How to Improve Employee Engagement Through Technology

It’s no secret that a happy, healthy, and highly engaged employee increases productivity and customer service, as well as your business outcomes. Satisfied employees provide better customer service, which often means more repeat diners. However, a recent Gallup poll revealed that only 34% of U.S. workers are engaged – a percentage that is actually considered good, because it’s a record high.

Homebase also surveyed 2,000 hourly employees and asked them to rate the “most important” factor they consider when determining where to work. Out of 11 criteria, “friendliness of work environment” scored the highest – with an average rating of 4.5.

While engagement may be at a record high, unemployment is at a record low (3.6%). It’s clear that a positive work culture is important to employees, but the percentage of actively disengaged workers is still 16.5%. This means any of your employees that quit as a result of feeling disconnected could cause quite the hiring headache for you.

It’s up to you to go the extra mile to ensure your staff is enthusiastic about their work. Luckily, you’re not alone when it comes to coming up with employee engagement strategies. Homebase is here to help.

Here are five high-tech ways to make a discretionary effort – and keep employees feeling just as excited about your business as you are.

Give Employees Control of Their Schedule

One important factor in engagement management is ensuring your staff feels empowered in their work lives. Instead of leaving them with a paper schedule every week that decreases their ability to make changes, consider providing an online, easily accessible version, such as Homebase’s scheduling app.

The app will notify your team instantly when you publish a new schedule. They’ll also be able to update their future work availabilities, request time off, and even trade shifts (with manager approval), putting them in the driver’s seat and keeping everyone on the same page when it comes to the schedule.

Recognize Employees with Tech-Enabled Shout-Outs

High-performing employees (or those who put in a lot of effort) should get recognized for their hard work. Positive reinforcement is a good driver of engagement, because it helps your employees understand that they are valued and appreciated, which will result in them feeling more engaged at work.

Homebase’s Shout Out feature allows you to recognize individual employees for going above and beyond, being a team player, having a positive attitude, and more.

Here’s how to use the feature:

1. Sign in to Homebase’s Scheduling App at end of shift.
2. A small card will appear on the app’s dashboard showing who worked with you during your last shift. Click on the profile photo of the employee you’d like to recognize.
3. Select which type of shout-out you’d like to send to them.
4. Add an optional note letting everyone know exactly what makes your teammate so special.
5. Tap “Share with Team”, and your entire team will be notified of their accomplishments through the Celebration chat group in Messaging.

Provide Compensation Transparency

Everyone feels better when they know how much they’re getting paid, right? Another feature of the scheduling app is the ability to estimate wages by seeing how much money they’ll make on a shift they haven’t worked yet. While your employees know they’re getting paid regardless, the knowledge of just how much a specific shift is worth often translates into more engagement during their shift.

Homebase’s timesheets feature also increases transparency by giving your employees full view into their hours. Since the tool basically does the work for you, your staff can rest assured that the information in the app is accurate and up-to-date.

Build Trust with GPS Clock-Ins

Trust is a great way to drive employee engagement, because it adds a factor of cohesiveness between you and your team. It’s also an area that many managers need to focus on, because a 2018 survey revealed that 58% of people claim to trust strangers more than their own boss.

You can avoid being a part of this negative statistic in simple ways, such as opening a line of trust between you and your employees in the form of flexible clock-ins. If you have employees who work offsite (such as at catering gigs), try using Homebase’s GPS time clock in the employee mobile app to set a GPS radius, and allow employees to clock in at the job site instead of wasting time driving to your main location.

Encourage Team Communication

It’s important for your staff to know they have a reliable forum to share ideas or even express their grievances. An accessible line of communication is key to keeping everyone on the same page, which fosters team cohesion, and drives engagement.

Utilize Homebase’s team communication feature to make everyone’s lives a little easier. Your team will not only receive shift reminders and other friendly notifications, but they’ll be able to avoid searching for phone numbers and email addresses. This feature allows team members to communicate with you and all of their co-workers in a streamlined and easy manner.

It’s important to remember in today’s high-tech world that engagement also happens offline. Highlight accomplishments in group meetings, remind your team that they can come to you with ideas or concerns, and create a positive work environment where everyone can feel comfortable and engaged.

About Homebase: Homebase powers team management and staffing as part of CHECK^® Business Tools. Homebase helps you save time, reduce costs and make hiring easier. Recruit quality candidates, track labor costs, simplify payroll and streamline team communications with just one tool. Learn more about Homebase by visiting team management and staffing in CHECK Business Tools.