Employees are the most valuable resources that a company has. They can be the biggest reason that a company succeeds or fails, which is why it is so imperative that companies invest in their employees. There are several ways small businesses can improve employee engagement, if they have the desire to devote the necessary resources into the process.

1. Offer More Training

Training is one of the best ways to help your employees become more productive and more confident in the work that they do. Their productivity goes up since they learn new skills, but their confidence also goes up knowing that they have more of the tools necessary to get their job done effectively.

Training is also one of the ways small businesses can improve engagement, because it shows employees that a business owner or manager is willing to invest in the capabilities of their team. This gesture of confidence should help spark the motivational fire in employees who are sufficiently driven and care about the company.

2. Provide Employees More Control Over Their Work

One of the most desirable attributes that employees are looking for from their workplace is the ability to have more of a say regarding how they spend their days and what specific projects they work on. As a result, some of the most attractive employers in the world are the ones that allow their employees to govern a larger portion of what they do and what kind of workplace responsibilities they can take on. Of course, you will need to make sure that the input you allow employees to have does not overstep management boundaries, but there is no reason that a highly-skilled, intelligent worker should not be able to have a partial say in which activities are best for them to help the company meet its goals.

3. Think About Flexible Working Arrangements

Another one of the ways small businesses can improve engagement is found in their working arrangements. For example, many companies are now allowing their employees to work remotely from home for a portion of their work week. Research from the government shows that more than three out of every four large businesses in Australia have the facilities for their employees to work from home at least part of the time by using the Internet.

These types of flexible working arrangements are very desirable for companies for two reasons. First, it improves employee motivation and loyalty. Second, it actually allows your business to spend less money on resources. For example, if you have a team of ten employees and you decide to allow two of them to work from home, you have now reduced the amount of physical equipment you need in the office by 20%. Some companies decide to rotate their teleworking arrangements, allowing different departments to work remotely on different days.

4. Provide More Frequent Feedback

Clear, constructive feedback is the cornerstone of improvement for any professional, especially a person who is just getting started in their field. If you are able to pleasantly talk to your team about what they are doing well and what they need to improve upon, you can increase the employee engagement in your business by helping your employees address their issues so that they can work more productively.

Feedback also helps reassure your employees that you are invested in the work that they do. While you may have to give them some negative feedback about their work from time to time, the fact that you are talking to them about their work and trying to help shows that they matter to the organisation.

5. Add More Benefits

Some of the most cutting-edge companies in the world have begun adding features like on-site rest areas, company gyms, even daycare programs to care for the children of employees. Even if your company’s budget does not provide for these benefit options, if you think creatively you can come up with plenty of benefits to reward your employees; preferred parking spots, extra days off, and company banquets are just a few ideas for business benefits that are not high-cost.

If you are interested in the ways small businesses can increase employee engagement, you must make sure that you understand what your employees need. By investing in your employees, you are actually investing in the ability of your business to meet client needs and consistently achieve its mission.