Does your company need an employee engagement committee?

Here’s a big objection that’s often surfaced: 

Employees are busy doing their jobs — if they spend too much time on a committee, will their day-to-day productivity take a hit? 

On the other hand, if your HR department is single-handedly running employee engagement programs, they’re bound to get burnt out. 

They’ll also miss out on feedback and fresh perspectives from employees who benefit from these initiatives. 

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at employee engagement committees (EECs) and why they can be beneficial. We’ll also share tips on organizing a committee, the pros and cons, and tools to benefit engagement efforts. 

EECs might just be the missing piece in your workplace puzzle!

Why employee engagement strategies matter

• Companies with highly engaged employees are 21% more profitable.
• Highly engaged workplaces can see 41% lower absenteeism.

What’s the cost of disengaged employees? 

• Disengaged employees cost organizations around $450-550 billion each year.
• Low engagement costs the global economy $8.8 trillion.

Understanding the Employee Engagement Committee (EEC)

What is an Employee Engagement Committee?

An Employee Engagement Committee, aka the happiness heroes 🦸‍♂️ of the office, is a group of passionate employees dedicated to boosting morale and making work feel more meaningful! They serve as the ultimate cheerleaders for your company culture, ensuring everyone feels valued and heard.

Roles and responsibilities of an EEC

The EEC wears many hats, from planning team-building activities to collecting feedback through anonymous surveys. Their mission? To exchange ideas, gauge employee satisfaction, identify areas for improvement, and dream up creative solutions that keep employees engaged at work.

Creating an Employee Engagement Committee

1. Define your goals

Before assembling your EEC dream team, take some time to define your objectives. Are you aiming to boost employee morale, enhance communication, or improve work-life balance? Clarifying your goals will guide your committee’s focus and ensure everyone is on the same page.

2. Recruit enthusiastic members

Invite employees to apply to the committee by promoting it in Slack, all-hands meetings, and within your company hub (if you have one). One easy way to collect applications is through a Google form. Reference the form below as an example to get you started. 

Name:

Department:

Why do you want to be on the EEC?

What are some of the skills you’ll bring to the committee?

Are you able to dedicate 1 hr. per week to the committee?

Have you been at the company for more than 6 months?

Do you have manager approval to join the EEC?

Pro tips: 

• Focus on diversity: When assembling your dream team, diversity is key! Aim for a mix of personalities, skill sets, and backgrounds to ensure fresh perspectives and out-of-the-box ideas. After all, variety is the spice of life—and workplace engagement!
• Select one person per department: Here at GoProfiles, we make sure to only bring on one person per department to ensure we get input from around the entire company. 
• Set a tenure time: Switch committee members every quarter or 6 months to continuously bring fresh ideas and prevent burnout. For example, you could switch committee members every quarter or every 6 months. 
• Use GoLinks: With go links, you can create a short link like go/EEC-form to easily share the application form in meetings and messages. 

3. Establish clear roles and responsibilities

To ensure smooth sailing, assign specific roles and responsibilities to each committee member. Who is set to lead the employee engagement committee? Who will run meetings? Who will be in charge of event planning? Clarifying these roles from the outset will help avoid confusion and keep everyone accountable. 

Pro tip: Ask people about their skillset in the application form so you can make sure to get a wide variety of skills. This will help you divide responsibilities in a way that suits each member. 

4. Create a communication plan & meeting schedule

Effective and open communication is key to the success of any committee. Establish a communication strategy outlining how and when the committee will meet, how updates will be shared with the rest of the organization, and how employee feedback will be collected.

5. Set a budget

Depending on your goals and initiatives, you may need to allocate a budget for EEC activities. Whether it’s organizing team-building events, purchasing employee recognition awards, or implementing wellness programs, having a budget in place will ensure your committee can bring its ideas to life. 

6. Foster collaboration with leadership

Lastly, don’t forget to enlist the support of company leadership. Share your goals and plans with senior management and seek their input and guidance. Collaboration with leadership will not only lend credibility to your committee but also ensure alignment with the organization’s overall objectives.

Pros and cons of having an Employee Engagement Committee

Pros of having an EEC

• More diverse opinions and ideas shared 💡
• More people doing fewer tasks, rather than one person doing many tasks 🏃🏽‍♀️
• More capacity to get engagement initiatives out the door 🚀
• Enhanced collaboration and teamwork across departments 🗣️
• Early detection and resolution of potential issues 🕵️‍♀️

Cons of having an EEC

• Time constraints for committee members ⏰
• Communication hiccups between the EEC and the rest of the organization 📡
• The risk of losing sight of larger organizational goals 🎯

Tools for improving employee engagement through an EEC

Consider investing in some of these employee engagement tools to make your work easier. 

GoLinks for efficient communication

Say goodbye to long, convoluted URLs and hello to streamlined communication with GoLinks! Create short, snappy links that make sharing EEC resources a breeze, keeping everyone in the loop and engaged.

GoProfiles for personal connections

GoProfiles is a people platform that helps EECs learn about employees and encourage peer recognition. Here are some of the main ways your committee can use GoProfiles: 

• Discover employee info to inform engagement activities: GoProfiles helps you find information like employee hobbies, interests, anniversaries, birthdays, and more to help inform your decisions on initiatives. 

• Organize in-person get-togethers for remote companies: If you’re a remote company, keeping track of where employees are located can be tricky. Whether you’re trying to decide on a location for an in-person retreat or you want to encourage employees to meet up with coworkers in their area, GoProfiles can help you get the data you need with employee location mapping. 

• Encourage peer-to-peer recognition: With Bravos, fun little achievement badges, your committee can help foster a sense of belonging and camaraderie among the team.

Survey tools for employee feedback

Want to know what makes your employees tick? Turn to SurveyMonkey or Officevibe to gather valuable insights and measure engagement levels. 📊 Armed with data, the EEC can tailor initiatives that resonate with your workforce.

Increase employee engagement with an EEC 

Establishing an employee engagement committee isn’t just about checking a box—it’s about investing in your greatest asset: your people! 

Companies that nurture rich work culture experience a 4x increase in revenue growth, surpassing those with a weak company culture. 

By prioritizing engagement and creating a workplace culture where employees feel valued and appreciated, you’re not just boosting morale—you’re setting the stage for financial success and deeper job satisfaction. 

Employee engagement committee FAQs

1. How do I convince leadership to support the creation of an EEC?

• Highlight the potential benefits, such as improved employee morale and productivity. Tons of statistics prove the benefits of employee engagement. You can also show examples of successful EEC initiatives from other companies to demonstrate its value.

2. What if committee members don’t have enough time to dedicate to EEC activities?

• Encourage time management and prioritize tasks based on their impact. Consider rotating responsibilities or adjusting meeting schedules to accommodate busy schedules. Here at GoProfiles, we replace committee members every quarter, making it easier for employees to commit. 

3. How can I ensure effective communication between the EEC and the rest of the organization?

• Use various communication channels, such as email newsletters, intranet updates, and regular team meetings, to keep employees informed about EEC initiatives and gather feedback.

4. What metrics should I use to measure the success of the EEC?

• Look at employee engagement survey results, retention rates, and feedback from team members to gauge the impact of EEC initiatives on the overall workplace environment.

5. How can I address skepticism or resistance from employees towards the EEC?

• Be transparent about the committee’s goals and activities, and actively solicit input and involvement from all employees. Highlight the positive outcomes of EEC initiatives to demonstrate their value.

GoProfiles for employee engagement

Ready to unleash the power of employee engagement? 🚀 Explore how GoProfiles and GoLinks can take your EEC initiatives to new heights and transform your workplace into a hub of happiness and productivity!