Esprit de corps for employee engagement at work

For employee engagement, Esprit de corps is not just a fancy French phrase. It is very important in improving the camaraderie and cohesiveness among the members of a team. Different strategies for employee engagement at work has been discussed over a multitude of platforms.

One of the most valued steps in building a working culture where employees feel at home is by building a team, that can work together in a compelling direction. A team that can finish each others’ sentences, a team with esprit de corps in the workplace, is the dream.  

‍

Esprit de corps for employee engagement at work

‍

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. It is the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead.

‍

Every organization will talk about their team-building strategies. However, the greatest myth revolving around creating successful teams, is that team outings and team picnics are the main factors that help.

A team can’t improve its engagement without addressing the factors that are disengaging the members. The team has to be aligned to meet its purpose. Let us go through a few factors that can improve your team. Esprit de corps for employee engagement, it is!

‍

In any workplace, having someone to lead, and lead effectively is a must. To improve the employee engagement of the workforce in the workplace, a compelling leader plays an important role. A good leader with esprit de corps in the workplace will always implement multiplying leadership strategies.

As the term suggests, the leader works on multiplying the efficiency of the employees and thereby improving the productivity of the firm. A good lead with esprit de corps in the workplace justly rewards people for their contributions and never fails to highlight what is desirable from the rest.

They respectfully share their ideas and leave room for the rest of the contributions. An effective leader shows all members that they are valued. Reading each member is difficult, but every leader should be able to do so for better involvement and good employee engagement at work. 

‍

Understanding people is a difficult task. Humans are inconsistent. Any small factor like having a bad hair day or a messed up commute, changes the entire day for an individual.  For working as a team, knowing how each other’s mind works is important.

Hence, it is essential to know each other in a different way, outside of the work environment. This paves the way for better bonding, which helps in times of adversity. It will lead to better problem solving and boost morale.

Having friends in the workplace, keeps the employees engaged. Being good buddies, might not be necessary, but, being great colleagues is more than talking about the upcoming marketing strategy. Building trust and loyalty do not come with talking business.

Sharing likes and dislikes, lending each other a book, suggesting a new TV show, can all help in effective team building and increasing employee engagement at work. 

Assessing the current state of morale of a team is a very important step. Morale building as a group is always found to be more effective. Understanding the group dynamics and working for the team will automatically boost individual morale.

‍Two-Way Communication between the management and the team is an important factor for this. If the management gives orders and the employees obey, it is impossible to have any employee engagement at work there. If the management sets goals, and let the team decide how to achieve it, then, that is an effective engagement of employees.

This is where the leader has to step up, guaranteeing workload balance, delegating responsibilities and ensuring that the team has a healthy dose of everything required. 

‍

The team, once they start working towards a specific goal, has the freedom to be themselves. This is where peer-based learning plays an important role. This way it seems more acceptable to make mistakes.

It increases expertise as it is better than having pressure from the top. Here, the leader ensures psychological safety, for creative freedom which leads to innovation. This has led to the birth of a number of disruptive innovations.

Now they are aware of what Helen Keller meant when she said, “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much”. They start exploring their area of expertise and start working as one unit. 

‍

Improving the skills that they have for the betterment of the team, results in job satisfaction. With esprit de corps in the workplace, the growth of each individual is assured, as they are not forced to do tasks that do not suit them and obviously, their performance improves along with increased engagement. Employee retention is not a difficult task now. The individual will want to stay because he is fully aware of the personal and professional growth he’s exposed to. 

‍

“Coming together is a beginning, Keeping together is progress and working together is success.” - Henry Ford.

‍

Just like every other corporate business does, team outings and team dinners definitely help. But if the ultimate goal is to improve engagement, the focus should be on the employees, the humans and the brains that are working to attain goals.

The company’s goals should be their goals. Selfishness to attain goals should be replaced with the esprit de corps in the workplace of togetherness and loyalty that is depended on to achieve success. The teams should be in such a way that my one and your one make the organization’s three. There are no definite steps to build a team. Knowing WHO is the team, will lead you to unfathomed heights.

Conclusion

In conclusion, fostering esprit de corps within your organization is a powerful strategy for enhancing employee engagement and building a cohesive, motivated workforce. By nurturing a sense of unity and shared purpose, you can drive better performance and job satisfaction across the board. Leveraging advanced HR software can further support these efforts, providing the tools needed to track engagement, streamline communication, and cultivate a strong, positive organizational culture. Embrace these strategies to create an environment where employees feel valued, connected, and inspired to contribute their best.