Be it a newbie or a manager, a new job always starts with a lot of self-motivation and enthusiasm. Everything seems right in place for him to kickstart his ideas and turn them into reality within no time. While he pushes hard looking at the pros of a company, he tends to ignore the cons of the company, his team, or any hurdle that comes in his way. But after the honeymoon period is over, the scenario reverses.
Various studies reveal that employee engagement drastically decreases after 6 months of working with the company. Later on, the engagement stays stable with fluctuations intermittently, of course at a lower level.
The reasons for this activeness in the first six months are many, listed below:
While the freshers are new to the corporate world and are open to learning, experienced professionals must have been fed up with the previous company, which in turn plays a role in looking at the new company positively. Moreover, the incumbent company must have brought him more salary and/or position, which motivates the professional greatly
The new employee always drives with a desire to prove himself, outperform others which propels him to work harder with creativity and new ideas, in spite of hurdles faced by him
The support from at least a section of team members is encouraging due to lack of bad experiences, misunderstandings, etc
As time passes, all these factors fade out or turn negative. You may not consistently work harder to show up a better performance or maybe you do not have a congenial environment to work better. However, a strong work culture and employee engagement strategies can avoid such scenarios:
1. Appreciate, motivate, and train people
Even though appreciations and motivation work wonder, their impact is temporary. Make sure the company is taking proper measures to appreciate and motivate people at regular intervals. Identify the employees who exceptionally perform and acknowledge them. While awards and rewards can be given at regular intervals, a pat on the back gesture can be inculcated in the company work culture, be it seniors or be it, peers. Mediocre performances need to be addressed with proper care and make sure they have the opportunity to improve. That brings in a sense of belief in employee care and helps in employee engagement.
2. Work through Mid-level management
Mid-level management becomes the backbone of any companies strategy. Be it a project or team management, mid-level management needs to be highly motivated and at the same time realistic to set targets, and understand employees well. The more the engagement of employees with the mid-level management, the more the employee engagement with the company.
3. Frequent activities
Make sure employees do get some perks beyond the appraisal. The effect of appraisal stays for some time. Initiatives such as fun activities, short team trips, office parties, and in fact CSR activities build employee engagement. A few gifts on special occasions, a bonus on the employee's birthday can also help.
4. Avoid over-promises
Companies sometimes over-promise people while joining the company. Even though this helps in bringing employees into the company, it increases expectations a lot. Any deviation from the expectations of demotivates employees. So, make sure new hires are hired with encouraging and at the same time realistic promises.
Overall, it is very important to keep employee engagement intact. Place your cards well when employees are in a positive spirit, and make sure you are able to maintain it. Take feedbacks frequently, understand what is affecting them, and make necessary changes to motivate employees. This works wonderfully and helps the company excel well.
After all, employees are the primary strength of a company.