20 employee engagement ideas to motivate your team

How the right staff engagement ideas support your business and your team 

With Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2023 Report showing that almost 90% of UK employees are disengaged from their job, it’s clear that many companies aren’t doing enough to keep their employees motivated.  

Disengaged workers may be watching the clock, putting in only the minimum effort, and either quiet quitting or looking for new opportunities. 

Organisations that proactively work to research and implement the right initiatives to improve employee engagement will see better staff retention and motivation rates, putting them on the path to greater business success.  

It’s important to remember that not all of the ideas for employee engagement listed here will be right for your organisation, so you should avoid implementing them without a strategic approach.

20 employee engagement activities and ideas

We’ve put together some top employee engagement ideas that will help you to structure a bespoke strategy for your organisation. Don’t worry about trying to implement them all; instead focus on the activities that best support your employee engagement goals. 

1. Provide clear career pathways 

Outlining potential career progressions and the required competencies for each role can help employees to better understand their options, and what they need to do to take the next step.  

This can be integrated into performance reviews and career development discussions, but it’s also useful to make information on progression and job descriptions easily available to employees, such as on the staff intranet. 

Providing clear career pathways helps employees to envision a long-term future with the company, enhancing morale and retention. 

Key points: 

• Clearly outline and communicate career progression options 
• Integrate career pathways into performance and development plans 
• This staff engagement idea enhances employee retention and internal talent development 

2. Offer growth opportunities 

Involving employees in training, workshops and diverse projects fosters a learning culture within the organisation.  

By providing various internal and external training programs employees stay motivated and updated with industry trends. As well as boosting engagement, this also benefits the organisation by providing improved skills and knowledge. 

Providing the right career development software can make a huge difference too, giving employees the tools they need to drive their development. 

Offering growth opportunities can also include encouraging mentorship initiatives. As well as helping to provide less established members of staff with more skills and confidence, it allows mentors to equip themselves with important soft skills that will help to support their own career development. 

Key points: 

• Provide diverse training and development programs 
• Encourage mentorship and project involvement 
• This idea for employee engagement enhances the skills of your team members 

3. Set short-term goals and targets 

Setting long-term goals is great, but they need to be complimented with shorter-term, more actionable goals and steps too. 

Setting short-term goals and targets helps to keep employees focused and engaged. Managers should work with employees to set specific and measurable objectives with specific deadlines, which could be weekly, monthly or quarterly, for example. 

This approach helps employees to feel more invested in their development and provides a sense of accomplishment as each goal is met. 

Key points: 

• Set achievable, short-term objectives aligned with company and employee goals 
• Involve employees in goal-setting so they feel more invested 
• This employee engagement activity provides an ongoing sense of accomplishment 

4. Prioritise a healthy work-life balance

From more complex customer demands to economic recession, there are many reasons why workers in all industries are feeling the pressure, so it’s important to ensure that they have adequate time to recharge. 

Prioritising a healthy work-life balance is crucial for reducing burnout and increasing productivity. This can be achieved by implementing flexible working hours, encouraging regular breaks and vacations, and avoiding expectations of work being completed outside standard hours. 

Key points: 

• Implement flexible working arrangements 
• Encourage regular breaks and vacations 
• This employee engagement activity reduces burnout and boosts productivity 

5. Ask your employees how they work best 

Different people thrive in different working environments, and your workplace won’t be the best fit for everyone as standard.  

However, this doesn’t always mean that an individual isn’t right for the job; a few simple changes can significantly increase job satisfaction and employee engagement. 

Ask employees what conditions they work best in and, where possible, make reasonable adjustments to support their preferred working styles.  

This could be working remotely, limiting customer interaction, or implementing weekly one-to-ones with a team leader to track progress. Allowing employees to work in a way that feels comfortable and constructive also increases productivity, helping the wider organisation to meet business goals. 

Key points: 

• Ask employees for their input on work preferences 
• Make reasonable accommodations 
• This employee engagement initiative increases job satisfaction and productivity 

6. Focus on output, not hours worked 

Working more doesn’t always equate to working better, and employees who are less engaged in their roles may feel as though they are simply clocking in and engaging in busy work to fill an eight-hour day.  

Instead of enforcing set working hours, employers may look to shift to an output-focussed approach. The UK’s four-day work week pilot found that out of employees participating in the trial, 39% were less stressed and 71% had reduced levels of burnout, showing that working fewer hours can be highly beneficial to employee engagement. 

Companies can shift to an output-focussed approach in many ways, and as the above research demonstrates, there are many ways an employer can change the hours and days employees work to suit both the business and its employees. 

Focusing on output rather than hours worked shifts the emphasis to productivity and efficiency. However, it’s important to set clear expectations for deliverables, and to use metrics that reflect the quality of output to monitor performance. This approach reduces unnecessary stress on employees, embraces a healthy work-life balance, and better accommodates different working styles. 

Key points: 

• Prioritise deliverables over hours logged 
• Use output-based metrics to track employee performance 
• This employee engagement example promotes efficiency and reduces stress 

7. Prioritise flexibility in the workplace 

It’s always important to remember that the people working for you are just that: people. They have lives and responsibilities outside of work and are susceptible to physical and mental illnesses, all of which may affect their attendance or performance.  

This is the case for both new hires with certain requirements, as well as current members of the team who may become unable to perform their job roles as initially outlined. 

Prioritising flexibility in the workplace, including offering variable hours and remote working options, leads to increased job satisfaction and can attract a more diverse workforce.  

Working together to develop solutions that suit both the employer and the employee fosters a culture of mutual respect and understanding that supports engagement and company loyalty. 

Key points: 

• Offer remote work and flexible schedules 
• Adapt existing job roles for flexibility as required 
• This employee engagement program increases job satisfaction and attracts diverse talent 

8. Train and support leaders in your organisation 

While it may be a little cliché, there is some truth to the idea that people leave bad bosses rather than bad jobs.  

Conflict with managers can cause even the most dedicated employees to feel unappreciated and lose motivation, so it’s important to develop competent, effective leaders in your organisation. 

Training and supporting leaders is crucial for inspiring teams and improving performance. Offering leadership training programs, resources for continuous learning, and opportunities to cultivate strong leadership soft skills can significantly enhance team dynamics and contribute to a positive workplace culture. 

Key points: 

• Provide comprehensive leadership training programs 
• Offer resources and opportunities to support continuous learning 
• This employee engagement idea improves team performance and workplace culture 

9. Invest in software to support your staff 

One of the greatest benefits of the modern workplace is the ability to use various different types of software and technology to complete certain tasks. This can boost productivity by saving time and reducing errors, resulting in greater efficiency for the organisation.  

By streamlining or even automating processes, the right software can help to reduce manual workloads, minimise stress and improve communication for employees, increasing satisfaction and engagement levels. 

It’s important to adequately train employees on any new software to promote a smooth transition, and implement regular feedback loops to ensure that new solutions work as expected and are beneficial to the workforce. 

Our HR software suite helps improve employee engagement by combining the tools and platforms you and your employees use every day into one single-sign on solution, bringing with it all the benefits outlined above, plus much more. 

Key points: 

• Use technology to streamline work processes 
• Invest in appropriate software solutions 
• This staff engagement idea improves efficiency and employee satisfaction 

10. Treat all employees fairly and equally 

As well as promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace, it’s important to avoid a ‘one rule for some, another rule for others’ culture.  

This applies between both employees and employers, and among peers within the organisation. Ensuring that all employees are held to the same standards whilst respecting their unique differences can help people to feel valued and respected. 

Treating all employees fairly and offering equal opportunities is fundamental for creating an inclusive workplace. Developing and enforcing policies that promote fairness and regularly reviewing practices to prevent discrimination can contribute to higher employee morale and reduce legal risks. 

Key points: 

• Hold employees to the same standards 
• Develop policies promoting fairness and equality 
• This idea for employee engagement creates a respectful and inclusive workplace 

11. Offer unique employee discounts and benefits 

From employee discounts at all the popular stores and retailers to providing health and financial support through benefits like the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) and the Technology Scheme, employee benefits like these help improve employee engagement by making a real, meaningful difference to the lives of your employees. 

Offering unique employee discounts and benefits is easier than you might expect, particularly if you implement an employee benefits platform.  

As well as making it easier for your organisation to customise benefits to suit the needs and preferences of your employees, they provide self-service options that allow employees to manage their benefits in their own time. 

Key points: 

• Provide a wide range of employee benefits 
• Customise benefits to meet employee needs 
• This employee engagement activity enhances job satisfaction and talent retention 

12. Provide wellness perks 

Poor wellbeing can lead to demotivation in employees, which can ultimately lead to employees feeling less engaged at work, even if poor wellbeing has been caused by factors outside of the workplace. 

Employee wellbeing benefits that support both physical and mental wellbeing provide an immense amount of value for employees and without doubt can help improve employee engagement. 

Providing wellness perks like gym memberships, health cash plans and even cycle to work schemes shows a commitment to employee wellbeing.  

This approach promotes healthier, more productive employees and demonstrates the company’s investment in their overall health. Even just implementing duvet days can make a big difference to employee engagement. 

Key points: 

• Provide benefits for health and wellbeing, not just monetary perks 
• Implement programs that support both mental and physical health 
• This employee engagement initiative promotes healthier, more productive employees 

13. Recognise and reward employee contributions 

Millennials are estimated to make up 75% of the global workforce by 2025, making them a key demographic to focus on when considering employee engagement initiatives. 

With 92% of millennials stating that recognition of their accomplishments by senior staff and colleagues is “important” or “very important”, reconsidering your employee recognition strategy can help to keep this vital segment of the workforce happier in their roles. 

Recognising and rewarding employee contributions through an employee recognition program is both effective and easy to implement.  

As well as recognition from management, peer-to-peer recognition can offer a valuable boost to employee morale.  

Offering rewards like bonuses, extra time off or simply publicly acknowledging the efforts of certain individuals fosters a more positive workplace culture and can boost motivation and loyalty. 

Key points: 

• Implement a comprehensive recognition program 
• Enable both management-led and peer-to-peer recognition 
• This employee engagement example boosts morale, motivation, and loyalty 

14. Maintain open communication 

Ensuring open, constructive communication is an essential part of creating a healthy workplace environment.  

Regular team meetings, one-on-one discussions and open feedback channels encourage a culture of trust and collaboration that allows employees to feel valued and respected. 

Maintaining open communication, characterised by transparent, two-way dialogues, helps to minimise misunderstandings, improve interpersonal relationships, and boost employee engagement in the workplace.  

Communication is an important soft skill for both managers and employees, and training initiatives to support healthy communication between managers and employees, as well as peer-to-peer discourse, can greatly benefit the wider organisation. 

Key points: 

• Encourage regular, open feedback between managers, employees and peers 
• Implement training initiatives to cultivate communication skills 
• This employee engagement example fosters a culture of trust and collaboration 

15. Focus on relationship building 

Whatever their role or level of seniority, all employees are required to interact with a variety of different people throughout the course of their working day.  

From serving customers and supporting members of the public to engaging in interdepartmental meetings and team projects, employees are continually creating and nurturing relationships.  

The stronger these relationships, the more engaged employees will feel with their colleagues and the wider organisation. 

Focusing on relationship building involves creating opportunities for employees to connect. Organising team-building events, encouraging cross-departmental collaborations and fostering a supportive environment are all great ways to support a healthy working environment.  

Giving employees the tools and guidance they need to better connect and communicate with others helps to enhance teamwork and support interpersonal relationships. 

Key points: 

• Organise team-building activities 
• Encourage cross-departmental collaboration 
• This employee engagement program enhances teamwork and workplace enjoyment 

16. Treat mistakes as learning opportunities 

Nobody likes making mistakes, but it’s an important part of learning. Mistakes can’t always be completely avoided, but the right response to an error can create a powerful learning experience.  

Punishing employees for minor infractions can cause them to feel afraid to own up to their mistakes, creating an unpleasant working environment. 

Treating mistakes as learning opportunities creates a growth-orientated culture that demonstrates respect and an understanding that we’re all human. 

Encouraging open discussions about mistakes and focusing on finding solutions instead of pointing the blame fosters innovation whilst also reducing the fear of failure among employees. 

Many of the worlds most successful businesses operate a “fail fast” policy, where creative thinking and constant testing of new ideas are encouraged, helping accelerate innovation leading to greater success. 

Key points: 

• Focus on solutions and learning instead of blame 
• Encourage open discussions about mistakes 
• This employee engagement idea fosters innovation and reduces fear of failure 

17. Measure employee engagement 

A successful employee engagement initiative requires a strategic approach. It’s therefore important to measure engagement levels before and after implementing changes to assess their effectiveness.  

Using employee engagement software can help you to collate and analyse results, making it easier to spot patterns. 

Measuring employee engagement through regular surveys, feedback tools and other metrics helps you to understand the needs and opinions of your workforce.  

This data-backed approach allows you to make informed decisions and adjustments designed to address known concerns, and offers greater visibility to key stakeholders. 

Key points: 

• Conduct regular employee engagement surveys 
• Utilise employee engagement software for easier analysis 
• This staff engagement idea informs decisions for organisational improvement 

18. Act on feedback 

Regularly distributing employee engagement surveys can help you to understand the current levels of engagement within your workforce, but this information is useless unless you act on your findings.  

Taking positive steps to address concerns highlighted by the surveys shows that they aren’t just a box-ticking exercise and that you’re taking employee satisfaction seriously. 

Acting on feedback is about taking employee opinions and suggestions seriously and implementing changes where feasible.  

It shows employees they are valued and their voices matter. This requires a commitment to transparently communicating how this feedback is used to make improvements and working to create effective solutions to areas of friction. 

Key points: 

• Collect and review employee feedback on a regular basis 
• Implement changes based on suggestions and identified areas of friction 
• This idea for employee engagement demonstrates that employee voices are valued 

19. Give back to the community 

For many employees, and millennials in particular, a fulfilling and engaging career is about more than climbing the corporate ladder.  

They value corporate responsibility, giving back to the community, and going good in the world, and creating an organisational culture that aligns with these values is a great way to build engagement with current and potential employees. 

Giving back to the community through initiatives like volunteer days, charitable donations or community projects enhances the company’s image and helps employees to feel that they are contributing to something bigger.  

This not only benefits the community but also boosts employee pride and loyalty. 

Key points: 

• Align your company culture with the values of your employees 
• Engage with volunteer days, charitable donations and community projects 
• This employee engagement initiative boosts employee pride and benefits the community 

20. Make time for fun 

All work and no play makes for stifling, stressful working conditions, which is exactly what you need to avoid when looking to boost employee engagement.  

While the workplace should be a productive environment, that doesn’t have to mean a serious one, or at least not all the time.  

Don’t just give employees an opportunity to let their hair down; actively encourage them to do so to show your commitment to their mental wellbeing. 

Making time for fun involves incorporating activities that break the routine and add a sense of enjoyment to the workplace. This could be anything from games and social events to ‘bring your pet to work’ days.  

These sorts of activities help to reduce stress, improve team bonding and create a more vibrant work environment.  

As part of your engagement survey initiatives, ask employees what activities they’d like to participate in and try to implement suggestions on a regular basis. 

Key points: 

• Encourage employees to engage in games, social events and fun activities 
• Ask employees what activities they’d like to participate in 
• This employee engagement activity reduces stress and improves team bonding

How to make the most of your employee engagement programs 

With 20% of UK workers saying that they are likely to quit their job in the next year, working to improve employee engagement should be a key consideration for any organisation.  

However, like any workplace initiative, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to creating a successful employee engagement program. Different organisations will have different goals and priorities, just like each individual employee will have their own preferences and ways of working. 

It’s important to research a variety of different employee engagement ideas and see which best suit the needs of your company and workers.  

You can then trial one or two initiatives over a period of six-to-twelve months to assess their effectiveness, and tweak them as necessary.  

Carrying out regular employee engagement surveys is a great way to keep track of your efforts. You can also use them as an opportunity to ask for suggestions about perks, social activities, work-life balance and any other engagement topics so you can work proactively to reduce areas of friction. 

Support your employee engagement initiatives with specialist software 

One of the best ways to implement and keep track of your employee engagement initiatives is to invest in specialist software designed to implement, manage and report on your organisation’s engagement activities. 

Our employee benefits and engagement software provides easy, intuitive functionality for employers and employees alike.  

Combining a wide range of employee benefits with rewards and recognition technology and internal communications tools, our employee engagement software brings together all the tools you need to manage and improve employee engagement.