. After all, they help us burn off that excess energy while giving us the basic tools and skills needed to work well with others.

But you don’t need to be super into sports to still benefit from them. I’m not expecting each one of you to be a fanatic sports follower. But that doesn’t mean you need to neglect them altogether.

A sports day will help your employees reawaken their sense of camaraderie. Sports encourage them to work together for a common goal while keeping them active in the process, which is beneficial enough in and of itself!

Plus, a sports day can help reignite some long-lost nostalgia. And who doesn’t love that?

To start the day, divide your team up into groups, depending on the size of your party. Then, you can facilitate different games for them to play, including anything from badminton to bean bag toss.

The day will be destined to begin with laughter and end in friendship!

#5. Enjoy A Company Event

Sometimes, you need to call out the big guns to truly reawaken the team spirit.

Hosting a company event is a fantastic way to give your team a memorable experience while encouraging them to bond. And a corporate event is sure to knock the socks off of your team and leave them wanting more!

The key to the perfect event is an entertaining and intriguing speaker. Booking someone like a comedy keynote will be able to guide your team into excellence while encouraging genuine bonding.

As a corporate emcee, I know firsthand how company events can truly turn a team around. Even people who seem like they would never get along end up becoming buddies by the end of the night!

The keynote speaker or emcee you choose will do everything from setting the tone of the event to keeping the people entertained. And there’s not much a great speaker won’t be able to do!

You can spice up your upcoming event with any number of team-building activities to truly help your employees bask in the glow of teamwork. That’s one of the reasons why company events are so impactful.

So, if you’re looking for a foolproof way to reenergize your team, this is it.

#6. Arts And Crafts Night

Let’s revisit a classic and casual corporate retreat idea. Instead of opting for a bright and colorful company event, you can wind down with a simplistic arts and crafts night.

An arts and crafts night will give your team an excellent chance to relax and rest. Enjoyable hobbies like these are great ways to relieve stress and increase happiness. So why not take advantage of these great benefits?

Crafts like sculpting, pottery, painting, or even sewing are great group activities your team can learn and partake in together. You can even hire a professional to show your team how it’s done!

Feel free to bus your team to an off-site location to enjoy some arts and crafts or host a virtual workshop for a remote team.

#7. Trivia Night Is A Classic

Here’s another classic team retreat event. Trivia is a fun and exciting way to bring people together while helping them learn a few new things in the process.

It’s time to test your employees’ knowledge. All you need to do is divide your team into groups and prepare some questions. Bonus if they’re work-related questions.

For example, if you work at a tech company, make the trivia questions about tech. Make them exciting and fun enough to keep people intrigued, but feel free to sneak in some genuine learning!

You can even throw in some fun, team-related questions. Quiz people on someone’s birthday, the founding year of the company, or who clocked in the earliest this morning. Mix it up!

Wrapping Up

A corporate retreat doesn’t need to be a dreaded experience. Instead, it can be destined to be the fun-loving and energizing event your employees deserve!

Keep Reading: 5 Objectives A Corporate Emcee Can Help You Accomplish At Your Next Corporate Event

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The post 7 Company Retreat Ideas To Inspire Team-Building With A Corporate Emcee appeared first on Adam Christing.

9 Fun Ways To Celebrate Your Company Milestones With A Corporate Emcee

Adam Christing — Mon, 01 May 2023 08:00:14 +0000

Anniversaries give us something to look forward to. And taking advantage of these memorable chances to celebrate is a great way to give you and your team the recognition you all deserve!

Key Takeaways

A corporate emcee can do a lot to ensure your company anniversary event goes perfectly. Here’s how they can help you CELEBRATE your business anniversary the right way!

C – Cultivates an engaging atmosphere
E – Emphasizes the milestone itself
L – Leads the audience in the right direction
E – Encourages employee recognition
B – Brings in special awards or activities
R – Recognizes the achievements of the team
A – Amplifies the organizational culture and mission
T – Toasts to the continued success of the company
E – Energizes the crowd with humor and entertainment!

Here are nine ways a corporate emcee can help make your upcoming company anniversary memorable!

#1. Creates An Engaging Atmosphere

Company milestones are truly something to celebrate. It’s important to take time to honor the progression of both your business and the many individuals that make it up.

Company celebrations are critical for commemorating the past, present, and future. Besides, it’s essential to look back on past accomplishments and the road that led to such success. This also allows you the chance to understand how such success can be continued in the coming years.

Any company anniversary marks the moment of successful efforts. In fact, 20% of all businesses fail within the first two years. And in the first ten years, 65% of businesses crash.

So taking the time to recognize and reward the efforts of your company each anniversary is important for creating a workplace worth being proud of!

Creating The Perfect Company Anniversary Event

No company event is complete without an event to commemorate the moment. Hosting a company event is without a doubt the best way to ensure important milestones don’t go unnoticed!

After all, you need to do more than just bring in pizza on a Friday afternoon. A company event gives your employees a chance to see what their organization is all about, and it’s an opportunity to bask in the continued success of the business.

Hosting The Successful Anniversary Celebration

When it comes to hosting such an event, going with a corporate emcee is a no-brainer. This person will ensure your event is successful and offers a perfect representation of your company’s anniversary celebration.

I’ve been an emcee for professional and corporate events for what feels like an endless amount of years. And I’ve loved the ability to give employees on all levels of an organization a chance to enjoy genuine entertainment and humor while growing closer to their company’s core.

And I also know what any good emcee will do for your next company anniversary event!

The First Task Of An Emcee

At any corporate event, the emcee will have a few core tasks that they need to keep up with. But for an anniversary celebration, it’s important for the entertainer to pay close attention to the atmosphere they cultivate.

The emcee should set the tone for the celebration. They should be able to effortlessly craft a fun and exciting atmosphere for the audience to enjoy. Whether they use comedy or magic, they need to have a unique way to cultivate the perfect atmosphere for your event!

#2. Emphasizes The Milestone

It’s easy to get ahead of ourselves sometimes. But for the emcee at your upcoming company anniversary event, that shouldn’t be the case.

The point of the event is to showcase the accomplishments of the organization and make a note of what’s to come. And your corporate emcee should be able to emphasize the milestone and previous achievements in an appropriate and enticing way.

After all, this milestone is a big deal. So, the emcee should properly highlight the milestone’s significance and its impact on the company. Plus, they can’t forget to note the amazing efforts that led to such success!

#3. Leads The Audience

An event doesn’t just happen by itself. It takes coordinated planning and countless hours to assemble the mess of pieces into one final puzzle.

And the same goes for during the event. You can’t just expect your attendees to show up and keep themselves entertained from start to finish. You need someone there to guide them through the entertainment journey.

From cheers to activities, the emcee should be the one to lead the audience in the way of the event. It’ll help the event run smoothly and ensure your attendees feel the full effect of such a memorable evening!

Bonus: Emcee vs. MC: Which Spelling Should I Use?

#4. Encourages Employee Recognition

If events don’t happen by themselves, company milestones don’t happen by themselves. No company could thrive without the continued and valiant efforts of its employees. And it’s important not to forget that!

Employee recognition is a powerful thing. It helps workers feel like their hard work matters. No one likes to go the extra mile if that extra mile isn’t noticed.

In addition to commemorating the company itself on reaching a milestone, the emcee should take the time to recognize individual employees and teams for their contributions. This will help show your team that you recognize their great efforts and you appreciate their hard work!

#5. Brings In Special Awards And Activities

One of the best parts of company events and milestones is award-giving. It’s important to recognize and reward individuals or teams that helped contribute to the organization’s success. And who doesn’t love getting a shiny new trophy?

An emcee at your event can help ensure that special awards are given to the right people at the right time. And they can do it in a unique and memorable fashion!

If your event features special guests, speakers, or fun activities, your emcee can also ensure that everything is introduced as it should be.

#6. Recognizes The Achievements Of The Team

Success is a team effort. And for your company’s anniversary, it couldn’t have been done without the hard work of the organization’s workers.

The emcee should recognize the achievements of different teams within the company. They should also properly highlight their contributions to the company’s success.

#7. Amplifies The Company Culture

A company event is all about the company. Crazy, right?

But sometimes, people forget that a company event or anniversary celebration is the perfect time to amplify the values of your organization. Take advantage of having all the individuals of a company gathered in one place to enjoy such everlasting entertainment.

And don’t underestimate the importance of accentuating the company’s culture and mission. Now is the chance to show everyone what your organization is all about!

Keep in mind that the emcee should reinforce the company’s culture and values throughout the celebration. They’re here to ensure the event itself is a success, but they’re also there to prioritize the continued prosperity of your organization.

#8. Toasts To The Continued Success

Milestones and anniversaries are about looking back on past accomplishments. But they’re also about understanding what it takes for that success to keep going.

It’s a good idea to have a toast to the continued success of the company. And what better person to lead that toast than the emcee?

#9. Energizes The Crowd

A company event shouldn’t be as boring as those Monday morning meetings. Instead, they should be full of life and energy that seemingly never ends!

Sometimes, as the night drags on, things can get dull or a little stale. But that’s why the emcee is there!

The emcee can keep the celebration going by energizing the crowd with entertainment and comedy. They’re masters in keeping the atmosphere energized and the people laughing!

Keep Reading: 8 Ways A Corporate Emcee Can Help You Manage Conflict In The Workplace

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The post 9 Fun Ways To Celebrate Your Company Milestones With A Corporate Emcee appeared first on Adam Christing.

8 Ways To Create A Positive Workplace Culture

Adam Christing — Wed, 25 Jan 2023 08:00:40 +0000

An organization is about more than sales numbers and a collection of desks. Organizations are nothing without an established company culture.

Key Takeaways

Prioritize a healthy work-life balance
Operate with flexibility and prioritize respect
Set clear standards and expectations for your employees
Integrate an employee recognition program to help your employees feel seen
Take some time to enjoy humor in the workplace. Don’t be so serious!
Inspire employee feedback and open the door to communication
Volunteer to help your team when you can
Encourage employees to set their own goals and focus on them in the workplace

Building a positive workplace culture is critical to ensuring your team is happy and productive. So, here’s exactly how to create a healthy and positive organizational culture.

The “Do’s” Of Creating A POSITIVE Work Culture

As a business leader in the workplace, you have a major responsibility to the organization and to your team. Your employees look to you as their fearless leader to guide them!

Every member of an organization has a responsibility to the company and the employees. But a fundamental role that many of us may forget about is the part we play in shaping the work culture.

Every company has a culture. And this culture goes deeper than you may think.

Your workplace culture is a collection of people’s values, beliefs, and behaviors. It’s not just about the color scheme of the website or the slogan on the office walls. It’s about the very principles and standards that each and every worker contributes towards.

Your current company culture is the master behind all day-to-day operations. It sets the tone for new hires. It’s what drives the company forward and allows the organization to thrive.

But not all work cultures are beneficial. It’s possible for a company to have a toxic work environment. And, unfortunately, that’s how businesses die.

It should go without saying that cultivating a healthy and wholesome company culture is critical. And as a leader, you must know how to create a POSITIVE culture.

Here’s how.

#1. Prioritize A Healthy Work-Life Balance

When we go to work, it’s easy to just think of the people that work there as mere co-workers. And that’s okay – to a certain extent.

A positive workplace culture is one that recognizes that employees aren’t machines. And that’s just the foundation of it.

You must fully understand that every employee has a life outside of work. And it’s common for most to view their job as a way to support their outside-of-work endeavors.

Regardless of how obsessed with work your employees are, you must prioritize a healthy work-life balance.

What It Really Means To Have A Healthy Work-Life Balance

A work-life balance is critical for a healthy lifestyle. Not only is it necessary for employee morale and happiness, but it’s also essential for business success. Because when employees feel energized and balanced, their productivity soars.

But this balance is more than just taking the weekends off work. Your employees need to have the motivation to pursue activities outside of work that nourish their minds and bodies.

That means things like taking the time to discover new hobbies, tending to their family life, and understanding how to leave work in the office!

One key aspect of a positive work culture is a healthy life balance. In fact, it’s one of the fundamental factors. So if you genuinely want to make more of an effort to cultivate a positive work environment, you need to be active in promoting a healthy life balance.

#2. Operate With Flexibility

To create a positive workplace culture, you need to ensure you are actively supporting employees. Workplace leaders have a personal responsibility to improve work culture and ensure their team is happy where they are!

A positive workplace can be described with words like collaborative, fun, or flexible. And that’s from a 2022 survey from Quantum Workplace.

A great place to start improving company culture is with these words.

To establish positive core values and culture initiatives, integrate the word “flexibility” into all you do. A positive workplace helps employees feel heard and supported. Your team members want to know that if life happens, everything will be okay!

What To Do When “Life” Happens

Life happens sometimes. Your team members are human, and human things can happen.

Maybe they get a flat tire on the way to work and are late. Or their daughter has a dance recital Thursday afternoon that they really can’t miss. Honestly, it can be almost anything. But your team is human, so let them be human!

Plus, flexibility and flexible schedules help you attract elite candidates and earn the respect of your employees.

When it comes down to it, just be flexible. Don’t adhere to traditional company norms just because “that’s how you always did it.” Your team deserves better than that!

#3. Set Clear Standards For Your Employees

Transparency and communication are the foundation of your organization’s success. Without it, everything from organizational development to meaningful relationships falls apart.

A positive company culture is about creating a healthy and enjoyable environment for employees. And when employees know what is expected of them, this positive environment is much easier to cultivate.

Creating A PUrpose In The Workplace

When your team members don’t understand their value, role, or purpose, they can easily feel disconnected or out of place. In addition, murky expectations and confusing goals can lead to disengaged employees and cognitive interruptions.

This is a pretty basic standard for most organizations. But you would be surprised at how many workplace leaders overlook the importance of clear expectations.

So, please don’t make the same mistakes as them!

#4. Integrate An Employee Recognition Program

When we work hard and do our best, we like to be rewarded. I’m not talking about participation trophies. I mean the basics, like a mere “thank you” or maybe a company Slack shout-out.

Because employee recognition is one of the best ways to create a positive company culture and establish a wholesome and rewarding environment. You know, the kind of work environment that employees love to be a part of!

When you take the time to reward and recognize your team for their efforts and hard work, it makes them want to keep doing it. This leads to employee growth, an engaged workforce, and a thriving business.

And that’s the recipe for success!

The Best Way To Recognize And Reward Your Team

One of the great things about employee recognition is that there are so many ways to integrate these practices into your company culture. But not all recognition methods will suit your unique workforce. That’s why it’s key to find a way that truly touches your team.

Need some ideas to get started? Try some of the following!

Host a company event with a hilarious keynote speaker to entertain your team while helping them feel empowered and connected
Start an employee of the month program
Have a team lunch with your employees

Find something that your employees love to do, and capitalize upon it!

Bonus: 5 Famous Public Speakers Throughout History

#5. Take Some Time To Enjoy Humor

Work can be stressful. After all, we often have a lot on our plates. But that doesn’t mean that work can’t be fun!

Turning a heavy workday into something lighthearted and enjoyable can light the fire for a positive work culture. When we laugh and appreciate the moment, our environment becomes much more amazing.

A Truly Effective Way To Promote A Positive Company Culture

When employees feel chained, it’s hard for humor to blossom. A supportive culture is about enjoyment and appreciation. It’s not about blank faces and dull moments.

So make sure your team knows it’s okay to bring in some humor! Crack some jokes and play a friendly prank or two.

This is also a great way to foster meaningful relationships and encourage collaboration. When we can laugh together, we can connect. And that’s how to spark an inspiring team effort!

#6. Inspire Employee Feedback

Feedback is how you know what you need to improve on, both as a leader and as an organization. Without knowing how your employees feel, you’ll never know what to change!

As I said earlier, you need to maintain transparency. And this goes both ways.

The Two-Way Road Of Employee Feedback

As a leader, you need to be transparent about the inner workings of the company, as well as progress towards the organization’s goals. Your team deserves to know information about their workplace.

And your employees need to feel comfortable enough to offer up their own feedback. Your employee’s feedback is the only way to truly know how to improve the workplace for them.

Instead of thinking of it as a way to fixate on what’s going wrong, think of it as an opportunity to capitalize on what’s going right. Knowing how your employees feel and think is the best way to truly transform your organizational culture into something positive!

#7. Volunteer To Help When You Can

A core responsibility of workplace leadership is to provide support for the team. This can look like reward programs, a flexible schedule, and more.

But there’s another straightforward way to show your employees that you care about them and want to help them. And it’s simple!

Volunteer to help your team when you see them struggling or whenever you can!

We all know that actions speak louder than words. So it should go without saying that showing your team you want to help by actually helping out is a great way to support them.

And you don’t need to go over the top. Sometimes it can be as simple as finishing up a tiny project for an employee with a lot on their plate. Just see what you can do!

#8. Encourage Employees To Set Goals

Even though we can work on making it feel comfortable and enjoyable, the workplace is still a workplace.

Plus, when employees feel driven, motivated, and productive, it helps cultivate a positive work culture. Motivation is the key to finding a purpose in the workplace.

Throughout my time as a corporate emcee, I’ve learned a thing or two about the power of goal setting. I’ve seen how goals help employees take control of their time and create personal accountability. It’s an excellent way to break out of our comfort zones and inspire innovation.

Workplace goals are a crucial part of organizational culture. It gives your team something to look forward to!

Plus, when your team members reach their goals, it gives you a great reason to recognize and reward them. So tie it into point #4 I made.

Wrapping Up

In the end, a positive workplace culture is about creating a safe, supportive, healthy, and happy environment for your team. It’s different for each organization, so find a way to make it unique and beneficial for your team!

Keep Reading: 5 Reasons Why Logos Is Important For An Effective Speech

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The post 8 Ways To Create A Positive Workplace Culture appeared first on Adam Christing.

7 Tips For Managing Diversity In The Workplace

Adam Christing — Mon, 09 Jan 2023 08:00:09 +0000

A word we seem to hear a lot of is “diversity.” But what exactly does it mean in today’s workplace?

Key Takeaways

A DIVERSE workforce is a critical part of healthy and happy company culture. Prioritize workplace diversity by focusing on the following;

Diversity isn’t just a buzzword – it’s an integral aspect of any organization or team
Improve workplace communication and create an open work environment
Value and understand the importance of a diverse workforce in its entirety
Ensure the policies of your workplace are in writing and rules are standardized
Recruit qualified candidates and make diversity part of the hiring process
Support your team and treat them with respect with a fun company event
Enforce a zero-tolerance policy and encourage an open mindset

Terms like inclusion and diversity are abundant in the modern workforce. But it can be hard to know where to start when managing diversity in the workplace.

Keep reading, and I’ll let you know exactly how to manage diversity in the workplace!

#1. Don’t Treat “Diversity” Like Only A Buzzword

You’ve probably heard the word diversity before. But when it comes to workplace diversity, it’s not always easy to fully understand what it means.

So, I’ll start by giving you a general definition.

Diversity is what makes a group of people different from each other. And this can mean many different things.

If a group of people is considered diverse, it means they have members that represent various backgrounds, statuses, or ideologies. And because of this, diversity is essential in the workplace for many reasons.

The Overall Benefits Of A Diverse Workforce

Workforce diversity has many benefits. For starters, it’s the foundation of creativity and innovation.

That’s because new ideas flourish when different backgrounds and mindsets come together. In addition, diversity helps employees understand where they fit into organizational goals and missions overall.

People from different backgrounds have spent their life accumulating unique experiences and information. And when your organization makes an effort to encourage this level of diversity, your workplace can benefit from multiple viewpoints and levels of expertise.

Workplace diversity can look like many things. But when it comes down to it, workforce diversity leads to better opportunities for strategic thinking and creativity and promotes more intelligent decision-making.

Lastly, having a diverse workforce allows organizations to serve their customers and clients better as each individual employee brings a different perspective and approach to problem-solving. Diversity also helps to create a culture of respect and understanding, which leads to improved morale and employee job satisfaction.

I could go on and on about the many benefits a diverse workforce can bring. But let’s just dive into the first way you can better manage workplace diversity.

Diversity Is A Fundamental Aspect Of Successful Organizations

We all know HR is seemingly always ablaze with new and trendy buzzwords. And one word that you may seem to hear a lot is, in fact, diversity!

But it would be best if you didn’t treat diversity as only a buzzword because it’s about so much more than that. After all, organizations need to embrace diversity wholeheartedly to ensure success is on the horizon.

Diversity is something that needs to be actively prioritized and focused on every single day. It’s not just a trend!

#2. Improve Workplace Communication

Our workplaces require a lot of moving parts to be successful. And when one fundamental aspect breaks down, so does the rest.

As a corporate emcee, I know firsthand the value of communication. After all, communication with an audience is what I do best! This means I also know how bad it can be when communication falls by the wayside.

The Benefits Of Workplace Communication

The foundation of an effective, enjoyable, and productive workplace is communication. Effective communication leads to:

Better employee engagement
Increased employee morale and boosted moods
Improved productivity and workplace efficiency
Fewer conflicts and better collaboration

Without communication, everything in the workplace would fall apart!

When it comes to managing workplace diversity, communication is one of the key ways to improve workplace inclusion. Here’s why:

Why Communication Is Key For Workplace Diversity

Communication is essential at work to ensure everyone is on the same page. That’s one of the basic advantages of improved communication.

But when employees come from different cultural or language backgrounds, it becomes increasingly important to prioritize communication. After all, for some workers, their first language may not be English (if your company operates in English).

So it’s necessary to ensure any message is understood or that adequate translation methods are adopted.

Diverse groups likely understand languages in different ways. So being aware of the terminology you use is also exceptionally beneficial in ensuring that messages are clearly understood.

#3. Value The Power Of A Diverse Workplace

To truly create an inclusive organization, you must understand the value of a diverse workforce. It will never work if you don’t truly value the power of a diverse workplace!

I already went over the advantages of diversity in the workplace. And if diversity management isn’t properly encouraged and prioritized, it’s difficult for those advantages to take hold.

So ensure you recognize this power and treat it with respect. That’s the best way to empower your diverse workforce!

#4. Ensure Workplace Diversity Policies Are In Writing

As I said earlier, communication is critical, especially for managing diversity in the workplace. But communication is more than just some extra Slack messages or a group chat.

As a workplace leader, it’s your responsibility to ensure that workplace policies are modernized, updated, and available. Your team should know where to find things like the employee handbook or code of conduct.

Communicating Diversity Policies In The Workplace

In almost any role, the communication of policies is critical. When it comes to diversity, ensure your employee manuals or handbooks review the following aspects:

Ensure policies on wages, incentives, and opportunities are clearly laid out
Your organizational goals regarding diversity management should be outlined
Non-discrimination policies should be in place for employees to understand what is not permitted

Intertwining effective communication and transparent policies are crucial to managing diversity in the workplace. Don’t pretend that diversity is something to be neglected. It should be embraced!

When it comes to our differences, it is something to be celebrated. We shouldn’t all be the same. Our diversity gives us power and confidence, and the tools to succeed.

So capitalize upon that!

Bonus: 8 Unique Ways To Motivate Workers For The New Year

#5. Recruit And Hire The Most Qualified Candidates

We have a natural tendency to be more drawn toward people like ourselves. That’s not inherently wrong; it’s just how our minds are wired.

Whether through actual similarity or perceived similarity, we feel more comfortable with those we can share likenesses with. That’s because our minds automatically believe that interacting with people like ourselves will make us more easily likable and lead to more enjoyable interactions.

But when it comes to the hiring process, we can’t always hire the same types of people. Embracing the unknown and accepting change is an integral part of managing diversity.

Diversity In The Hiring Process

There are many reasons for this. For starters, recruiting employees from various backgrounds ensures that you’ll be able to find the right talent. Plus, a uniquely skilled and experienced team means greater productivity.

But this is an active process, and we likely need more growth than we realize. In fact, 57% of job seekers feel their employers need to be more diverse when hiring.

When seeking talent, draw from a large pool of applicants. Don’t stick to the same circle or areas to find candidates. Branch out, and experiment with the talent you find.

Hire Applicants Who Are Qualified

This seems like something many of us should already know. But it can’t be overstated nowadays.

Diversity is something to be celebrated and capitalized upon. That being said, as our modern workforce focuses increasingly on workplace diversity, many employers are starting to neglect their real responsibility and end up only hiring diverse applicants to check off boxes.

Ensure you are hiring the best and most qualified candidates, not just people who make your organization appear diverse.

Diverse teams aren’t effective if you don’t make them full of the most innovative and creative thinkers. Give new employees an equal opportunity to rise and embrace the changes that come with it.

#6. Support Your Team And Treat Them With Equality

Differences are something to be celebrated, not shunned. But, for our employees to operate with complete creative and innovative freedom, they need to feel comfortable.

To give your team the support they need, it’s critical to promote diversity!

We all know that intimating feeling we get when we are the only ones with a particular trait. It can be daunting at times. So communicate to your team that differences and individual characteristics are accepted and celebrated.

That’s when creativity soars, and a happy, healthy workplace can prosper!

If we don’t feel comfortable or accepted in the workplace, it’s hard for us to want to perform our best. As a result, it’s difficult for new ideas to blossom, and it can be challenging to be fully cooperative.

Fostering an environment of support and recognition is the first step in ensuring your employees can capitalize on their diversity! A great way to do this is by organizing a company event with a funny keynote speaker or engaging in team-building activities.

#7. Enforce A Zero-Tolerance Policy

To ensure your team can feel comfortable and at peace, establish a no-tolerance policy.

Hold your employees accountable for transgressions, and communicate the importance of an inclusive and supportive workplace. As a workplace leader, that’s one of your responsibilities!

Employees have a right to work without being discriminated against. Even offensive jokes can be detrimental to an employee’s working experience at your organization.

Our workplace should be an area where we behave professionally and respectfully. Don’t allow employees to knowingly offend someone or poke fun at their individuality.

Support your team, and give them the tools they need to succeed. Prioritize communication and individuality, and embrace diversity.

After all, we are nothing without it!

Keep Reading: 8 Best Characteristics You Need As A Successful Public Speaker

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7 Ways To Improve Your Workplace Culture For 2023

Adam Christing — Wed, 28 Dec 2022 08:00:33 +0000

Nothing is quite as essential in the workplace as company culture. After all, culture is the lifeblood of any organization – and for many reasons too.

At A Glance

Each company has an individual culture with specific values that make it unique. Find the proper method to improve your organization’s culture, and watch how your team thrives!

Create a collaborative work environment and focus on positive workplace relationships
Utilize team-building opportunities like company events
Lead by example. Actions speak louder than words!
Take time to improve onboarding and expand learning opportunities
Understand how to improve employee engagement
Recognize and appreciate your employees
Empower your team members and expand their roles

Without a happy and healthy organizational culture, it becomes almost impossible for a positive work environment to flourish. Here are seven major ways to improve company culture to realize your company’s maximum potential.

How To Improve Company CULTURE

The company we work for can have a major impact on our lives. After all, we spend a great deal of time at our workplace.

That goes for remote workers as well. Even if we’re not physically in an office, we still often feel the direct effects of our company’s culture.

That’s because company culture is more profound than we may initially realize.

But first, let’s get into what company culture actually is. The term “company culture” refers to the attitudes and behavior of an organization and its workers. And many, many aspects of our workplace can affect its culture.

Cultivating a positive workplace culture is critical to both a company’s success and the happiness of its employees. So let’s go over the major ways we can improve it!

#1. Cultivate Positive And Collaborative Workplace Relationships

To understand how to genuinely improve your company culture, you need to recognize what a great company culture is made of.

There are many types of organizations and different ways that employees work together. However, one of the most noticeable shifts in the modern workplace has been an increased level of remote workers.

Each organization will have its own unique culture that aligns with the company’s mission. That’s important to keep in mind. Because these tips on improving organizational culture won’t be a one-size-fits-all cure.

What Makes A Strong Company Culture

How great company culture presents itself will vary in each organization. So understanding your unique team and what works best for them is key.

Let’s start by reviewing the qualities of good workplace culture. It can include:

High levels of employee retention
A healthy work-life balance for employees
Open communication and clear expectations
A diverse workforce
Ongoing professional development and opportunities for growth
Recognized, empowered, and engaged employees

Of course, that list isn’t exhaustive, and plenty of other qualities can signify good company culture. So, how can we improve company culture to reach this point?

One Of The Best Ways To Improve Company Culture

There’s a reason why skills like “collaborative problem-solving” and “teamwork” are valued qualities in the workplace.

The office is somewhere where employees need to frequently communicate with each other to find success. Therefore, even the least-social roles out there require a certain level of collaboration and communication.

This goes for remote workplaces as well.

When it comes down to it, happy and healthy workplace relationships are critical for supporting a positive culture. Strong relationships at work can also improve employee engagement and boost job satisfaction.

So if you want to focus on improving your corporate culture, you must ensure that promoting positive relationships is a priority. After all, no one will be happy working somewhere infested with resentment, loneliness, or irritation.

Workplace culture thrives when our employees feel connected to each other. Leaders play an essential role in this, as well. You need to be active in this process!

Create an atmosphere your employees feel comfortable in to socialize and get to know each other. Trust and familiarity are essential to cultivating an organizational culture that your team can feel happy to be a part of!

#2. Utilize Team Building Opportunities

Promoting positive workplace relationships takes time and effort. Unfortunately, you can only do so much by loading the breakroom with snacks and occasionally chatting with your team.

That’s where team-building activities can step in. Taking time in the office or outside work hours to promote healthy and positive workplace relationships is key to creating a great organizational culture.

The key is to cultivate a team mentality. You can’t let your employees believe teamwork and cooperation don’t matter. Your entire organization must understand that collaborative engagement is critical.

And a great way to get your team members thinking about positive connections is through team-building activities. This can be almost anything!

The Best Ways To Promote Enjoyable Collaboration

You can just start simple, especially if your team isn’t particularly comfortable with heightened levels of communication just yet. So, start by throwing out some icebreaker questions during meetings or other group interactions.

This is a great way to get the casual conversation flowing while encouraging your employees to open up.

But one of the best ways to engage employees and cultivate a warm and friendly atmosphere is through company events.

The Power Of Company Events

As an experienced corporate emcee, I’ve seen firsthand the incredible power that company events can have on employee satisfaction and morale. Whenever a team can get together to enjoy a memorable and enjoyable experience, that’s when workplace happiness soars and relationships thrive.

The key is to find the perfect event speaker. This person focuses on connecting strongly with their audience to deliver a meaningful message. And they can also successfully use humor to give your team an experience worth remembering!

An entertaining and unique company event is truly a great way to show your employees the value of collaboration and teamwork. There’s nothing laughter can’t fix!

#3. Lead By Example

A strong culture is an accumulation of the attitudes, actions, and behaviors of all members of an organization. From senior management to entry-level positions, all employees have a hand in cultivating an organization’s culture!

But company leaders have an additional responsibility in this journey. After all, many organization members look up to leadership to find guidance.

As a leader, your employees will follow suit if you are demonstrating the qualities of a poor organizational culture. And vice versa for positive company culture.

Secondly, the best way to promote the value of a solid and healthy organizational culture is by showing it! So you need to be a walking representation of your organization’s mission and core values.

After all, we all know that actions speak louder than words.

Bonus: 27 Funny Drinking Toasts To Celebrate The New Year With

#4. Take The Time To Improve Selection And Onboarding

Great organizational cultures are built on trust, growth, and learning. Cultivating a growth mindset and demonstrating knowledge are both vital in creating a strong culture.

This can be broken down into two aspects.

Introducing New Hires To Company Culture

The first has to do with new hire onboarding. Providing employees with an initial understanding of your company’s culture is critical in maintaining its grandeur.

This is also critical for new hire retention, as nearly 30% of new hires quit within the first 90 days.

Within the first couple of days on the job, new employees should obtain a thorough and complete understanding of company values. Foster a sense of connection, belonging, and responsibility early on.

Even during the hiring process, this should be laid out for job seekers and potential new hires. Ensure you’re attracting the right people to your company to improve the organizational culture.

Giving Current Employees Tools To Grow

Secondly, you must ensure your employees have the learning material and tools needed to grow and develop. Promoting these fundamental values are critical in ensuring your team stays engaged and productive.

When our minds can stay active and continue to grow, innovation soars, and workplace satisfaction improves.

So give your employees the power to keep learning!

#5. Understand The Power Of Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is the foundation of a strong organizational culture and a positive employee experience. Engagement is so interwoven into the fabric of the modern workforce that almost everything would fall apart without it.

After all, engaged employees are productive, innovative, and happy.

High levels of engagement in the workplace correlate with increased employee morale and better moods for everyone overall. When employees feel intrigued by their work, it makes sense that they feel more fulfilled in their roles.

Give Your Employees A Purpose

A great way to tie improved engagement into your organizational culture is by giving your employees a purpose. Communicate to your team how their responsibilities go towards meeting company goals.

Providing a purpose is key. It’s the start of everything. Plus, it can improve workplace culture and increase employee role satisfaction.

#6. Recognize Employees And Offer Appreciation

I already defined “company culture” as the conglomeration of the attitudes and behaviors of those inside the company itself. But keep in mind that those attitudes include the actions toward employees themselves.

That’s where employee recognition comes into play. This is actually one of the most critical parts of a positive work environment for all employees.

Company cultures that emphasize employee recognition and appreciation have lower turnover rates and happier workers overall. Unfortunately, most of the time, when employees leave a job, it’s because they don’t feel valued or appreciated.

Appreciation and recognition go hand-in-hand.

The All-Encompassing Beauty Of Recognition

The fantastic thing about quality employee recognition is that it can come from anywhere! So, as a leader, it’s up to you to focus on infusing recognition into your company’s culture. It’s an active process.

But recognition doesn’t just need to come from higher-ups.

In fact, peer-to-peer recognition is the most effective way of circulating recognition throughout a company. So encourage your team to spread the love!

#7. Empower Your Employees

Positive and healthy company culture starts with providing freedom to its employees. Employee autonomy is essential here.

No employee wants to be micromanaged or unfairly controlled in their roles. A lack of trust like this is the downfall of organizational culture.

As a leader, you need to embrace flexibility and employee empowerment. This will be the best way to truly promote a genuinely happy and respectful workplace culture.

Build A Foundation Of Trust

Don’t micromanage, and instead trust your team with the tasks you assign to them. Provide meaningful opportunities for growth and professional development. And lastly, expand the responsibilities of your employees.

These are all essential steps toward cultivating a great organizational culture. Just keep in mind that it all starts with respect, trust, and communication.

Keep Reading: 11 Examples Of Empowerment In Business

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The post 7 Ways To Improve Your Workplace Culture For 2023 appeared first on Adam Christing.

6 Tips For Boosting Morale Among Remote Employees

Adam Christing — Wed, 14 Dec 2022 08:00:17 +0000

As humans, we are social creatures. We thrive and prosper when we are able to interact with each other. It’s how we grow both as individuals and as a team.

Key Takeaways

Remote employees have a new set of challenges that the workforce has never faced before. Upkeeping positive employee morale is essential.

Here’s how to do so.

Make some time to have fun team-building events and exercises
Organize a company event to deliver a powerful message
Remind everyone to maintain excellent communication
Acclimatize your team to a positive company culture
Listen to what your team has to say, and encourage employee feedback
Encourage a healthy work-life balance

Today’s employees are working remotely more than ever. And when we’re physically separated from the other team members of our organization, it’s easy to feel emotionally distant and disconnected.

And that’s when employee morale can start to suffer.

Luckily, making an effort to be active in your remote employee’s morale can be relatively easy. Here are some of the best ways to boost employee morale for those working remotely.

How To Boost Employee MORALE

If you’re a little iffy on what MORALE actually means, here’s a quick definition.

Employee morale is the attitude and outlook of employees when it comes to their work environment.

Low employee morale usually correlates with a negative outlook on job roles and the company, while high employee morale drives us to be engaged and productive. Employee morale is a critical aspect of any organization and team.

So when it starts to falter, how can we reignite it?

#1. Make Time For Team Building Activities

The key to maintaining employee morale in a positive light is active engagement. Unfortunately, remote workers can have difficulty staying connected to their team.

So, you’ll need to find a way to revitalize feelings of fellowship and professional attachment.

After all, when you’re only connected with your employees via group chat and emails, it’s easy for a real workplace relationship to fade away. And when employees feel alone and disconnected, staff morale suffers.

But you don’t need to be on video call 24/7 to feel connected with your employees. Even a few minutes a day of niceties and “good morning” messages can transform a lonely remote environment into a genuine collaborative workplace.

The Power Of Enjoyable And Fun Collaboration

An easy way to boost employee morale is by engaging in team-building activities. Not only is this an excellent way to enjoy some fun collaborative exercises, but it’s also a fantastic method for improving moods and morale.

A simple idea to get it started is to incorporate some icebreakers during your weekly meetings. For example, ask your remote workers to share their favorite TV show or if they did anything fun over the weekend.

You can also host virtual coffee breaks or team lunches over video calls.

There are many ideas out there for fun virtual team-building activities. Find what works best for your unique remote team!

#2. Organize A Virtual Company Event

Team building exercises are fun and get the job done, but boosting employee morale is more complex than that.

If you really want to positively impact your team’s lives and minds, you need to go bigger than that.

I’m talking about virtual events. And as an experienced corporate emcee, I know a great deal about the extensive benefits of company events.

Find The Right Speaker

The key to a successful and meaningful event lies in the speaker. This person has an immense responsibility in that they are the one who sets the tone for the entire occasion.

And if your goal is to boost employee morale, you need a keynote speaker who is hilarious but still relatable. So steer clear of speakers who resort to using crude or inappropriate jokes in their acts.

Don’t let the idea of a virtual speaker deter you. Finding a comedic and magical virtual speaker is easy if you know where to look!

#3. Remember, Communication Is Key

Employee morale can be heavily influenced by the extracurricular activities you host. So whether it’s a company event or a virtual lunch hour, making a conscious and genuine effort is already a huge part of it.

But employee morale is deeper than the fun events you orchestrate. It’s about something deeper.

How To Tap Into A Positive Morale

Employee morale is heavily tied to job satisfaction, employee recognition, and company values. Often, when these factors flourish, so does employee morale.

Positive morale in the workplace stems from deep connections to job responsibilities and co-workers or employees. A healthy work environment is contingent on staying connected to those we work with.

The key here is communication.

It’s pretty straightforward. If we want to feel heard and stay connected to our employees, we need to ensure open communication is a priority. Whether it’s a (virtual) open-door policy or just having wholesome one-on-one meetings, staying in touch is essential.

Demonstrate your communication priorities as a workplace leader by

Having regular team meetings
Setting clear expectations of what remote staff need to do
Knowing when not to communicate
- Not badgering employees outside of working hours
- Respecting employee’s personal time and time-off
- Encouraging a healthy work-life balance

High levels of effective communication improve employee morale, boost productivity, and reduce stress. Excellent communication can also lead to better customer satisfaction.

Bonus: 8 Tips To Overcome Your Fear Of Public Speaking

#4. Acclimatization To A Healthy Company Culture

We should all know by now that company culture is everything. Well, maybe not everything, but it is exceptionally important in establishing a healthy and positive workplace.

Some business leaders can fall under the misconception that company culture takes a back seat for remote workers. Unfortunately, it’s easy to falsely assume this when we are separated and disconnected physically.

But regardless of where we are, whether it’s virtual or on-site, company culture always matters. As a matter of fact, it’s even more essential for those operating remotely.

Remote work can be draining and hard on mental health. You must ensure your company values promote positive recognition and employee appreciation, even at a distance.

Strong and positive company culture helps remote teams feel connected to their roles and responsibilities. It gives them a tie to a broader purpose and encourages employee engagement.

If you don’t see the reason for your hard work and efforts, it’s much easier to feel detached. That’s why company culture is such an integral part of team morale.

#5. Listen And Encourage Feedback

Communication is about staying in touch about company updates, specifying job responsibilities, and connecting on a personal level. But we need to dive deeper to find ways to boost employee morale.

You need to understand how to listen and respond to your employees.

Listening is about more than team meetings and replying to emails. It’s about using emotional intelligence to provide empathy, respect, and understanding.

Encouraging Employees To Give Feedback

Listening is relatively easy. But your employees can see pretty quickly if what they are saying is only going out the other ear, so to speak.

Your employees should be able to entrust you with their thoughts, emotions, and ideas. Encourage employees to speak up and give feedback.

Low morale happens when remote teams feel dissatisfied with some aspect of their role or working environment. Sharing feedback helps employees voice their concerns and fix whatever is going wrong.

We already know that remote work can be isolating at times. So if an employee is dissatisfied, it can be frustrating for them to track down a reliable way to voice their discontent.

As a leader, you must be proactive in giving your team a voice.

It’s up to you to encourage employees to take the first steps in sharing their inner thoughts and feelings. It can be daunting for some, so help them feel comfortable.

Don’t leave it solely up to your employees to find a way to give feedback. As a leader in the workplace, feedback will benefit you also.

It’s as simple as setting time aside for employees to reach out to you via email, messages, or phone calls. Make sure you’re available!

You can also start by initiating the questions and prompting your team to think about what kind of change they want to see in their working environment.

#6. Encourage Employees To Have Breaks

A healthy work-life balance is the solid foundation of any organization or workplace. Without a robust balance between our personal and professional life, it’s easy to get burnt out.

When we work from home, it’s easy to feel that line blur. It’s more challenging to separate our work life from our home life.

To boost employee morale, a proper work-life balance is needed. Ensure your team knows the utmost importance of this.

An easy way to promote a healthy lifestyle is to urge employees to take regular breaks during the day. Set boundaries, and encourage taking time off when needed.

You don’t want your team to get so caught up in their working responsibilities that their personal life starts to suffer. Set clear expectations about what is needed at work, and then reiterate that professional responsibilities don’t outweigh personal happiness!

Give Remote Workers The Tools To Succeed

Morale gives employees the empowerment to thrive and grow in their roles. A positive attitude and a willingness to learn are arguably the most powerful assets a modern-day employee can have.

Virtual workplaces are taking the world by storm. The flexibility that remote working offers are unparalleled and increasingly appealing.

So as an organization leader, it’s essential to know how to adapt to this new type of workforce and essentially serve as emcee when needed. From a business perspective, it’s necessary for company growth and development. But from a human perspective, it’s vital for the happiness of your virtual team.

Boosting employee morale isn’t something you can let fall by the wayside. So whether you host a company event or set up a couple of new Slack channels, it’s up to you to create a happy and healthy workplace!

Keep Reading: Top 6 Public Speakers In The World Right Now

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The post 6 Tips For Boosting Morale Among Remote Employees appeared first on Adam Christing.

11 Virtual Celebration Ideas For Remote Teams This Holiday Season

Adam Christing — Wed, 02 Nov 2022 08:00:23 +0000

Virtual team celebrations are a fun way of boosting morale and even employee engagement. With the holiday season creeping up on us, it’s smart to get ahead of some virtual team celebration ideas.

Below are some virtual team celebration ideas that spell out CELEBRATION. Literally. (You know me and acronyms.)

So get ready to roll out these virtual celebrations with your remote employees and have a blast in the next couple of months.

Quick Glance

Take a look at these virtual team CELEBRATION ideas to inspire your next round of virtual events:

Come together with a virtual cooking class
Enjoy your team’s success by celebrating unexpected days
Let your hair down with virtual happy hours
Escape to a virtual retreat with your remote teams
Bust a move at your virtual team dance party
Reward team members with a virtual team award show
Arrange a virtual gift exchange for a virtual celebration
Try your hand at online games to make remote work more enjoyable
Incorporate a group chat into the mix to keep the virtual events going
Own your online parties with the right emcee to help you pull them off
Now, let the virtual team celebration begin

Virtual Team CELEBRATION Ideas

With the right emcee leading your virtual events, you’ll have remote team members asking for these kinds of events year-round.

#1. Come together with a virtual cooking class

It’s not unusual for team members to share a meal, especially when coming together to celebrate. But when every team member is in a different location, sharing a meal can suddenly become very hard.

Rather than give up in defeat, instigate a video call and enroll your team members in an online cooking class. You can send out the ingredients to team members ahead of time.

That way, the whole virtual team will get to enjoy the same meal. Besides, it’ll give certain team members the chance to show off their culinary skills!

#2. Enjoy all types of special occasions

The holidays are among us. But you can have virtual team celebrations any time of the year. Simply choose from this list of unexpectedly real holidays:

World Penguin Day

World Penguin Day is coming up in April 2023. Hire an emcee to make your virtual meeting one that gets down to business and one that celebrates one of the most unique birds on the planet.

International Burger Day

Next up in May, we have International Burger Day. As America’s most iconic food, it’s only fitting it receives its own national holiday.

You can even use this as an opportunity to share some icebreakers with virtual team members. What ingredients do they like to put on their burgers?

What vegetarian options are out there that you haven’t thought of yet? Already, you can see just how animated the conversation can become from these simple questions.

World Animal Day

World Animal Day just passed us at the beginning of October. But with Halloween coming up, you can resurrect this day of animal awareness and encourage team members to show up to the meeting in costume!

World Art Day

World Art Day also occurs in April. But you can use this as a jumping-off point to ask coworkers about their favorite works of art or artists.

As you can see, these virtual team celebration ideas aren’t just about finding any holiday to celebrate. It’s about fostering connections with your team members.

And if you don’t have a corporate emcee to do just that, then these icebreakers will give you a headstart.

World Mental Health Day

Mental health is something we all need to prioritize in our lives. So why not introduce World Mental Health Day to your coworkers and set aside a day to practice some wellness activities?

This kind of bonding exercise is great for reminding your team members to care for themselves. After all, a team that’s mentally fit is the best kind to get things done.

#3. Let your hair down with a virtual happy hour

There are plenty of online tools out there to help you connect with your colleagues. But sometimes, sharing a cocktail or mocktail is the perfect way to unwind and celebrate.

celebrate your team members with A cocktail shake-up

To make the night a little more interactive, you can always plan a Cocktail Shake Up. This virtual game is simple.

Each team member receives a package full of ingredients. Then, team members get to enjoy a drink tutorial on the video call, shaking up their cocktail/mocktail kit to raise their glasses in a toast.

#4. Escape the daily grind with a virtual escape room

Virtual escape rooms offer an exciting way for team members to collaborate while indulging in a fun activity. Even if they’ve never done an escape room before, a virtual escape room is a great way to ease into it.

Virtual escape rooms foster collaboration and team building

Virtual celebrations aren’t just about fun and games. They can actually be about training team members in acquiring new skill sets.

An escape room is a great way to get team members to communicate and collaborate. Sure, it’s a fun game that takes you on an online trip to a spooky haunted mansion or a 1950s diner.

But that doesn’t mean your coworkers can’t still work on their team-building skills at the same time! Consider it two birds with one stone.

Bonus: 9 Things To Expect From Your Event Staff

#5. Break out the moves with a virtual dance party

When you’re working remotely, it can be difficult to find ways to stay active throughout the day. After all, you’re not running from one meeting room to another.

You’re just clicking an Invite link to open up Zoom. But a dance party can offer remote employees the chance to let their hair down (metaphorically speaking).

And if your office isn’t full of a bunch of movers and shakers, there are plenty of creative ways to get everyone involved. Remember those dancing Elf eCards everyone used to send around?

Get your coworkers to paste their faces on a dancing elf and they can join in on the fun!

#6. Recognize achievements among your virtual team with a virtual awards show

It’s important to take stock of the milestones you’ve crossed as a company. Even if those milestones are small, celebrating them gives the whole team a morale boost.

You can even make up fun awards like, “Best Microsoft Teams Coordinator,” or even a “Per My Last Email” to shake things up a bit. This can give folks a good laugh while also reminding them that their efforts are continually appreciated.

While the holidays offer a time of reflection, this kind of recognition can happen year-round. In fact, it should!

Studies show that employee recognition benefits not only those who are awarded as the best performers. But even the potential of receiving a reward increases all workers’ performance ability.

#7. Arrange a virtual gift exchange

A gift exchange is a staple of any office during the holiday season. But just because your office has gone virtual doesn’t mean you can’t partake in the gift-giving process.

Assign each team member another team member to anonymously gift to. And these gifts don’t need to be expensive – they can even be sent electronically!

Then, as the virtual team celebration rolls out, have folks open up their anonymous gifts on the call. You can even make it fun, having team members guess who gifted what to who.

#8. Take your virtual party on the road with a virtual trip

It sure would be nice to treat the office to an outing. Well, you still can with a virtual trip!

Take your coworkers on a tour of a museum or even a holiday destination to make it all the more festive. If you have team members who are already working across the world from each other, consider asking each member to show off something unique about their locale.

These kinds of virtual tours can build a sense of community among your virtual teams. Besides, that’s what these virtual team celebrations are all about.

#9. Indulge in party games galore with a board game night

You’d be surprised at how many online versions of board games there are. Games like Clue, Codenames, and Do You Know Me can easily be found with any Google search.

All you have to do is organize your team around a time and get to playing!

#10. Online celebrations need online emcees too

If these kinds of celebrations aren’t quite your speed, you can always reach out for help. Virtual emcees know just how to keep everyone engaged while keeping the event moving along.

Whether it’s a corporate holiday party or simply a chance to get to know your remote employees better, a good emcee can surely help your cause.

I like to meet with clients before the virtual event itself to make sure I know their event goals. This way, my emcee style can be uniquely catered to their specific group.

Good emcees will follow suit. So as you look around for hired emcees, make sure they’re going to put in the right amount of effort to make your virtual team celebrations unforgettable!

#11. Now, keep the virtual team CELEBRATION ideas going!

A sign of a successful event is when coworkers can’t stop talking about it. So keep the celebrations going with these virtual ideas!

GIVE Social media shout-outs to each team member

Create a group chat if you haven’t already for your virtual team and highlight individual members for their efforts. These small recognitions can boost morale along the way and remind folks that communicating their gratitude is an important part of your office culture.

Create a highlight reel for your remote team

Thanks to TikTok, reels are all the rage. So why not compile your team’s highlights into a reel to share with folks throughout the year?

This is a creative way of capturing your team’s success, reminding them to take stock of all that they’ve accomplished.

Make a team timeline

If you want to make the above option a little more collaborative, opt for a team timeline. Use group-sharing programs like Adobe Spark for folks to commemorate the history of their team throughout the year.

Look back on this timeline to see just how far you’ve come. And enjoy all of the small celebrations that folks add for a little burst of personality from each team member.

I can guarantee you that you’ll look at this timeline time and time again (no pun intended). When it comes to community-building, this kind of virtual database can inspire folks to see just how much they’re capable of doing, even when working with folks remotely.

Final thoughts

There are plenty of ways to put the CELEBRATION into your virtual team activities. These ideas merely skim the surface.

But with the right emcee by your side, any of the ideas above will be an absolute hit. Coworkers may even ask for these types of events to happen more often!

So give the office what it wants and infuse the spirit of CELEBRATION into your office culture year-round.

Keep Reading: 13 Tips For Designing An Event-Planning Agenda

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The post 11 Virtual Celebration Ideas For Remote Teams This Holiday Season appeared first on Adam Christing.

4 Ways To Stay Calm Under Pressure At Work

Adam Christing — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 08:00:28 +0000

Nobody is immune to feeling stressed. But staying calm during a stressful situation is a superpower many positive people have learned to develop over time.

Below, I have listed 4 tips to help you stay calm under pressure. Whether you’re at work, on stage giving a funny keynote speech, or simply need a break, these tips will surely help you stay positive through it all.

So, let’s dive into how you can remain CALM.

Key Takeaways

Use the acronym CALM to reduce stress and bring your focus back to the present. You can use these strategies in every area of your life.

Cool down
Assess your surroundings
Loosen your jaw
Make a plan

Whether you feel stress and pressure from work, at home, or elsewhere, begin identifying how you can take back control in a stressful situation and build confidence in your calm demeanor.

#1. Cool down

You might think your feelings only live inside your head. But they can actually manifest in your body through your sympathetic nervous system.

When emotions bubble up, you feel your heart rate start to speed up. Your internal temperature rises. Your palms perspire when you’re overwhelmed or your cheeks get flushed when you’re embarrassed.

All of this is completely normal. In fact, every person you’ve ever met in your entire life has probably experienced these exact same things.

I experience this a lot before stepping onto a stage to emcee. But over time, I’ve learned to cool down my body first in order to take back control over any emotion like stress or pressure.

Address your physiological response before your emotions

When I say “cool down,” I mean it literally. Drink a glass of iced water. Take a walk and get some fresh air.

Literally cooling down your body and your brain helps to rid of your body’s fight-or-flight response. As you cool down, you’re actually activating the mammalian diving reflex, kicking on your parasympathetic nervous system.

This nervous system is responsible for kickstarting the process of relaxation. So the next time you feel overwhelmed and start to worry, stop what you’re doing and cool down.

#2. Assess your surroundings

When you feel stressed, it’s easy to lose sight of your surroundings. You’ve heard the phrase, “blind with rage,” right?

Well, there’s some truth to that. When you’re stressed, it’s difficult to think through things rationally and logically.

Whether it’s concerning a work project you’re acting as lead on or a fight you’ve had with someone at home, any disruption to your daily flow can feel overwhelming.

In fact, a recent study found that anger expression was associated with altered amygdala responses in the brain. That’s why it is imperative to take a moment to stay calm and bring back your sense of reality.

Practice the 5-4-3-2-1 technique to ground yourself in the present

The 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique utilizes all of your senses. You can easily do this sitting quietly at your desk.

Start with some deep breathing, then acknowledge or mentally list out five things that you can see around you. Next, acknowledge four things that you can touch around you.

Then, acknowledge three things you can hear. Two things you can smell. And lastly, one thing you can taste.

Once you’ve focused on each of these senses, take a final deep breath in through your nose and out through your mouth.

See? Doesn’t that to-do list seem a lot easier to manage now? Just take it one task at a time – the same way you breathe one breath at a time.

Bonus: 10 Questions To Ask A Venue Before Booking Your Event Space

#3. Loosen your jaw

Most people don’t realize that they’re keeping stress in their bodies. Take a moment to identify right now if you’re clenching your jaw.

If you are, loosen it. If your shoulders are tight, relax them down your back. If your fists are clenched, shake them out.

Many people use exercise as a means to combat anxiety and panic and for good reason too. When you’re “too in your head,” it helps to get back into your body.

Take slow, deep breaths as you do a full body scan

Visualize a scanner starting at the top of your head and trickling its way down to your toes. As you scan the different parts of you, focus on each part and notice whether you’re holding any tension there.

If you are, breathe into that tension to release it. Continue scanning until you’ve reached your toes, and focus on your breathing all the while.

This is one of the many strategies that people use to help them relax into sleep or even during a meditation session. The process can feel difficult to some who are just starting out.

But over time, you’ll be able to sit and identify what physical areas require some extra breath.

#4. Make a plan

Once you finally feel calm, it’s time to make a plan. Stress can make you feel out of control, but you can always take that power back.

Write down all the tasks you need to accomplish and focus on which task needs to be accomplished first. Just like with any project, it’s important to take things one step at a time until you can master the entire thing.

Stressful situations are more manageable when you feel calmer

Many people think they don’t have the time to stay calm. But you may have noticed that the strategies I listed above don’t take very long to do.

In fact, dedicating just a couple of minutes to breathing deeply can help you maximize the next couple of hours you have at work. If you let that stress and pressure get to you, you’ll eventually break.

Then, you’ll spend more time trying to catch back up. All of this is to say that breathing and staying calm are worthwhile strategies for you to implement during times of stress no matter where you are.

You may even find yourself becoming more productive once you have a handle on stress.

Final thoughts

Putting aside some time each day to practice these positive techniques can help you stay calm and manage your tasks more effectively. Stress is an inevitable and sometimes essential part of life.

But that doesn’t mean you, your sleep, or your tasks should suffer because of it. When you practice the positive ability to stay calm, you invest in a more balanced and happier life.

Just remember to take things one task at a time.

You’ve got this!

Keep Reading: 9 Things To Expect From Your Event Staff

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The post 4 Ways To Stay Calm Under Pressure At Work appeared first on Adam Christing.

How to Improve Employee Engagement in 15 Easy Steps

Adam Christing — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 17:09:13 +0000

Want to build a staff of engaged employees? Smart thinking! I’ve got 15 tips to help you get started.

This is my ultimate guide on how to improve employee engagement.

Employee Engagement Tip #1: Investigate Company Culture with an Open Mind

Like grilled cheese and tomato soup, a highly engaged staff pairs perfectly with great company culture.

If your company culture is lacking, I wouldn’t be surprised if you found employee engagement dropping simultaneously.

Conduct an internal review of your workplace environment.

Collect data on employee satisfaction, productivity, attrition, customer loyalty, and more.

Use your findings to identify areas where employee engagement levels could improve.

Evaluate processes used by your staff. Are they effective? Could ineffective processes be impacting workforce engagement?

Or, could employee morale simply need a boost with a corporate MC leading a meeting every now and then?

There are circumstances in which disengaged employees weigh down effective systems.

However, it is more likely that ineffective systems are frustrating employees, resulting in a lack of motivation.

Employee Engagement Tip #2: Provide Professional Development Opportunities

One of the best ways to engage employees is by offering career growth opportunities.

Leadership workshops, technical skill classes, and networking conferences are all excellent chances to invest in your staff.

Invest in your staff’s personal growth.

It increases their self-esteem, broadens their skill sets, and inspires them to engage more actively with the work.

When staff sees no chance for career development, they may get complacent. Instead of resting on this, provide employees with tools to forge exciting career paths for themselves.

It is also investing in your business. You want employees with confidence and useful skills!

Employee Engagement Tip #3: Distribute an Employee Engagement Survey

This is a simple but effective way to increase job satisfaction and employee engagement.

Employee engagement surveys demonstrate that you care about your staff’s opinions.

Send around a thoughtful survey asking employees’ thoughts on topics such as:

What keeps them motivated at work; where does their intrinsic motivation come from?
What are their biggest frustrations about the workplace?
What do they appreciate or enjoy most about the workplace culture?

Once you collect their results, read them carefully.

Consider what improvements you can make to encourage everyone to become engaged employees.

Employees will greatly appreciate seeing changes that show their voices are valued.

Employee Engagement Tip #4: Rework the Company’s Mission to Reflect How Employees Feel

Many engaged employees work for organizations they support on a moral level.

So if you want to increase employee engagement levels, ensure the organization’s mission statement resonates with staff.

Maybe employees like the mission but do not feel it’s being met.

Sit down for conversations with the staff.

What can the business or organization change or improve upon? How can your actions as a leader help employees feel proud of where they work?

Ask employees to send you their suggestions as far as improvements to the mission statement.

Make updating the statement a joint endeavor that takes everyone’s thoughts into consideration. Even bring a master of ceremonies into the picture to help moderate these goals and visions.

Employee Engagement Tip #5: Analyze How the Most Engaged Employees Perform

Even if staff engagement is a challenge right now, I’m sure there are a few engaged employees.

What do they do that sets them apart?

Do they always arrive on time?
Do they have the mental energy to contribute creative ideas?
Do they volunteer to help others where needed?

Talk to these employees and ask what is allowing them to perform this way.

Did they receive proper training where others did not?
Have they had opportunities for employee growth and promotions that others did not?

Consider how you can equip everyone with the tools these employees had to make them successful.

Employee Engagement Tip #6: Get Everyone On Board to Welcome New Employees

It can be scary to start a new job and be highly engaged right off the bat.

Help new employees feel comfortable by inviting existing employees to join the onboarding process.

Ask existing employees to lead trainings, Q&A sessions, and take the new hires to lunch.

This immediate showing of community will demonstrate to new employees that engagement is important here.

Some folks never quite get over the fear of not being a “cool kid” in school.

Foster a work environment where it is cool to participate and help each other out!

Employee Engagement Tip #7: Encourage Middle Management to Budget for Team Bonding

I cannot express how important it is for employees to feel safe and comfortable around one another.

One of the most effective ways to accomplish this is by designating time for team bonding.

Don’t just encourage managers to set aside time for this. Equip managers with the budgets they need to do so.

Team bonding should not be a one-and-done activity.

On at least a quarterly basis, teams should do something fun together like:

Go out for lunch off-campus;
Spend the afternoon doing a fun outdoor activity like mini golfing or a ropes course;
Attend an outdoor concert or movie under the stars;
Do trivia together and share knowledge.

Activities like this enable employees to build friendships.

Once they feel this comfort with one another, they will be more likely to stay engaged.

Employee Engagement Tip #8: Have Heart-to-Hearts with Actively Disengaged Employees

It can be difficult to talk to actively disengaged employees. However, these conversations are vital.

Employee disengagement can happen for many reasons.

Maybe they had an ineffective supervisor;
Perhaps they have something going on at home that is distracting them;
Or maybe they have done the same job for too long and need a new challenge.

The case will be different for each individual employee.

It is crucial that you listen to each one and treat it as the unique story it is.

If you are open, you will learn something about your business and how it can improve.

Honor what the employee says and make effective changes based on their recommendations.

I promise, you will see less employee turnover.

Employee Engagement Tip #9: Create Opportunities for Employee Recognition

One of the best ways to lose employee engagement is to let employees go unrecognized.

A lack of recognition communicates a lack of respect and gratitude for their hard work.

If you find improving employee engagement important, make a strong effort to recognize them.

Employees achieve great things every day!

Maybe someone handled a difficult customer experience beautifully;
Another found a solution to a technical problem that had lasted weeks;
Yet another stepped up and ran a big meeting when their supervisor was out sick.

Celebrate these wins!

From a weekly email shoutout to a formal award ceremony, let your staff know how much you appreciate them.

Bonus: So, You Want to Know What Event Staff Is?

Employee Engagement Tip #10: Schedule Designated Times for Employee Feedback

Did you know that employees crave feedback? It’s true!

It can be stressful for employees to not know what their supervisors think of their work.

Instruct managers to establish regular review sessions with their direct reports.

Regular feedback serves a multitude of purposes:

Lets employees know what they are doing well and where they can improve;
Improves communication between employees and supervisors;
Ensures that the work is being done in the most efficient way possible.

Employee Engagement Tip #11: Instigate a Company-Wide Wellness Initiative

Employees are more likely to be engaged when they feel valued and respected.

Show that you care for your staff by establishing an ongoing initiative dedicated to wellness.

Your wellness plan can look many different ways:

Reimbursements for gym memberships;
Discounts at local grocery stores;
Free healthy snacks in the break room;
Free memberships to fitness apps;
Company-sponsored group workout classes offered once a week.

Create a company wide schedule and encourage employees to participate.

Not only will they appreciate the company offering another perk.

They will find new ways to bond with each other over wellness.

Employee Engagement Tip #12: Prioritize Relationship Building to Increase Employee Engagement

Measuring employee engagement can be a challenge.

If you want to see a truly engaged workforce, focus on relationship building.

Improving engagement starts with relationships.

Engagement is all about participation and communication, right?

Employees aren’t going to want to spend that time with people they don’t know.

Create opportunities for staff to create bonds with one another and watch their engagement blossom:

Schedule staff picnics and other fun bonding events (food always gets people talking!);
Put together a trivia game for employees and have them work together;
Create affinity groups for staff with shared experiences.

Employee Engagement Tip #13: Boost Employee Engagement by Inviting Employees to Participate in the Hiring Process

We’ve discussed including employees in the onboarding process.

But there are many benefits to having them participate in talent acquisition processes, as well.

As we mentioned before, engagement is all about relationships.

It motivates employees to collaborate if they had a hand in hiring their team. When it’s time to hire someone new, invite that position’s main collaborators to participate in the interviews.

The more you do this, the more engagement you will see throughout the entire organization.

Employee Engagement Tip #14: Demonstrate That You Value Employees’ Passion Projects

One great way to ensure employees stay engaged is to honor their passions.

Sure, they knew what the job was when they applied for it. But how can you help them integrate their other passions into the work?

Allowing employees to incorporate their talents and pleasures into work vastly improves the employee experience. It makes employees more excited to come to work and more motivated to engage with colleagues and customers.

Employee Engagement Tip #15: Prioritize Mental Health

One of the hardest parts of the employee experience is balancing work responsibilities with personal commitments. If you find improving employee engagement important, you will help set boundaries for work-life balance.

The better rest employees get when they’re away from work, the more engaged they will be upon returning. Do not sap their energy by emailing on off hours. Or texting on weekends. Or sending last-minute projects on Friday afternoons.

Instead, honor employees’ boundaries and recognize the mental health benefits of work-life balance.

Now You’re Ready to Start Improving Employee Engagement!

You wanted to know how to improve employee engagement. Let’s review what we’ve learned!

#1: Investigate company culture with an open mind.

#2: Provide professional development opportunities.

#3: Distribute an employee engagement survey.

#4: Rework the company’s mission to reflect how employees feel.

#5: Analyze how the most engaged employees perform.

#6: Get everyone on board to welcome new employees.

#7: Encourage middle management to budget for team bonding.

#8: Have heart-to-hearts with actively disengaged employees.

#9: Create opportunities for employee recognition.

#10: Schedule designated times for employee feedback.

#11: Instigate a company-wide wellness initiative.

#12: Prioritize relationships to improve employee engagement.

#13: Boost employee engagement by inviting employees to participate in hiring.

#14: Demonstrate that you value employees’ passion projects.

#15: Prioritize mental health.

I can’t wait to hear about the transformations you see!

Keep Reading: Your 12-Step Guide to Becoming an Event Planner

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The post How to Improve Employee Engagement in 15 Easy Steps appeared first on Adam Christing.