Maximising Employee Engagement: How to Leverage Corporate Events to Communicate Total Rewards and Benefits

by Cathy Gordo, 09 July 2024
by Cathy Gordo, 09 July 2024Updated 08 November 2024
Maximising Employee Engagement: How to Leverage Corporate Events to Communicate Total Rewards and Benefits

Employee engagement is crucial for keeping company morale high. It ensures that employees derive meaning and motivation from their work, leading to increased productivity, creativity, and a sense of ownership in the company's success.

A positive atmosphere is known to ultimately contribute to a stronger and more profitable organisation. The higher employee engagement levels are, the more productive and sustainable an office culture is, even if it’s remote. However, despite its relevance in the workplace, only a third of US employees actually feel engaged during office hours.

The relationship between employees and their engagement levels needs more attention. The solution? Hosting meaningful events.

Well-curated corporate events can help employees feel more connected to their work environment. This, in turn, will motivate them to increase productivity and uplift morale.

But what is the best way to approach corporate events, and how can they benefit and reward your employees?

In this comprehensive guide, we explore how corporate events serve as a strategic touchpoint for improving employee engagement and boosting happiness during work hours.

(Photo Credit: Forbes)

How Do Corporate Events Benefit Employee Engagement?

Corporate events are events organised by management to encourage team-building and enhance company culture.

When executed well, they can help bridge the gap between employees and management, creating a necessary sense of community within the workplace. Employer of record technology and Executive coaching can help guide you in planning these events, ensuring they are strategically designed to align with your company’s objectives.

With a holistic mindset, corporate events can be fun, stimulating, and engagement-fostering spaces for employees. They can also enhance the rewards and benefits employees around the globe enjoy. Here’s how:

1. Fosters connection between different teams

How much does one really know about what other teams do?
Different departments don’t always have the opportunity to connect with other factions of the company, let alone know what goes on within specific teams or divisions. This becomes especially true if a company has multiple offices or workers around the globe.

Corporate events create comfortable spaces for employees with all sorts of different skill sets and expertise. In these spaces, everyone can mingle, engage, and learn from one another.

If a remote work or hybrid policy is in place, these events can be created virtually. This ensures all team members can benefit from the time they share. Corporate events, whether in-person or virtual, can enhance employee engagement by offering flexible options, especially for hybrid work environments. Using desk booking software can streamline workspace reservations for events, ensuring all employees have access to available spaces, whether they are working remotely or in the office.

The higher employee engagement levels are, the more productive and sustainable an office culture is, even if it’s remote. Implementing effective strategies for remote employee engagement can play a crucial role in fostering this positive atmosphere.

2. Offers a fun, meaningful break from work hours

As important as focus and productivity is during work hours, it’s important to give employees as balanced an experience as possible.

Hosting the occasional event allows employees to have a more dynamic work experience that is more sustainable and motivating in the long run. It also means they get to have fun and bond with other employees, thus adding to their sense of purpose in the company system.

3. Shows employees that management cares about holistic well-being

Before you’re an employee, you’re a human being. And human beings need more than just a nice desk to sit at while they work. Employee recognition programs motivate and provide meaningful feedback, which encourages employees to perform at their best, ultimately increasing their productivity and workplace satisfaction. Incorporating tools like kudos software can help in acknowledging employee efforts, which contributes to a more engaging and supportive work environment.

Not only can events have a positive effect on an employee's mental and physical health, but they also foster trust between them and their employers. When employees feel their needs are met on a more holistic level, they are more likely to remain happy, productive, and loyal. Using tools like slack Birthday Bot will help you to automatically congratulate your employees on their important dates, thereby building corporate culture within the team and making communication easier for them.

4. Creates a feeling of compensation on all levels

Rewarding employees on all levels and in all locations boosts morale and encourages collaboration. When you have employees all over the world, global compensation must include rewards for everyone. Corporate events provide this, as they put the needs of employees front and centre. Additionally, offering health and wellness programs, such as free medical examinations, can further enhance motivation. Partnering with a reliable radiology billing company to facilitate these services ensures that employees receive the care they need efficiently, further boosting their morale and engagement.

Best Practices For Maximizing The Impact Of Corporate Events

Contrary to popular belief, there are ways to host corporate events that feel inspiring and uplifting to employees. Here are our best practices for making the most of corporate events:

Host events that reflect your company's values and vision

When planning a corporate event, consider how you can curate it to reflect the company's values and goals. For example, if fostering a sense of community is one of your core company values, aim to host events that enhance and celebrate that trait.

The more aligned your company’s events are with its overarching values, the more meaning and purpose employees will derive from them.

Use events planning tools

A truly successful event requires more than just seating and snacks. There’s a lot to consider in terms of venue, atmosphere, timing, location, and quality of experience. From logistics to ambience, planning successful corporate events requires the right tools.

Using an events planning tool can help you organise events in advance and give you enough time to make them special for employees.

If your events are virtual, ensure that you cater to all time zones and cultures.

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Include employees in the planning process

If you’re not sure how to organise events that your employees will respond to, ask them. Including employees in the planning process creates more impactful events and communicates that you value their opinions.

Employees can provide you with helpful and inspiring insights about what kinds of activities make them feel most engaged. Invite them to suggest ideas and take submissions seriously.

Once you cultivate a healthy dialogue between employees and management about what engagement means to them, you can create events that meet their needs on a deeper level.

Elevate your event with exciting venues

If you’ve been struggling to think of ways to enhance your corporate events, the chosen venue is a good place to start. The right environment is key to a successful event, and getting creative about which ones you choose adds a refreshing dynamic to each one.

Try to keep your events interesting by choosing different venues each time. Every venue should be chosen based on atmosphere and practicality. Give those hard-working employees a beautiful space to communicate, engage, and reconnect with themselves and each other.

If this requires a new virtual space each time, look for easy-to-access platforms that make participation simple.

Use metrics to measure impact and effectiveness

As is the case with any new project or strategy, measuring success is essential. Run surveys after your corporate events to find out what’s working and what’s not.

If you want to take this even further, enter the data you capture into an analysis program. Doing so helps you to clearly visualize the relationship between employee engagement and corporate events. This can help refine your strategy and improve how you approach the organisation.

Go Above And Beyond

Of course, it’s not always practically possible to host luxury events. However, being intentional about how you curate each corporate event can make a big difference in quality.

Regular, fun events are a great way to show your employees you care about their well-being, but every now and then, go above and beyond with an extra special event. The more effort you put into your employees, the more likely you will get out.

Make their experience your priority.

Inspire Employees And Promote Engagement Through Meaningful Corporate Events

Your corporate events can—and should—do more than just educate or share news with employees.

With the right strategy, events become opportunities to inspire and motivate employees on a creative, social, and interpersonal level. This helps your engagement levels soar and ensures every employee feels valued. Plus, it adds to the rewards and benefits offered, maximising employee satisfaction.

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