20+ Great Activities To Add To Your Employee Engagement Calendar

Why is employee engagement so important?

Engaged employees are those who care deeply about their job and are emotionally invested in the growth and success of the company.  Naturally, this leads to greater levels of job satisfaction, reduced attrition rates, and lower absenteeism. In fact, according to a recent report by Gallup^[1], companies with highly engaged employees outperform their competitors by 147%.

It would appear that having high employee engagement translates into a positive company culture where everyone is highly motivated to produce quality work to achieve the organization’s goals and objectives.

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Value structuring employee engagement activities

According to a study by Glassdoor^[2], employee engagement is dependent on the organization’s culture and values, the quality of leadership, and professional growth opportunities. Activities that foster employee engagement are centered around promoting transparency, providing employee feedback and recognition, and enhancing employee well-being. The top employers incorporate each of these components into their employee engagement program throughout the year.

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Promoting transparency

Employee experience is greatly determined by how comfortable team members feel that can speak up and share their thoughts and opinions. Creating an environment that fosters open communication between leaders and team members goes a long way in establishing organizational trust and employee buy-in.

It’s important to include employee engagement activities that generate transparent communication between management and team members. Here are some employee engagement ideas that promote transparency:

• Send out employee feedback surveys
• Holding company huddles to share updates about the business performance and open the floor for people to ask questions
• Establish monthly check-ins to evaluate and measure employee engagement and give feedback about personal performance
• Read and respond to negative reviews

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Provide opportunities for professional development

Employees are most engaged when they feel supported by their company to grow and develop their skillset in line with their career objectives. Additionally, many employees feel motivated by personal and professional development opportunities. Be sure to include a variety of employee engagement activities that engage employees and allow team members to diversify their skills and be recognized for their achievements.

Here are some employee engagement ideas that help create a positive employee experience:

• Employee-hosted lunch and learns
• Paid volunteer time
• Hold annual performance reviews
• Celebrate anniversaries and milestones
• Host networking events
• Launch a webinar series
• Engage in formal and informal employee recognition

Ask for feedback from team members about events and activities that would support their career development.

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Prioritize employee well-being

Productivity and employee wellness go hand-in-hand. Investing in your employees’ well-being allows them to be more engaged at work and makes them feel like the company has their best interests at heart. Here are some ways to promote employee well-being:

• Offer inclusive health insurance benefits
• Promote work-life balance
• Have paid sick days and mental health days
• Launch an annual health and wellness program
• Offer healthy snacks and meal options
• Organize a company sports league
• Partner with community organizations to offer discounts

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Employee Engagement Calendar Ideas

Putting together an employee engagement calendar is a great way to connect with employees and bolster engagement year-round. Here are 20+ ideas for activities to add to your company’s calendar:

January

Clean Off Your Desk Day (January 11)

• Host an office-wide declutter

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February

Celebrate black history month

• Host a workshop addressing racism in the workplace
• Host a field trip to a historically and culturally significant landmark for black people in the community
• Partner with black-owned businesses to cater a work event
• Launch a book club that celebrates black writers

Valentine’s Day (February 14)

• Arrange an office-wide ‘warm fuzzies’^[3]

Random Acts of Kindness Day (Feb 17)

• Launch a company-wide “pay-it-forward” initiative 
• Host a fundraiser and donate the proceeds to a local charity

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March

Employee Appreciation Day (March 9)

• Host a luncheon to celebrate the achievements of employees in the organization

International Women’s Day (March 8)

• Host a panel of women for women in business
• Hold a huddle to discuss areas of improvement within the organization related to gender equality
• Have a fundraiser and donate the proceeds to a woman’s shelter

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April

Stress Awareness Month

• Offer offsite lunchtime wellness activities like yoga, meditation, chair massages
• Get a nurse to come and do blood pressure checks onsite for those who are interested
• Partner with a gym or fitness studio in the area to offer staff discounts or free trials
• Check-in with each employee regarding workload management

Earth Day (April 22)

• Incentivize people to walk, bus, or bike to work
• Organize a park clean-up in the neighborhood
• Host an office clothing swap
• Have an eco-friendly giveaway (i.e. reusable water bottles, straws, tote bags)

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May

Mental Health Awareness Month

• Invite a counsellor to come give a talk about mental health
• Offer employees membership for apps like Calm or Headspace
• Educate team members about Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)

National Bike to Work Day (May 21)

Pizza Party Day (May 20)

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June

Pride Month

• Have a focus group for members of the community to share their experiences
• Host an LGBTQIA+ film night

Doughnut Day (June 3)

Juneteenth (June 19)

Bring Your Dog to Work Day (June 25)

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July

Host a mid-year check-in and give a progress update on yearly targets

Summer employee wellness month

• Host an organization-wide fitness challenge
• Bring healthy snacks for the office
• Host outdoors events and encourage people to get outside on their lunch break with a company picnic
• Host a cooking class
• Encourage people to join a local 5K for charity

International Self-Care Day (July 24)

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August

National Chocolate Chip Day (August 4)

• Host a baking competition

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September

International Charity Day (September 6)

• Encourage employees to volunteer at a local shelter
• Host a fundraiser for a local charity

National Coffee Day (September 29)

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October

National Disability Awareness Month

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

• Encourage staff to get screened this month

Halloween

• Organize a food drive

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November

Thanksgiving (third week of the month)

• Host an office-wide potluck
• Host a food or clothing drive for those in need in celebration of Giving Tuesday

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December

Holidays

• Gather employee satisfaction and feedback survey
• Host a toy drive for children in need

Ugly Sweater Day (December 16)

Winter Solstice (December 21st)

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Other Activities To Improve Employee Engagement

With the right employee experience strategy, you can create an engaged workforce where all employees feel valued and seen. If the activities listed above do not work for your company, there are plenty of other employee engagement and team building ideas to do, including:

• Organizing a weekend volunteering squad to clean up a local park, trail or beach
• Celebrating the holidays with your work-family with an office potluck
• Provide ongoing coaching and training sessions
• Hold a team lunch every Friday
• Offer access to an on-site gyms, subsidized canteens and wellness programs
• Celebrate company milestones, birthdays and work anniversaries

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[1] https://www.gallup.com/workplace/238085/state-american-workplace-report-2017.aspx

[2] https://www.glassdoor.com/research/what-matters-more-to-your-workforce-than-money/

[3] https://www.teambonding.com/diy-team-building-exercise-warm-fuzzies/