In the build up to London 2012, many companies were expressing concern about how the Olympics would affect them. This resulted in more than half of employers making changes to their policies, for example by enabling staff to work from home or allowing them to watch key events in the office.  It proved to be a great opportunity to encourage employee engagement, and morale has certainly been boosted across the UK during the last few weeks. However, now that the Games have come and gone, how can you ensure that your commitment to engagement continues?

Well one important lesson to learn from the Olympics is that, yes, pay is important, but motivation does not come from financial incentives alone. We only have to look at the volunteers to see this – they were invaluable and worked really hard despite the fact that they weren’t paid for their efforts.

Although there was no obvious reward, they did it because they enjoyed it, and it gave them a sense of purpose.  This feeling is what we at a&dc term ‘meaning’ and, if you can create meaning for your employees, you can encourage happier working environments.

Research has shown that there are several situational factors that influence the sense of meaning an employee experiences, such as clear goals, clear espoused values, strong leadership, immediate feedback, and a sense of autonomy. With these in mind, there are three key actions that HR departments can implement in the workplace in order to develop employee engagement further.

Firstly, you should set transparent goals and provide feedback on task performance. This will then allow your staff to be able to recognise that the duties they complete have a clear purpose within the organisation and, if you provide feedback as quickly as possible, it will help them to remain on target.

You also need to ensure that the vision and the values of the organisation are established and clearly communicated. This enables employees to understand what the direction of the organisation is, what it stands for and what differentiates it. Companies that effectively communicate and manage their values immediately have been seen to reduce voluntary turnover by 8% and improve the application rate of qualified candidates by 25% (Corporate Leadership Council, 2010).

In addition, it’s important to have resources in place, such as supervisory coaching and social support. The result will be that employees become better at understanding how their role fits within the ‘bigger picture’, exploring alternative ways of approaching activities, and recognising how their goals are aligned to the organisation’s objectives. By highlighting how an employee’s actions positively impacts on the organisation’s overarching vision, can only help drive their sense of purpose and enhance the meaning that they draw from their work.

So now that the hype surrounding the Olympics comes to an end and there’s a focus on the negative economy once again, it’s fundamental to ensure that you can retain the engagement levels that you saw during the Games. Encouraging employees to create ‘meaning’ about their job is a great way to do this. If done correctly, it can lead to happier individuals and an increase in productivity, leaving an Olympic legacy for your organisation.