Here are our tips to help explore what this means in practice.

Help your employees feel that they can make a difference

At Aldrich & Co, we ensure everyone feels comfortable with taking ownership of their role. By giving them responsibility, we are helping them to shape their role and the projects it affects. Creativity isn’t just the domain for communications and marketing groups! Our team is expected to bring creativity and collaboration to each of their roles, no matter how “administrative” they may be.

Focus on developing team skills to increase employee engagement

At Aldrich & Co, no one is siloed. Team members are encouraged to communicate regularly on the phone, on Zoom, and in person. This means that even working from home, they feel at ease in connecting with others who may be working in the office.

Break down the formalities…

Don’t make it difficult for your team to connect with each other across the company’s hierarchy. If a team member needs to go through someone’s calendar or scheduling tool to make an appointment, they can feel awkward about connecting. Our team has a WhatsApp group for day-to-day messaging, which helps us feel that we can all pitch in or ask a question whenever and wherever we are working.

…and don’t be afraid to put these teams into subgroups!

It might be trendy to keep a flat hierarchy, but this can sometimes make the newer or younger team members feel silenced. Our assistants have their own WhatsApp group, ensuring our company’s support system runs smoothly. It’s also a place where they can feel comfortable asking questions that they might not otherwise have asked. 

Create a “coworking space” to increase employee engagement

An open-plan office isn’t automatically going to lead to fabulous communication. We have to work at it! At Aldrich & Co, we keep a “communal desk” open. This is a designated space where we take time away from our phones to talk, update each other on what we’re doing, brainstorm, and have lunch together.

Organise away-days (they don’t have to be cringey!)

Away days don’t need to be expensive or hyper-organised, either. Our team spent one recent Friday out of the office to learn how we could transform our processes. The day was deliberately unconventional. After a delicious lunch at Dishoom, we headed off to a mini golf course – with hilarious results!

We might not have put pen to paper that day, but we certainly got to know each other informally. Even better, every one of us returned Monday morning with bright new ideas that ended up doing exactly what we set out to do.

Put your plans into action

All of the above suggestions offer excellent opportunities to build trust among your team. But don’t make the mistake of paying lip service to these items! Make sure that you listen and put into action any decisions you make. Making positive change last is absolutely critical to all working relationships.

Gut-check your company’s values to increase employee engagement

If you’ve tried and tested the above, and you’re still somehow coming up empty, take a look at your company’s values. People are drawn to firms that share genuine and informed values, especially in today’s market.  

It’s so important to talk and listen. Ask your current team: Do they feel you are fulfilling your company values? These conversations can be difficult, but they’re necessary for employee retention. If you say your values are to give everyone a good work/life balance but expect teams to respond to emails outside office hours, you are not true to your values. The same can be said for valuing a great community, humility, or social purpose. If your social goal is to educate or reduce carbon, then every aspect of your business must also honour this value.

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Want to ensure your new recruit is engaged and connected? We are a London-based boutique recruitment agency, and we charge every job spec we work on with our client’s energy and values. Call us for a job spec spruce-up, and we’ll also help you identify and secure candidates who will be a great culture fit for your team.