Walking in the midday sun it occurred to me how important holidays are to recharge our batteries and to take a moment away from responsibility to 'just be'
Smiley faces, relaxed body language and a general chilled demeanour that somehow feels different to a standard weekend day, perhaps it is the 'bonus day' element that gives a Bank Holiday its unique feel
It got me reflecting on how powerful it would be if we could replicate this feeling for a small element of every working day and the positive impact this would have on employee engagement
Those who know me well will know that increasing employee engagement is one of my key priorities, indeed it is one of the founding principles of Fairway Learning. I believe that fulfilment and engagement must be present before any meaningful achievement can take place
The Hay Group recently reported the following
Organisations with highly engaged employees:
- Are 50% more likely to exceed expectations
- Have 54% higher employee retention
- Demonstrate 89% more customer satisfaction
- Achieve fourfold in revenue growth
We can clearly see the link between engagement and productivity so why wouldn't we focus on this both for individuals and the organisation?
Here are my top tips for extending that Bank Holiday feeling:
- Let people be themselves, give individuals options for how they spend their break times with quieter areas as well as social areas
- Encourage informal conversations, do meetings always need to be in an office? Perhaps a walk in the sunshine could be a better way to conduct a monthly review
- Magnify peoples strengths, allow individuals to create an environment that enables them to achieve success
- Consider rewards that are in addition to financial, remember the delight of a bonus of a Bank Holiday - how can you recreate that delight whilst at work?
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