"The only way to do great work is to love what you do." Steve Jobs
Take a glance around your office... do your staff seem happy? Do they genuinely care about the business?
When sh't hits the fan, do you know that you can depend on them to pull the business through?
Employee engagement is somewhat of a buzz-phrase at the moment; more and more businesspeople are realising the value and importance of a happy, engaged company culture.
In fact, we already have an entire blog devoted to the topic - and we're not the only ones!
Below, you'll find a list of 10 of the most interesting, revealing and up-to-date employee engagement blogs, for your perusal.
1. Motivation Matters
Topics: Employee recognition, staff incentives, employee motivation, employee engagement, employee benefits, communications.
Link: https://staffmotivationmatters.co.uk/category/blog/
Must-Read Posts: The seven deadly sins of sales incentive programmes John Sylvester 10 ways to increase staff loyalty John Sylvester 10 ways to destroy your team’s motivation John Sylvester
My favourite thing about this blog is...
John Sylvester's fantastic blog is pretty much a one-stop-shop on employee engagement.
His advice is straight to the point and no-nonsense, with a focus on the employee experience - so beware - after reading, you may just start questioning how great a Manager you really are.
2. Reward Gateway
Topics: Employee engagement, benefits, wellbeing, communication, purpose, meaning and values, leadership and management, job design, recognition, learning and development.
Link: http://blog.rewardgateway.com/
Must-Read Posts: Holiday Rewards: Are They Right For Your Business? Debra Corey The top 5 benefits of an Employee Share Scheme for your business Shelley Packer 4 Ways to Build an Internal Communications Strategy on a Budget Lisa Turnbull
My favourite thing about this blog is...
There's something about Reward Gateway's entire website that just oozes personality - (I suppose you'd expect that from a company who call themselves the 'employee engagement people'.)
And the blog certainly doesn't disappoint, with a vibrant and friendly tone and real, actionable employee engagement tips.
If you want guidance from a company who are clearly, highly successful at engaging their own staff (as well as their clients') then this is the blog for you!
3. Learning to Leap
Topics: Employee engagement, benefits, wellbeing, leadership and management development, staff retention, entrepreneurship, learning and development.
Link: http://www.learningtoleap.co.uk/category/business-employers/
Must-Read Posts: How To Help Your Employees Achieve Happiness At Work David Shindler Why great employees quit (and how you can prevent it) David Shindler Employee Engagement: more being, less doing David Shindler
My favourite thing about this blog is...
You may recognise David from a recent guest post he wrote for us: 3 Reasons You Should Be a Social Magnet To Attract Job Candidates.
We're big fans of the Learning to Leap blog, which advises both candidates and employers.
It isn’t necessarily the right site for a quick browse - David's knowledge allows him to go into detail - but if you want genuine industry expertise that isn’t watered down, it's a winner.
4. Lighthouse
Topics: Staff retention, employee engagement, leadership and management, developing talent, hiring, performance management, staff retention
Link: https://getlighthouse.com/blog/
Must-Read Posts: The Unfiltered Truth About Creating Great Corporate Culture Eric Jorgenson What to Do When You Start Managing Former Peers Jason Evanish Bad Managers: 5 Signs You Shouldn’t be a Manager Jason Evanish
My favourite thing about this blog is...
The Lighthouse Blog 'About Leadership and Management' is incredibly well written.
Compelling, interesting and comical, it's very easy to read, but still packed full of implementable advice and guidance.
(Have a gander - I'm sure you'll soon get what I mean).
5. TINYpulse
Topics: Leadership, employee recognition, employee engagement, life at work, recruitment strategies, organisational culture, staff retention, performance management.
Link: https://www.tinypulse.com/blog
Must-Read Posts: 11 Mind-blowing Statistics on Employee Happiness [Infographic] Sabrina Son 15 Team-Building Activities to Build Trust Among Coworkers Justin Reynolds 11 Fun Ways to Show Employees You're Thankful Sabrina Son
My favourite thing about this blog is...
It's fun! TINYpulse have filled their blog with great, sound advice on employee engagement, but with a handful of comedy to boot.
If you're looking for an infusion of serious, business advice and harmless, funny blogs (like our Friday Funnies) check them out!
6. HR Magazine
Topics: Employee engagement, benefits, internal communications, culture, talent, learning and development, wellbeing.
Link: http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/strategic-hr/employee-engagement/
Must-Read Posts: More charitable workplaces may be the key to retention. Becky Frith Don't mention engagement Vlatka Hlupic More than four in 10 employees quit because of ‘bad boss.' Becky Frith
My favourite thing about this blog is...
OK, I've cheated a little bit. HR Magazine, as you would imagine, is more of an online magazine than a blog.
If you haven't heard of it - where have you been?
Keeping you up to date with the latest industry news and advancements, if facts, figures and statistics are your thing, then this blog is definitely for you.
7. Unum
Topics: Company culture, employee engagement, employee benefits, health and wellbeing, recruitment, management, HR.
Link: http://www.unum.co.uk/hr
Must-Read Posts: 5 ways to deal with office bullying using playground tactics Halloween: recruitment horror stories [Infographic] 5 reasons you wouldn’t want to hire James Bond
My favourite thing about this blog is...
Just like their name (which I still haven't quite figured out) - Unum's blog is definitely unconventional.
As you can probably tell from the titles above, their quirky articles put a whole new and intriguing spin on well-known (often boring) HR topics.
If you are considering hiring 007 anytime in the near future - it really is important that you read their article - remember, hiring the wrong person costs on average £8,200!
8. Enviable Workplace
Topics: Vision and values, leadership, branding, talent acquisition, employee engagement, physical space, company culture.
Link: http://enviableworkplace.com/elements/
Must-Read Posts: 3 Elements for Powerful Workplace Team Huddles Donavon Roberson Measure Your Company Culture ROI Anthony Bucci Four types of space that support creativity & innovation in business Kursty Groves
My favourite thing about this blog is...
It's great to read fresh perspectives from a variety of professionals (eleven in total) from marketing and employee engagement experts right through to the creator of Gü (you know; those yummy chocolate puddings)!
In their own words, none of them are journalists and all that they offer is real, battle-worn workplace advice - to make your business more enviable.
9. Business Insider (Strategy)
Topics: Business Development and Strategy
Link: https://uk.businessinsider.com/strategy
Must-Read Posts: The one thing bosses can do to keep great employees from leaving Brian de Haaff 10 ways to improve your emotional intelligence and become a better leader Gordon Tredgold 9 super-successful people share their biggest leadership secrets Jacquelyn Smith & Rachel Sugar
My favourite thing about this blog is...
I admit it. I've mentioned this blog before!
We did a similar post a few months ago called: "10 Reputable Blogs That All HR Managers Should Be Subscribed To" - based on recruitment and Business Insider made the cut then too!
Why? We love the fact that each lesson is drawn from the true story of a super-successful business, CEO and/or entrepreneur - but is still easily adaptable and relevant to SMEs.
10. Achievers.com
Topics: Awards, benefits and perks, culture, employee engagement, employee retention, events, HR technology, HR trends and analyst findings, leadership, millennials, mission and values, news, onboarding, philanthropy, recruiting, rewards and recognition, safety and wellness, training and development.
Link: https://blog.achievers.com/
Must-Read Posts: How to motivate employees during the holiday season Achievers Life in the shadows: Don’t let one star employee outshine your team Rebecca Wetherbee Step it up! 5 ways to make healthy lifestyle part of your company culture Rebecca Wetherbee
My favourite thing about this blog is...
As you can no doubt tell from the huge list of topics I've listed, this blog pretty much covers everything you need to know about keeping your staff happier, for longer.
Another fabulous one-stop-shop; be careful though, it's the type of site where a 'quick browse' turns into a four-hour long procrastination!
Bonus Resource!
Blogs not really your thing? Prefer to have all of your info in one place? I've got just the resource for you...
The Definitive Guide to Employee Engagement Courtesy of SnackNation "9 Simple Strategies to Create Happier, More Engaged, and More Productive Employees So Your Organization Can Thrive" This ultimate guide goes into great detail about all things employee engagement, from internal communication and management techniques to recognition and the ideal workspace.
I highly recommend having a browse.
Just One More Thing...
As the festive season swiftly approaches, chances are, your staff will feel happier anyway - there's just so much to look forward to, socially.
That's why it's important to reward them and give them things to look forward to IN work - to keep those mood levels high!
(You don't want staff members thinking of work as an unpleasant, but necessary slog, they simply have to get through to make it till Christmas.)
Recruiter Pro Tip. To engage your staff this Christmas, you could...
- Put on a Christmas-jumper day (for charity).
- Host (and pay for) a Christmas party (I do hope you've already got this one booked and ready).
- Host an Awards Ceremony - including funny joke awards as well as serious, well-earned ones.
- Put up a Christmas tree and get everyone involved, decorating it.
- Decorate the rest of the office.
- Do Secret Santa (this tool is ace).
- Let staff finish early for Christmas - if they smash their targets.
- Give out Christmas cards.
- Do Christmas come dine with me.
The possibilities are endless and easy and they'll all keep staff cheerful on the lead up to Christmas.
Of course, there's another employee engagement/staff retention blog that you should (if you aren't already) be subscribed to... THIS ONE!
Click here to subscribe and receive weekly updates with the latest news on how to make your staff truly happy.
Good luck spreading the cheer!
