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TRENTU.CA / Human Resources / Employee Engagement - Manager Resources

Employee Engagement - Manager Resources

At Trent, Managers play an integral role in motivating and engaging employees. This website is designed to assist managers with engaging their teams in a more meaningful and purposeful way, and to help bring together the many ideas and tools for engagement happening across campus.


The following information can be found on this page:

What is Employee Engagement?
Why is Employee Engagement important at Trent?
Tips to Consider Before Any Engagement Activities
Examples of Engagement
Questions & Conversation Starters
Getting to Know Your Employees Tool 
Manager Self-Assessment tool
Managers Meeting Presentation
Supporting Employees Return to Campus


What is Employee Engagement?

Employee engagement is an ongoing process in which the manager plays an integral role in the creation of experiences through continual interaction with employees which impacts the employee's emotional commitment to their work and organization.  

 

Why is Employee Engagement important at Trent?
 

Decreased absences/ turnover: Engaged employees are less likely to be sick or leave the organization and are more likely to find solutions to solve departmental problems to ensure the smooth function of their department. This reduced turnover has positive financial benefits for departments with reduced recruitment, selection, and training costs as well as a reduction in time lost filling the jobs.  

Improved Health and Safety: Engaged employees are less likely to have work-related accidents and absences, and are more likely to come forward with concerns. They are also more likely to have better health and emotional affect both at work and in their personal lives.  

Better Performance/Productivity: Engaged employees display behaviors that go beyond what is asked to do. This could take the form of many behaviors including but not limited to better quality work, providing additional support to co-workers without being asked, or even just bring in a box of donuts for the team. 

Developing of Brand Ambassadors: Engaged employees are more likely to engage with members outside of the institution in a manner that promotes the spread of positive messaging for Trent. They are more likely to boast about Trent's Maclean results as well other amazing aspects of Trent's success. 

Contribute to Trent’s Financial Growth and Success: Engaged employees are more likely to partake in the advancement campaigns launched by the Trent advancement and external relations team 

 

Tips to Consider Before Any Engagement Activities:

  • Ensure you are following Trent's Perquisites Policy
  • Ensure engagement is genuine, fair, and consistent
  • Recognition must be timely, specific to behavior, and justified 
  • During an engagement, activity do not bring up other office work or poor performance for the duration of the activity
  • Consider creating a departmental engagement committee
  • Consider how the engagement activity be received by the employee(s)
  • Remember a personal touch to engagement is more powerful than a generic template
  • Get to know your employees' preferences for bonding, celebrations, and recognition
  • If food and drinks are involved remember to be inclusive and considerate
  • Be aware of your biases and management styles
  • Allow employees to have an input on engagement decisions 
  • Set appropriate time aside for the planned activity 
  • Be flexible and empathetic towards your employees
  • Encourage face to face (virtual) or phone call conversations
  • Ask your team members if they need additional support
  • Always set meeting rules when having informal and formal meetings. 
  • Ensure you are following COVID-19 Safety Guidelines

Examples of Engagement:

The ideas provided in this list are just some examples and we do encourage managers to go beyond this list, be creative, and continue to learn different ways you can engage employees.  Be sure to always follow Trent's Perquisites policy and ensure you are following COVID-19 Safety Guidelines. 

Types of employee engagement with examples
Celebrations
  • Birthdays
  • Service milestones
  • Pet birthdays
  • Child/Spouse achievements
  • Festivals
  • Departmental goal achievements
  • Personal achievements
  • Upcoming Holidays
  • Weddings
  • Retirements
  • Baby births
Recognition
  • Send out team emails
  • Send out a "thank you" email
  • Send a personalized email
  • Give out appreciation notes (written or typed)
  • Have frequent one on one meetings
  • Do a drop in appreciation (consider providing food/drinks)
  • Bring treats for employees
  • Collect examples of individual staff performance throughout the year so that you have concrete examples for annual performance reviews
  • Write an email to your VP outlining outstanding performance an employee has displayed, especially if they are frontline workers
Volunteering/Charity
  • Encourage participation in Trent's External Relations and Advancement donation campaigns
  • Encourage donation to United Way (or another charitable organization)
  • Encourage volunteering (i.e. on-campus or externally at companies such as the New Canadian Centre)
  • Encourage employees to join a non-profit organization board
Group Activities
  • Have themed office days
  • If on zoom meetings, try using funny filters/backgrounds
  • Host informal Friday meetings (Goodbye meetings)
  • Start weekly/monthly departmental challenges
  • Host show and tells (Pets, Home offices, etc)
  • Swap recipes
  • Read an industry article and share thoughts
  • Have a picture sharing session
  • Have a knowledge sharing session
  • Take a LinkedIn learning course as a department 
  • Have planned (coffee) breaks
  • Have a departmental potluck
  • Work together on a United Way Basket
  • Host a game night 
  • Encourage employees to join university events (seminar series, golf tournament, Heart of Trent, President's open meetings, etc.)
  • Have a socializing component to team meetings
  • Have a gift exchange activity
  • Network with other staff of the university
  • Use MS Teams group chat to touch base each day to share occasional personal stories (i.e. funny photo of a pet, if you could travel anywhere after the pandemic, where would you go? etc.)
  • Have team lunches (virtually)
  • Have a zoom party (No worked talk allowed, set rules and keep aware of unhealthy behaviors)

Professional Development

Examples to engage your employees

  • Encourage taking a learning course (i.e. LinkedIn Learning)
  • Encourage education development and remind about Trent's tuition waivers/rebate programs, if eligible
  • Let employees create departmental committees (e.g. wellness committee)
  • Get a different team member to send out a wellness email every Monday
  • Develop a Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities database for your team (View your team as a toolbox and each member a tool with unique skills)

Ideas to help managers develop themselves to be more engaging 

  • Use an entrepreneurial mindset when leading your team
  • Try (learn) different management styles
  • Utilize the Manager Training on Trent's Lifework EAP

Questions and Conversation Starters

  • What do you think could help us to improve communication?
  • Do you feel like you can easily reach your colleagues when you need them?
  • How can we help you improve your work from home experience?
  • Are you happy with your productivity level?
  • What is the biggest challenge you are currently facing while working remotely?
  • How do you prefer to be recognized and appreciated for a job well done?
  • What kind of appreciation do you prefer?
  • What types of communication is needed for you to optimally perform at your job and frequency?
  • How are you doing?
  • What's new?
  • What’s one thing you’re thankful for? 
  • Rate your day from 1-10, personally and professionally, and explain why.
  • When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
  • How has your morning routine changed because of working from home?
  • What weird habit(s) have you picked up from being in quarantine? 
  • What show are you binge-watching right now? 
  • What are you drinking right now?
  • What is your team doing differently while you’re remote? What are they doing the same?
  • Ask a trivia question.
  • What’s the coolest thing you’re working on right now?
  • What was your first job?
  • Share one thing you appreciate about your team.
  • What’s the best thing that has happened to you this week?
  • How do you ‘wind down’ after work?
  • Do you believe in aliens?
  • What’s one way you are like your parents? One way you are different?
  • Do you listen to podcasts? What’s your favorite one?
  • Do you have a side hustle or a hobby? 
  • What’s the first thing you want to do once social distancing is over?
  • COVID-19 Information
  • Anonymous HR Feedback

Related Links

  • VIP - For Employees & Managers
  • Heart of Trent Event / Awards
  • Payroll
  • Health and Safety
  • Human Rights, Equity & Accessibility
  • International Travel Security
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