Employee engagement happens when your team members are involved with and emotionally connected to their work and the company itself. It’s beneficial for your business and your bottom line—high engagement levels can increase productivity, retention, and job satisfaction.

Committed and enthusiastic employees can help you accomplish business goals faster, whether you want to increase profitability or expand the company. As you plan for 2025, use these strategies to increase employee engagement and build a more resilient organization.

Provide professional development opportunities

Make room in your budget for professional development, which is the ongoing process of acquiring knowledge and building new job-related skills. The investment can improve your bottom line—according to Gallup research, companies that support employee development have 11% higher profitability and double the retention rates.

There are a variety of ways to design a professional development program. You might give each employee a certain dollar amount per year to pay for workshops, for example, or invest in courses and programs that are available to everyone.

  • Consider offering opportunities such as:
  • Online or in-person courses
  • On-the-job cross-training
  • Conferences
  • Workshops
  • Professional association memberships
  • Job shadowing

Professional development can benefit your entire workforce. It’s particularly important if you want to motivate and retain high-performing employees, who often need a steady stream of new challenges to feel excited and engaged.

Help employees find their purpose

Modern workers are all about purpose, especially when it comes to work. For 70% of employees, work defines their purpose; 82% want their company to have a purpose as well.

Helping your team find purpose, either in their job duties or as part of the business, can make them feel more engaged. Done effectively, your efforts might even inspire new passion, enthusiasm, and loyalty.

Use these strategies to give your workers a sense of purpose:

  • Communicate and live up to your company’s mission and values.
  • Show employees why their job is valuable to the organization.
  • Share feedback about how your products or services improved customers’ lives.
  • Recognize and appreciate your employees regularly.
  • Offer volunteer opportunities for employees.
  • Contribute to the community as an organization through donations and sponsorships.

Your managers can play a big part in the process. Ask them to work with each employee to develop goals that resonate with their individual interests and professional aspirations. Working toward meaningful objectives can reinforce their sense of purpose.

Encourage two-way communication

Open communication is the foundation of a successful company. The dialogue should go both ways:

  • Company transparency. When company leaders communicate honestly with employees, it can reduce confusion, frustration, and misunderstandings. Workers don’t need to wonder what’s happening behind the scenes; they’ll trust you to share key information with them, even when it’s not positive. This openness creates a sense of safety that can carry the business through tough times.
  • Employee feedback. Ask employees for feedback on a regular basis, and encourage them to come to you with ideas. Consider their suggestions seriously, and implement them whenever possible. You’ll show workers you trust their insights, which creates a sense of ownership and engagement.

Once you’ve established strong communication, it’s easier to understand what employees want from their jobs and their employers. You can use this information to refine policies and practices to engage workers over the long term.

Make room for fun

Your employees spend one-third of their lives at work. If you can make the experience more fun and enjoyable, your team members are more likely to feel an emotional connection to the company.

Social activities are the perfect opportunity. The simple act of relaxing with colleagues can build friendships and strengthen company culture, giving employees another reason to look forward to work each day.

Try these fun ways to engage employees:

Whether you’re planning a team happy hour or celebrating the end of the busy season, food is always a welcome addition. Grubhub Corporate Accounts makes it easy to order—log in any time to schedule catering, or allow employees to add their meal to a group order. Do you have remote workers? Assign them a budget and they can participate, too. To see how Grubhub’s corporate ordering solution can support your employee engagement strategies, get started today.