Employees are the lifeblood of every business, its growth and success. By leveraging the energy of motivated employees, companies can drive remarkable growth, retain top talent, and cultivate a strong reputation.
Motivated and engaged employees are also productive and efficient. The moment employee engagement starts dropping, businesses start losing their revenue.
Disengaged employees lack motivation to improve, which can quickly become ingrained in the company culture if not properly monitored and addressed.
To prevent your employees from losing motivation and becoming disengaged, you can use corporate events such as team-building, conferences, seminars, and socials. These events are designed to increase employee performance, productivity, and retention.
Let’s discover the role of corporate events in enhancing employee engagement.
What is employee engagement?
To be able to explain the relationship between corporate events and employee engagement, we need to know what exactly is employee engagement.
To effectively foster engagement, businesses need to clearly define what it means and recognize how it manifests within their organization.
A very small number of companies measure employee engagement. This only means that businesses still disregard or don’t know the importance of employee engagement.
Employee engagement refers to the mental and emotional bond employees have with their company and the work they do. It’s important to understand that engagement goes beyond employee happiness, satisfaction, or well-being.
While these elements contribute to a positive work environment, they don’t necessarily reflect the deeper connection employees feel toward the organization.
Four levels of employee engagement
If measured on a scale, there are four levels of employee engagement with the highest being strongly engaged and lowest disengaged.
Strongly engaged employees
These types of employees have a very positive opinion about the company they work in and feel deeply connected to their teams. They are passionate about their work, consistently go above and beyond, and exhibit strong loyalty, often staying with the organization long-term. Hence, their enthusiasm also inspires and motivates others to perform at their best.
Mildly engaged employees
Unlike highly engaged employees, mildly engaged only view a company they work for as “OK”. They feel like there are opportunities for improvement in their company.
These employees seldom take on extra tasks or seek additional opportunities. They tend to do only the bare minimum required. There is usually something hindering their full engagement, whether it’s related to their specific role or the company overall. Addressing these underlying issues could help increase their level of involvement.
Somewhat engaged employees
Somewhat engaged employees don’t have any opinion about the company they work for. In turn, this means that they have no loyalty and will leave the moment something better comes their way.
Their performance is minimal, so much so that they often underperform. These types of employees can diminish the morale of those around them and present a significant turnover risk.
Disengaged employees
As expected, these kinds of employees have a negative opinion of the company and they are the ones who complain the most about everything.
They are entirely disengaged from your company’s mission, goals, and future. Lacking commitment to their roles and responsibilities, these employees can negatively affect your organization, as their pessimistic outlook may hinder the productivity of their colleagues.
How to boost employee morale with corporate events?
Corporate events are a great way of enhancing employee engagement. They offer an excellent opportunity to strengthen company culture, connect with colleagues, and enhance motivation. In turn, this leads to increased employee productivity, resulting in higher-quality work and greater revenue.
According to the event management company Veritas, corporate events have numerous advantages both for employees and the company.
However, there are various types of events to choose from, and not every event suits every situation. Therefore, it’s important to first define your goals for employee engagement and then select the event that best aligns with those objectives.
Seminars
This type of corporate event is mainly focused on training and education.
One of the main advantages of seminars is that they allow for focused training and practical skill development in a small group setting. This helps employees feel better equipped and prepared for their roles.
Seminars are particularly effective for teaching specific skills to certain teams or for training employees on essential business protocols, such as data security and workplace harassment.
Conferences
Conferences are typically meant for industry-wide events or product launches. Involving employees in conferences can be a valuable way for them to gain new perspectives, rejuvenate their creativity, and learn about industry-related topics.
Alternatively, businesses can choose to host in-house conferences, which are increasingly popular as a means to provide educational and uplifting experiences for employees.
Office parties
Office parties primarily serve for entertainment and enjoyment, and while they can support company culture, they are not suited for training or educational purposes.
They are an excellent way to boost morale, show appreciation, and engage with employees in a relaxed setting. Additionally, parties provide an opportunity for employees to unwind and de-stress outside of the office.
A thoughtfully organized party can also help break down organizational silos and foster positive relationships among different departments.
Team building
These corporate events are designed to build relationships and strengthen connections between employees. While often informal, these events play a key role in fostering learning and engagement. They introduce exciting activities or experiences that emphasize the value of teamwork.
There are many types of team-building activities to explore, and part of the fun is discovering new options each time you organize one.
Conclusion
Employee engagement is a crucial aspect that requires greater focus from executives. Motivated and engaged employees are more committed to the company’s future and success, often going above and beyond their responsibilities. Their positive attitude, motivation, and respect for the company can also inspire those around them.
Corporate events play a significant role in enhancing employee engagement by providing opportunities to show appreciation and respect.
These events offer an ideal platform for employees to connect with other teams, acquire or refine skills, deepen their understanding of company culture, and feel more involved in the business’s success.
