In our rapidly evolving marketplace, especially in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), building a company culture that fosters highly engaged employees is not just nice to have; it’s a necessity. Engaged employees are the backbone of a successful business, reporting better well-being, superior retention rates, lower absenteeism, and higher productivity.
Engaged teams consistently outperform others and are instrumental in meeting business goals and driving growth. Yet, many companies seem to lose sight of this crucial aspect.
Gallup said global employee engagement was a mere 23 per cent in 2023. This statistic presents a significant opportunity for business leaders to access the untapped potential of the majority. Regardless of your current situation, improving engagement is always within reach. After all, in leading companies, over 70 per cent of employees feel engaged.
In addition, businesses are failing to unlock their employees’ full potential, and poor workforce planning is holding back growth for most organisations. Our recent fourth annual global workforce report titled ‘Building a Resilient Workforce in the Age of AI’ reveals executives are turning to AI and automation to solve challenges but struggle to implement digital strategies effectively and neglect to offer adequate employee training.
Engaging your workforce should be a top priority, as poor workforce planning impedes business growth and diminishes business opportunities due to a lack of talent. This is not the time to ease off. In fact, when navigating a tough market that is rapidly being transformed by AI, it’s crucial to maintain a strong focus on employee engagement.
Also Read: Are you a human resource?
KellyOCG has witnessed the transformative power of consistent investment in employee engagement regardless of market conditions.
Our journey has been marked by several success stories, where our strategies have improved employee engagement and led to significant business outcomes.
Developing people
The KellyOCG APAC Learning and Development team has made a massive effort to improve and increase our onboarding and ongoing training programmes. Numerous skills enhancement workshops and knowledge-sharing sessions reinforce the capabilities of our various operational teams, positively impacting our service delivery to clients.
Just a few of our wide-ranging training topics include:
- Managing change
- Coaching skills
- A mentoring mindset
- Situational leadership
- Numerous AI and digital skills training
Using AI to analyse data from various sources, including performance reviews, feedback surveys, and even social media interactions, it is possible to create detailed profiles of employees. These profiles can help understand individual preferences, strengths, and areas needing development. With such information, organisations can tailor learning and development opportunities, assign suitable projects, and even personalise recognition and rewards, thereby fostering a deeper connection between employees and the organisation.
Celebrating success
Over the years, we’ve learnt that a culture of celebration and gratitude, which means acknowledging and appreciating the efforts and achievements of our employees, drives high performance! We’ve found that spending quality time celebrating in the sunshine with your colleagues is a great motivator to encourage engagement throughout the year.
Transparent goal setting
Each team utilises the OKRS (Objectives and Key Results) goal-setting method, a popular management framework to set challenging and ambitious goals and track progress monthly. AI can facilitate continuous performance evaluation by analysing real-time data such as project outcomes, client feedback, and peer reviews.
This allows for more frequent and objective assessments, enabling managers to provide timely feedback and coaching. Employees feel more engaged when they know how they fit into a larger corporate strategy and how their actions contribute to company results.
Autonomy, control, and flexibility
We firmly believe that our people should have a say in decisions that impact their lives. Therefore, we’ve decentralised decision-making for many non-strategic functions, empowering individual teams. This approach fosters a sense of ownership and makes our employees feel valued and integral to the company’s operations. Some ways this works best include flexible work schedules, and we’ve found that people are happier and more engaged when choosing their own work style and schedule.
Also Read: Why HR tech will make Asia’s next unicorns
Additionally, AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants are revolutionising the way employees interact with their workplace. These intelligent systems can quickly and accurately handle routine inquiries about policies, benefits, and procedures, freeing up HR personnel for more strategic tasks. This not only improves efficiency but also ensures that employees receive timely responses to their queries, thereby enhancing satisfaction and reducing frustration.
Giving back
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives reflect our corporate values and foster a team spirit and sense of collective achievement. When our Malaysia team members recently united to roll up their sleeves and spend the day cleaning Teluk Kemang Beach, they demonstrated that when we come together for a good cause, the effects are tangible: we responsibly disposed of 30 kilogrammes of trash; we created a cleaner, more beautiful coast; and we had the opportunity to engage and accomplish something as a team that we could not have done as individuals.
Focus on wellbeing
Employees must have the time and resources to address their physical and mental health and well-being to feel engaged at work. This starts with respecting personal lives and priorities outside the office:
- Recognise the need for a healthy work-life balance
- Provide wellness programmes such as health screenings, fitness classes, counselling services, etc.
- Encourage breaks and vacations
Looking ahead
While AI has the potential to revolutionise employee engagement, we should realise this potential requires thoughtful implementation, ethical considerations, and a human-centric approach. By leveraging AI responsibly and strategically, organisations can create workplaces where employees are not only productive but also fulfilled and motivated, driving sustained organisational success in the digital age.
As we move forward—against relatively strong economic headwinds—let’s all remember that now is not the time to let up in our campaigns to build a healthier company culture that promotes employee engagement. If anything, it’s time to put the pedal down and redouble our efforts.
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