Keeping staff engaged and productive

I recently took a course on Coping with change. The clientele was made up of people going back into the work place following a break. As a trainer you set out your lesson plan the outcome and all the activities but on delivering you need to be able to adapt to the audience.

We learnt a lot, we shared ideas and the outcome was truly amasing. The clients gave the following feedback

* I have enjoyed this course very much and it is really helpful

* Wasn't keen to attend but its been really good, I liked it and look forward to our next training session with Margaret

*Good and enthusiastic trainer who gets you engaged. Margaret tailored her approach to her audience

* It was a great reminder of the principles needed to accept change. The group activity of plotting the emotion on the graph was interesting , seeing when different people are coming from and why

So in this instance the learners were happy, the business delighted and Project Action delivered another successful session with a great outcome.

Everyone needs positive feedback whether it is work, training or at home its important. Companies need to engage staff and training, appraisals and promotion opportunities help employees feel respected and part of the team not just a paid employee. A pay rise is good but it is short term feeling and we need to offer other opportunities. The guardian wrote a really good piece about this which is shared below

Losing employees is expensive. So is paying unproductive, unhappy workers. How do savvy businesses keep staff engaged?

Supported by

Stephanie Sparrow

Thu 1 Feb 2018 17.00 GMTLast modified on Thu 1 Feb 2018 17.01 GMT

​HR departments need to be aware of everything relating to staff happiness.Work makes us happy. That’s according to the authors of the United Nations World Happiness Report 2017, although the statement carries a caveat – our employment must be well-managed and feel secure.

Employment experts agree. Rachel Suff, senior policy adviser, employment relations, at the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development, says HR departments have to be “aware of their wider responsibilities and strong moral reasons for managing the subjective well being of their employees”.

She believes the HR department’s remit is broad: “They have to pay attention to every factor that touches the employment experience, including good management, dignity, inclusion, relationships and peoples’ health, as well as managing risk factors, such as stress.”

And there are no short cuts to creating a happy workplace. “Attempts to encourage fun at work often backfire,” says Paul Dolan, professor of psychological and behavioral science at the London School of Economics and author of Happiness by Design. He recommends simple strategies, such as giving employees timely and salient feedback – and explaining that feelings of happiness come from a balance between pleasure and purpose.

“Many of our experiences at work feel purposeful,” he says. “But many feel like a waste of time. This not only affects productivity, but also our likelihood of quitting.” Employers know that workers’ empathy with their job or corporate objectives keeps them loyal and more likely to give their best. According to Top Employers UK (TEUK), employees’ engagement with the business is one of the top three drivers of business success. The ave

rage cost of replacing one employee is £30,614, according to a report by Oxford Economics and Unum, so the business case for keeping staff happy is strong.

Engaging work in a supportive culture is now recognised as crucial to the corporate brand, says Kevin Green, chief executive of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation. “Companies have to be aware not just of their brand profile to customers, but their brand as an employer too,” he says.

Green explains that job candidates look at the emotional experience of a new work environment, seeking work “where people feel inspired to do their best”.

I have trained in smaller companies around Bexley Borough and received very positive reviews as it has given the staff a chance not only to learn and progress themselves but ot work with other colleagues often this transpiring into new and shared ideas.