Employee engagement may look a lot different as employees continue working from home, but there are still many ways to get creative to boost workplace culture and improve employee wellbeing. With increased “Zoom fatigue” and lack of social interaction, 71% of executives recognize that employee engagement is critical to their company success. After all, companies with a high employee engagement are 21% more profitable, making it an extremely important goal for any organization.
What is employee engagement?
Kevin Kruse, an employee engagement expert, defines employee engagement as the “emotional commitment that we have to our organization and the organization’s goals”. Employees who have this commitment will put in the extra effort to help advance the organization’s goals, resulting in better relationships with customers, increased productivity, increased profits, reduced turnover, and much more.
Employee engagement ideas
Creating an environment that fosters employee engagement is crucial, and there are numerous ideas to engage employees and help build team dynamics. Remote activities include office book clubs, virtual golf tournaments and runs/walks, trivia days, showing recognition and appreciation for employees.
The key is remembering that employee engagement is a continuous and evolving process!
Thinking about starting an office book club?
A book club is one of the best employee engagement activities because it encourages discussion among members and allows them to learn new concepts they can apply at work. As a team-building exercise, it also builds camaraderie, comfort, and leadership and teamwork skills among members, who might be from different organizational teams.
Looking for your next office book club read?
Here are some ideas and our top book picks.
Leadership and Success
Promoting a culture of learning is important at any organization. Many successful people and millionaires have attributed their success to reading educational books and publications, making books about success a perfect fit in the office book club.
Pictured: Beyond the 80/20 Principle | Remote Work Revolution | Leading with Gratitude
BONUS: Readers will likely want to take some notes on important concepts or points, making this pen and journal set a thoughtful gift for book club members.
Wellness
Zoom fatigue, blurring of work and personal life, and other remote-work related stressors have become common. These books offer solutions on topics such as time management, mindfulness, and other habits to create a more balanced lifestyle for employees.
Pictured: Real Change | Workplace Wellness that Works | Win the Day
BONUS: Add a relaxation gift set to help employees relax and recharge.
Diversity
We can all do more to build a more inclusive workplace, and it all starts with education and getting the conversation started! Some of these books, such as Jason Thompson’s “Diversity and Inclusion Matters” offer strategies and tactics to create a more equitable workplace.
Pictured: Blindspot | Diversity and Inclusion Matters | How to Be an Inclusive Leader
BONUS: This kit contains a journal and pen set, perfect for book club members to jot down important concepts, discussions, and ideas for future use.
Cooking
Planning what to cook has always been a challenge, but with extra free time at home for remote workers, activities such as baking bread and hot meals are now doable during the weekday.
Planning a book club topic around cookbooks not only provides meal inspiration, but also allows employees to test out recipes and share photos of the prepared meal with each other.
Pictured: Cravings: Hungry for More | Quick and Easy 5-Ingredient Cookbook | Modern Comfort Food
BONUS: Send an accompanying kit that contains ingredients for your team to create a meal!
In short, office book clubs are a great way to engage and educate employees, and help improve team dynamics!
Engagement around the book can be shared on social media, with activities such as polls on favourite character or sharing of impactful quotes. Having continual digital conversations on a shared topic of interest helps employees stay and feel connected with each other, making it a more enjoyable place to work.
Looking to start your own office book club? We make it easy—find the full details here.