The Importance of Employee Engagement.

Defining Employee Engagement

Employee engagement measures how connected employees/workers feel to their company and job. Engaged employees are more productive, creative and committed to their tasks and work.

The Business Case for Employee Engagement.

Employee engagement is one of the essential factors in a company’s success. When employees are engaged, they are more creative and productive. This can lead to increased innovation and a better product or service. Additionally, employee engagement can help reduce turnover rates and improve customer satisfaction.

In short, employee engagement positively impacts every aspect of a business.

How to Increase Employee Engagement.

Recognising and Rewarding Employees.

There are a few reasons why recognising and rewarding employees can increase employee engagement. First, when employees feel appreciated and acknowledged for their efforts, they are more likely to be motivated to continue working hard. Additionally, recognition can help build a positive relationship between employees and managers, fostering a sense of teamwork and collaboration. Finally, rewards prove that an organisation values its employees and is grateful for their contributions. This can encourage employees to stay around and contribute more to the company.

Employers who want to increase employee engagement should consider implementing a system of recognition and rewards. This could involve thanking employees publicly for a job well done, providing bonuses or gift cards, or even just taking the time to say “thank you”.

Providing Opportunities for Development

Employee engagement is critical to the success of any organisation. Providing development opportunities is one of the best ways to increase employee engagement. Here are three reasons why:

First, employees who feel they can grow and develop within their organisation are more likely to be engaged with their work. They feel a sense of ownership over their career path and are more motivated to do their best work. Additionally, research has shown that employees with development opportunities are more likely to stay with an organisation long-term.

Second, providing opportunities for development shows employees that you value them and their contributions to the organisation. This can lead to increased motivation and a more substantial commitment from employees.

Creating a Positive Work Environment

A positive work environment promotes a sense of well-being. When employees feel good physically and mentally, they’re more likely to be engaged in their work. A positive work environment helps promote a sense of well-being by ensuring that employees have the resources they need to stay healthy and happy.

A positive work environment fosters a sense of belonging. Employees who feel like they belong at their workplace are more likely to be engaged in their work. A positive work environment fosters a sense of belonging by creating an inclusive culture where everyone feels valued and supported.

Why Employee Engagement Matters.

The Impact of Employee Engagement on Business Outcomes

Employee engagement increases productivity, profitability, customer satisfaction, and organisational commitment. In addition, employee engagement is associated with decreased staff turnover and absenteeism, as well as increased innovation and creativity. Ultimately, high employee engagement results in a more productive and profitable organisation.

The Impact of Employee Engagement on Individual Employees.

Engaged employees tend to be more focused, productive and motivated, which leads to better business outcomes. Second, engaged employees are more likely to stay with the company, reducing turnover and associated costs. Finally, engaged employees create a positive work environment that benefits all employees, promoting teamwork and collaboration. All of these factors contribute to making businesses more successful.

Conclusion

Business workplace is also essential to employee engagement and retention because it is where employees spend most of their time (or used too). This means that the workplace significantly impacts employees’ feelings about their jobs and whether they feel connected to their work. Employees form strong relationships with co-workers at their workplaces. These relationships can be a significant factor in whether an employee stays with a company or not.

In this article, we have explored the benefits of employee engagement and provided tips for how you can increase it in your own workplace. Employers who want to increase employee engagement should consider implementing a system of recognition and rewards. Providing development opportunities is also one of the best ways to increase employee engagement.

The benefits of employee engagement extend not only to businesses but also to individual employees themselves.

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Manage The Workload: The last thing you want is a tired, demotivated team, with a mad rush of everyone working away like little elves, to get everything done before Christmas & New Year. Get organised with the workload and if it’s an especially busy period for your business, have a clear plan of action for how your team will be able to achieve everything ahead of schedule. Make sure it’s an atmosphere of drive and determination, as oppose to stress and pressure. Set targets and goals that have meaning; pulling together that team spirit for support and motivation.

Consider Flexible Working: When family commitments take over ahead of Christmas, a great solution to overcome this is by offering flexible working- whether this is by utilising shared spaces closer to home (Read more here: https://loc8commercial.com/blog/flexible-offices-future-work/) or enabling single parents to work from the comfort of their home temporarily from the end of school term. The key is to sitting down with your team to find out what they want and need, then working with them for a win, win situation. Happy staff, and targets hit.

Celebrations and Awards: No matter how big or small your company is, award ceremonies are perfect for recognising, rewarding and motivating your staff. And what better time to do it than the end of the year? Whether it’s a simple thing within the workplace, or by hosting a big event- end-of-year celebrations help to keep those spirits high! Similarly, Christmas Work Parties. Practically everyone has them right? So if you don’t, get your organising caps on! It could be simple after-work Christmas dinner or drinks, but it really helps to bring everyone together, and gives staff something to look forward to, towards the end of the month.

Festive Fun In The Office: At a time when people would much rather be our doing their own thing or spending time with their loved ones, creating a fun and friendly atmosphere in the office makes all the difference to morale. Think- background Christmas tunes in the office, lunchtime office decorating (possibly even going all-out with a tree!) Christmas Jumper day, festive cakes & treats, or even some Christmas competitions. How about- a prize for the best decorated desk?! Think outside the box for how to make it a fun -yet productive- working environment.

Secret Santa With a Twist: So aside from making your workplace feel festive, you can also get your team into the Christmas spirit by organising a Secret Santa… Everyone’s name goes into a hat and one-by-one they pick a name out in secret, for which they then have to buy that person a gift! Make this even more fun, by giving it a gift-buying theme. EG. ‘One Thing That Makes You Fabulous’… This works particularly well for a tight-knit group of coworkers, and might still be appropriate for gatherings where everyone knows each other at least somewhat well. It adds a bit of fun and can bring everyone closer together. You can also do your bit by writing individual thank you notes to every staff member, to give on the day of the gift-giving! Short, sweet, but personal, and it shows your staff how much they really matter.

Rewards and Incentives: Different people are driven by different things. Some need to feel valued & appreciated, some need recognition & rewards, and some are driven financially. Understand your staff and what drives them the most, using appropriate incentives- especially when hitting targets. Make sure your ‘Christmas gift’ is one that matches them!

So ho, ho, ho- there’s just a few ideas to get you started. What do you find works best with staff motivation throughout the holiday season? Share your ideas below! And have a very happy Christmas!

The post How To Keep Staff Motivated This Christmas appeared first on Loc8 Commercial Blog.

STEP 1: Know Your Outcome

Before going into the meeting, have a clear understanding of why you’re holding it and what you want to get out of it. Write down the meeting objectives -clearly and specifically- and then ongoing outcomes you’re aiming to result from there. For example, you may need to hold a meeting to run through some new regulations. It’s mandatory (although can be a little uninspiring), but if you have the objective to complete it and motivate your team in the process, you will start thinking outside the box for exactly how you can do that

Don’t be shy to also share your objectives with your team too; keeping everyone on the same page, with focus and drive, knowing exactly what they’re working towards and why. Where possible, get your team to also set their own personal targets, that you can then monitor and follow up on. For example, if you hold a group meeting for your sales team to boost figures there- get each member of staff to write down their own new targets going out of the meeting. You could even gather these, add them together and put them onto a progress board; encouraging teamwork and a little healthy competition.

STEP 2: Prepare Properly

Once you know what your goals are and the purpose of the meeting, you can start to formulate a proper plan. Don’t go in there blind, then be surprised why it doesn’t have the impact you want! Like all things in life, you get out what you put in. So to improve the effectiveness of your meetings, you have to take the time to prepare them properly.

How will you format your meeting? How will you kick it off with a bang?! Utilise videos, storytelling, quick quizzes, statements for discussion, questions, tasks- there’s so much you can do. How will you make your next meeting different? And how can you craft it to grab their attention early on, and then maintain it throughout?

STEP 3: Do Something Different

You want to be in the position where every time you call a staff meeting, your team don’t groan, but instead- get interested, unsure of what to expect! The only way to do this, is by continuously mixing things up!

High energy is essential, as is your delivery, but get creative with how you can get your messages across. How about breaking the meeting up with group brainstorming sessions, getting people moving from table to table? Or what about a ‘Speed Dating’ exercise to get staff sharing their thoughts/ feedback on a particular topic, bouncing ideas around, or have you ever tried ‘sticker voting’? This is a fun concept where you write different approaches/ techniques in different places, and your team put stickers next to the ideas they think they could work with. There are so many different things you can try- either by getting ideas from the internet, or creating your own.

The key here, is to simply do them. Don’t be afraid how well it will be received, because if you don’t try- you won’t know. But if you start to innovate around your meetings, you will not only get far better engagement within them, but also create a better company culture and lead your team to greater success!

Try it, and see the difference it makes. Think you’ve mastered the meetings?! Pop your engagement strategies in the comments box below- we’d love to hear them! And if you’re looking for meeting or conference rooms, don’t forget- we provide an impartial service to find the right space for you. See here.

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‘Giving up on your goal because of one setback is like slashing your other three tires because you got a flat…

And sure, it may be easier said than done. But remember, you’re not alone. How do we know? Well let’s share a few stories from some of the best…

Bill Gates: The richest person in the WHOLE WORLD. Yep, his first business failed. And it failed bad. The Traf-O-Data was a device that could read traffic tapes and process the data, yet when he went to sell it- the thing didn’t even work! Did Bill give up? Let it knock him down or defeat him? Of course not. In fact, his business partner -Paul Allen- later went on to explain that despite it not being the success they’d hoped for ‘it was seminal in preparing us to make Microsoft’s first product a couple of years later.’ They learnt from their mistakes, and used it as fuel and knowledge to build bigger and better things. Talk about a winning mentality!

If we’re on the topic of failed companies….

Henry Ford: One of America’s foremost industrialists, Henry Ford revolutionised the car industry, founding Ford Motor Company and become the first to apply assembly line manufacturing for cars. He was one of the three most famous and richest men in the world because of this. Yet to begin with- his first two car companies failed and left him completely broke! However, he didn’t let it falter his confidence, which is why he was able to create the great legacy he has left behind today.

Colonel Sanders: This guy was in a similar place. Despite founding one of the biggest fast-food chains in the world -KFC- at the incredible age of 65, Colonel’s famous secret chicken recipe was rejected over a 1,000 times before a restaurant accepted it. Yep, he was a businessman of sheer grit and determination, also proving that age really is just a number and you should never give up on your dreams.

So who else do we have? Well-

Stephen King: best selling author and movie sensation… You don’t get where this guy is without being pretty damn good! Yet believe it or not, in the early days- he was constantly rejected by publishing houses and even threw his first book in the trash! It’s brutal, disheartening and incredibly tough, but did he let it stop him? No. He kept going despite the knock-backs and went on to sell over 350 million copies of his work.

Walt Disney: Similar to King, Walt was fired from the Kansas City Star because his editor felt he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” Pfft, try telling that to kids now! Several more of his businesses failed before the premiere of his movie “Snow White” and I’m pretty sure we need no explanation to that! He went on to become the guy who redefined American childhood and made massive developments in the production of cartoons.

If we’re moving on to entertainment, one of the biggest recognised figures right now- you have to look no further than Mr Cowell. Love him or hate him, this guy is a role model for many….

Simon Cowell: Reality television judge and producer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, Simon is worth more than £300 million for his Syco Entertainment company, which has  sold over 200 million albums and achieved 180 number one singles worldwide. Despite this, it certainly wasn’t an easy ride to get there. See, by his late twenties, Simon had made a million dollars but also lost a million dollars. Yep, how about that for a kicker! But he picked himself up, learnt from his mistakes and became one of the biggest forces in reality television.

We also have the likes of Richard Branson who had dyslexia and did poor at school- but despite low grades and ‘failures’ in education from an early age- he pushed through all the challenges and obstacles that came his way; becoming the fourth richest person in the UK! Albert Einstein also had a challenging childhood and didn’t even speak until the age of four. Yep, many people thought he would never make anything of himself and his head was just in the clouds… Who’d have known those clouds were whirling up genius concepts that would literally change the world! And let’s not forget Thomas Edison, who failed 1000 times before creating the light bulb. Yep one THOUSAND! His response to failure?

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

Legendary… And the list could go on and on.

See, wherever you are right now: it does not matter. What matters is where you want to go, and what you are willing to do to get there. Don’t see setbacks as failures, see them as learning opportunities and have fun building yourself back up or working around them.

What’s the biggest mistakes you’ve made in business and how did you overcome them?

The post Forget Failure: Why The Best Will Never Give Up appeared first on Loc8 Commercial Blog.

The Right Environment: Don’t you find working from home you just have so many distractions? The kids shouting during school holidays, the phone ringing with old relative looking for a catch-up, the cat meowing at your feet. It’s almost impossible to work at your peak performance, stay focused and to work your way through that ‘to do list’ effectively. Having the right environment will boost productivity: your own desk in a smart place, giving you the time you need to really knuckle down. As an entrepreneur, it’s also important to establish a positive work-life balance, which is why having a separate environment – helps you to draw a line between your professional and personal lives. (See here for 5 of the coolest offices in the world: https://loc8commercial.com/blog/5-coolest-offices-world/ Make your space your own!)

The Right People: They say your network determines your net worth, and who you surround yourself with plays a crucial role. Co-working helps to connect you to like minded people, working alongside others who have the same drive as you. Build valuable working relationships, discuss ideas, analyse processes or results and broaden your own knowledge in areas they specialise in too. Often you’ll be working in a space that has people from different business sectors with different skill sets, which can become a valuable asset for you. Co-working amongst entrepreneurs encourages innovation, sparks a little healthy competition and gives you a real sense of community. It provides excellent networking opportunities throughout the whole building and means that as you grow your business: you don’t need to feel alone.

Flexibility: Flexibility is at the core of everything that co-working is about. You’ll have: – Flexible Contracts: Unlike standard office renting, co-working spaces don’t have the long-term commitment with set durations or terms. Instead, you can hire the space on a month-by-month basis, with the option to extend for up to two years: depending on how it’s going and what you’re looking for. Need to upsize or downsize? No problem! It’s hassle free and incredibly convenient.– Flexible Seating: Members of a co-working space can move around depending on their needs. Got an important pitch to work on? Sit in an isolated desk allowing full focus. Got lots of calls to do and want to work alongside others for motivation? Sit within the central part of your office space. You can even hire conference or meeting rooms within your building, at just a fraction of the price: making your business look more professional.– Flexible Schedule: Now although it’s important to have a work-life balance, often- as we look to grow our business around other commitments, we need to have flexibility within our schedule. The great thing is, co-working facilitates exactly for that, with most spaces allowing 24/7 access. This means you can start as early as you want/ need, finish as late as you want/ need, and come & go as much as you like throughout the day. Often, you’ll find others doing the same too, which is always encouraging.

Cost-Effective and Affordable: We understand budgets can be tight when you’re starting out. You need to invest money in the right areas and manage your ongoing costs on a daily/ monthly basis. Now often: renting out an entire office block for yourself or your small team- it’s actually out of the question. It doesn’t really make sense! Co-working on the other hand, is simply a fraction of the price. which makes it a far more feasible option. As mentioned above: contracts with co-working are flexible and most offices are kitted out with everything you need, from computers to phone lines, plus of course desks and chairs! They also tend to have reduced overheads, because most providers include all the expenses in one fixed monthly fee. This makes it easier to manage in terms of budgets and becomes far more economical.

Everything You Need and More: Co-working is designed for entrepreneurs and small business owners, giving you access to all the essential resources. Wifi is always strong, phone lines are clear, stationery is shared and you’ll even have all the cleaning done for you (because we know you don’t always have time for that!) Goodbye mess, hello efficiency! Many co-working spaces also have an abundance of meeting rooms, security, supportive staff and many even host regular events/ coffee mornings within the building to get you interacting further with like minded people.

Yep, it is pretty neat! To find out more about co-working spaces within your area, give us a shout on 020 3031 8563. We offer free, impartial advice; helping you to find the working environment that’s right for you.

The post Why Co-working is the Perfect Solution for Entrepreneurs appeared first on Loc8 Commercial Blog.

As well as having some form of physical activity outside of work, office workers can also make some small changes to their daily behaviour to gain much needed movement.

Integrate walking into your commute

Most office workers don’t have the luxury of living close to their office, therefore walking to work is not always a viable option. If you are using the tube, then aim to walk to the station if it is within a manageable distance and try to get off one stop earlier, to gain a short walk. You should find your working day is more productive.

Avoid lifts and escalators

It can be a difficult habit to break out of if you have become accustomed to using lifts and escalators at work but opt to use the stairs instead. You may feel it is pointless but every step counts as your body is benefitting from the valuable movement. Getting your blood flowing during your working day is vital.

Get your own coffee

Instead of getting someone else to get your coffee, tea or smoothie for you; take the initiative to get up and get it yourself. It will provide you with a short burst of fresh air.

Get up every hour

Instead of sitting at your desk for a long period of time, attempt to get away from your desk every hour. This doesn’t mean going outside to take a long walk, simply stroll around the office or go and get a glass of water to hydrate yourself.

Use your lunch hour

Instead of eating or working through lunch at your desk, use the opportunity to be active. Going for a short or long walk will not only clear your mind from any work-related stress but give you time to re-energise for the afternoon. Additionally, organise a group of colleagues to go on a walk with.

Do Chair exercise at your desk

You’ve been wanting to tone your arms for the summer, why not start in the office? When you need a break, do a few reps of chair sits. You can even alternate between chair exercises and push ups!

Fidget when you work

Small movements and quick exercise breaks add up, especially in a sedentary work place, so challenge yourself to stand, stretch or even tap a foot to bring motion into otherwise still parts of your day. Just remember to keep it professional!

Get a ball

When you are sitting, swap your desk chair for an exercise ball for 20-30 minute spurts. While a chair does all the work for you, an exercise ball requires core strength to retain your posture and balance, resulting in a contribution to your muscle tone of your core, hip and leg muscles.

Take walking meetings

Anytime you have a phone call or an in-person meeting that doesn’t require the use of a computer, you should make a point to turn it into a walking meeting. Or even just pace up and down while on the phone or on a conference call.

What are your favourite ways to stay active during your 9-5?

The post Nine ways to be active during the working day appeared first on Loc8 Commercial Blog.

Melbourne Server Hosting

If you are looking for ways to differentiate a typical office floor, why not stick a library room in the middle? All of sudden, office meetings feel more like the start of a murder mystery tale set in an English manor house.

Couchsurfing

Living up to its name and business, Couchsurfing’s office space is seriously cool and laid back. Looking more like a teenager’s basement than the office space of a global business, Couchsurfing employees enjoy sofas, swings and plenty of open space.

Inventionland Design Factory

This office is like nothing you’ve ever seen before. This office is designed with 15 different sets, ranging from pirate ships, race tracks, faux caves, red carpet walkways, a castle and a giant robot. Not only does the space have fun, creative decor, but the facility also has a state-of-the-art sound/video/animation studio and fully-equipped workshops for creating working prototypes of inventions.

Dropbox

The mission of the popular file hosting and sharing platform Dropbox is to make it easy for people to work comfortably from anywhere. So when it came time to design office space, Dropbox wanted the space to do the same thing. It’s an office that Dropbox likens to a city plaza: a mixture of public and semiprivate spaces that encourage workers to find their own personal bliss.

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So here are the best reasons to work in Bristol:

1. Food:

Bristol is not short of good food, drinks and atmosphere. One of the best brunches around is the bottomless brunch at Brace and Browns and is only £28 for two hours! Food and unlimited drinks, we will definitely be signing up for that!  www.braceandbrowns.co.uk. Alternatively if it’s a cheap but tasty work lunch you are looking for Chomp is the way to go with yummy burgers and including a seriously delicious veggie option!

2. Creativity:

Recently, Bristol was in the news for a creative crowd funding project. This was to build a huge water slide on Bristol’s Park Street to encourage a park and slide scheme. Bristol are open to new technology and creative ideas to build and create their city for today and the future. The creative sectors of business are also booming which means it is now prime time to work in the city if you want to reap in the benefits.

3. Natural Views:

The River Avon or now known as the Bristol Avon runs through the city and is the 19^th longest river in the UK. The benefits of this are that it makes you feel as if you are in the country side and not caught up in the industrial big city building life. It can be good to get away from the stresses of the day just by seeing some natural beauty! To get the best views along with some food and drinks, visit the White Lion Pub and go out onto the terrace!

4. Proximity:

Bristol is only a 40-minute drive away from bath! Bath is known for its natural Hot Springs and beautiful and historical architecture. A famous attraction here is Bath Abbey which is known for its coloured stain glass windows. See here for more: www.visitbath.co.uk

5. Digital Technology:

A new £12 million national express depot was said to bring 120 new jobs to the region. In addition to this, digital technology in the city is rising. According to Tech City UK, Bristol is leading the way in the digital technology echo system. Bristol has the highest turnover per worker in digital tech firms in the country. Both Bath and Bristol are hotspots for this industry.

If your looking for office space in Bristol then please don’t hesitate to contact our team on 020 3031 8563 or click on the following link www.loc8commercial.com

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Start-up businesses by new and serial entrepreneurs are one of the most exciting things happening to our business economy. We have seen a huge rise in new companies forming over the past couple of years. Most aim to keep their overheads low and often launch from the comforts of their own home or coffee shops.

Most start-ups are self-funded but a lucky few are heavily backed meaning they can grow from a bedroom business to having a global presence in no time.

Start-ups used to mainly appear in industries like Tech, Media, Product and Fashion but we are seeing a pattern towards Property, Finance, Education and Healthcare.  The rise of Virtual Reality, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Wearable tech, Automation and mobile means that these industries are growing quicker than ever before.

It’s easy to be intimidated by bleak statistics where 8/10 start-ups fail in the first 18 months.  This is evident in the lack of start-ups that IPO in 2016 but we expect a huge number of new start-ups to go public. Who could they be?

1.    AppDynamics

2.    Snapchat

3.    HotelTonight

4.    Spotify

5.    Qualtrics

6.    Cloudera

7.    Dropbox

8.    Blue Apron

9.    Stich Fix

10. Airbnb

It’s public knowledge that AppDynamics and Snapchat have already filed to go public this year and we are confident of many more.

These companies fill many different office spaces with some having more than one office. Take a look at these offices we have available for you to rent and experience working in a similar environment to these great start-up –

The Shard, SE1 – https://loc8commercial.com/office/serviced-office-to-let/976/london-bridge-street-london-se1

Shoreditch/Old Street – https://loc8commercial.com/office/serviced-office-to-let/1493/westland-place-london-n1

Kings Cross – https://loc8commercial.com/office/serviced-office-to-let/750/east-side-kings-cross-station-london-n1c

Soho – https://loc8commercial.com/office/serviced-office-to-let/1029/sheraton-street-london-w1f

Chelsea – https://loc8commercial.com/office/serviced-office-to-let/1536/fulham-road-london-sw3

The City – https://loc8commercial.com/office/serviced-office-to-let/1028/devonshire-square-london-ec2m  

Whether you are a start-up, SME or a more established company we are sure to have an office solution to suit you. Please give us a call to discuss on 020 3031 8563 or alternatively search online via www.loc8commercial.com

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