There are very few statements in the world that are almost universally true. One of them is that artificial intelligence is the greatest technological innovation of this generation. This statement is true but gives no solace to the countless workers who are facing job insecurity, Further, loss of motivation as the global economy shifts to accommodate this new technology takes another toll. That’s why, global business leaders and changemakers are making the call for humanization in the age of AI. Why does this matter? Here’s why:
Before computers and personal devices made us all slaves to the magic glowing window, the world was a much simpler place. You spoke to people in person and occasionally had to imagine their faces when attending a call. Now, we are looking more at screen time and less face time. Similarly, leadership roles have changed since numbers and metrics have come into the picture. They have made the decision-making process more about understanding margins than understanding people.
As AI swoops in, we need to bring back these ways of personalizing team engagement. We need human connections with the benefit of modern communication strategies backed up by emerging tech. As per this article from CEO Magazine, 63 percent of business leaders are prioritizing team engagement in 2024. This demands that managers uptake things like dedicated new hire onboarding platforms, virtual coffee chat apps, dedicated mentorship platforms, team watercooler chats, pulse surveys, and many others.
All of these have their own place and purpose in employee engagement. But finding the right mi is where businesses showcase their best team-building expertise. With that in mind, let’s look at how your people management strategies should break into employee engagement tactics for effective team building in 2024:
Leadership in an AI World: Creating Employee Engagement Value Like in the Old Days
1 5-Minute Icebreakers
The COVID pandemic and the changing landscape of work with hybrid and remote work coming up have been hard for us all. Workers now report more anxiety about their job security and related stresses. Meanwhile, long-standing issues like gender pay gaps and emerging issues like remote male workers getting overlooked for promotions create even more stress for workers.
This Gartner study says, that only 23% of supply chain employees are highly engaged today. Meanwhile, this IMF report states that global growth could drop by about a percentage point below the pre-pandemic (2000-19) average. This may happen by the end of the decade because of mid-term pressures like job stress and motivation loss.
And yet, the answer here is simple human connection. Hard to believe? We would argue that it is just the right antidote for anxiety and dropping motivation levels. The impersonal communication standard to business communication creates a lot of distance and ice between managers employees and colleagues.
The best way for managers to break through the ice is a weekly one-on-one session with individuals in their team. For hybrid and remote workers, this takes the form of a virtual coffee chat, which could be a great way to connect with in-office colleagues too.
Studies like this one by Deloitte highlight the growing need to make human outcomes the center of understanding productivity metrics. That is to say, the answer is connecting with employees and giving them a sense of belonging and ownership. Doing this consistently consistently raises their productivity and loyalty.
In short, one-on-ones are easily the best way to dynamize a business team and should be a primary to all employee engagement programs. As they say, if you want to make someone feel special, there is nothing quite like a chat and a handshake.
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2 Virtual Coffee Chats
Virtual coffee chats have become the new vogue for businesses small and large across the world. They are the perfect way for teams to come together in ways that are both dynamic and engaging. And everything from the numbers to the experts is leaning heavily towards open two-way communications between managers and workers. This helps bridge the gap between different levels of organizational hierarchy and creates a strong rapport between them.
As per this Forbes article –
To effectively boost team engagement, managers need to prioritize regular, open communication with team members. This approach fosters trust, encourages feedback, and shows genuine interest in employees’ goals. This strategy enhances team morale, drives innovation, and directly contributes to improved organizational performance and success, all within a concise framework.
Further, studies have shown that isolated wellness perks like mindfulness apps and lifestyle coaching do not help. Making a personal connection not only helps generate strong working bonds but also reveals levels of motivation. For example, this McKinsey blog talks about different kinds of employees and their personas and how managers can discover the right team mix by engaging with them.
Virtual coffee chats are the perfect way to bring a business team together. It helps create the right rapport by employee matching across projects and ongoing activities. This is the key factor for developing effective employee engagement ideas. By keeping human connections when AI-driven depersonalization is louder than ever companies say they want to value talent! Check out this entrepreneur podcast hosted by its Editor-in-Chief Jason Feifer to understand how to do that!
3 Watercooler Sessions
One of the biggest advantages of remote work and hybrid work is the chance to develop a strong work-life balance. Issues surrounding this have always plagued workplaces but now, things can change for the better. And along with that, comes the opportunity to integrate innovative ideas you wouldn’t find developing in the workplace. This is what watercooler sessions are meant to do.
Just as breaks at the watercooler can lead to conversations that make gold, watercooler sessions are strategic touchpoints for entire teams. A lot has been said recently in podcasts and business talk shows about reaching out and seeking advice. In fact, as this HBR article points out, those who are truly open to guidance (and not just looking for validation) develop better solutions to problems than they would have on their own. That is why people management practices have always included team meetings and watercooler moments to offer a more open-ended version to managers.
Similarly, businesses have the chance to bring workplace collaboration to new levels with watercooler moments and unlock employee potential. The prospect of developing other people’s ideas is a lucrative one and putting heads together works best in an open environment. This is also an opportunity to not just nurture talent directly but also cultivate indirect managerial skills. Studies have shown that mid-level changemakers are playing an increasing role in enhancing organizational health. So, using watercooler sessions to unlock latent potential in employees is a very prudent employee engagement tactic for managers.
4 Dynamic Mentorships
Do you remember in school whenever the teacher wanted to ask you a specific question and had you lead the class for a bit? It felt good right? This power and attention often motivate students to become independent learners. Much in the same way, businesses seeking engagement with employees benefit from mentorship programs and career growth plans. They are a strong indicator that the company is interested in growing the career of its employees and this motivates the employees to work better.
Further, studies have shown that using mentorship platforms or dedicated virtual coffee chat platforms which also lead to mentorship helps create a strong business communication rapport. This HBR article mentions a study conducted by Gartner and Capital Analytics at Sun Microsystems. It found much higher retention rates for mentees (72%) and mentors (69%) than other employees not part of the mentoring program (49%). Clearly, where talent retention is a top priority, organic talent helps businesses develop sustainable growth.
Companies can combine employee engagement tools and programs with using virtual coffee chat apps and mentorship programs. This is because it helps develop employee talent holistically and also facilitate dynamic mentorship opportunities. For example, mutual mentorship or the tutoring effect between colleagues and cross-mentoring between departments. Check out this Forbes article to get an idea of mentorship program costs.
5 Unbiased Performance Review
A lot of employees hang in dread of performance previews and PiPs. One of the biggest reasons why this happens is because everyone from employees to managers and even executives employs personal bias. This leads to skewed results that deliver no viable outcome. This is why team engagement and collaboration are best done via unbiased review systems and methods that reduce bias effects.
Performance reviews that create a strong communication loop are the best way to understand employee behavior. According to this report by KPMG, companies must measure employee behavior and not just sentiment to understand how well they are doing. This is particularly true for digital transformation processes. This is where using unbiased reviews as part of employee engagement programs promotes organizational health. It also enables higher participation while bringing out the best performers.
Is Your Business’ Team Collaboration in Need of a Boost?
LEAD.bot is a team engagement platform that integrates directly with Slack and Teams. It has powerful team-building features like virtual coffee chats, buddy programs, birthday celebrations & work anniversary celebrations, new hire onboarding programs, and Pulse Surveys.
LEAD.bot also offers industry-leading Organizational Network Analysis (ONA) for large-scale organizations. Executives and managers can use ONA insights to build strong connections across their workforce structures and use innovative employee engagement ideas to connect employees seamlessly. As a result, companies see an increase in organizational health, employee retention, and overall performance!
LEAD.bot is the ultimate choice for organizations seeking sustainable growth in the people management way! Book a demo now! Also, check out LEAD.bot’s sister app Sunrize which showcases workplace attendance by graphs right on Slack!
