Let's face it. It's not easy to keep employees truly engaged in today's stressful and fast-paced work environment. Still, there's no denying the importance of employee engagement in the workplace — especially as it relates to worker retention, job satisfaction, and productivity.

So, what can you do to better engage your employees? Our recommendation might surprise you.

Start a company-wide podcast!

No, seriously. Whether your employees are working full-time in the office, virtually from their own homes, or some combination of the two — an internal podcast can be a fun (and cost-effective) way to keep them invested.

Benefits of Company Podcasts for Employees

There are so many ways in which a company podcast can boost employee engagement. For starters, these podcasts offer an excellent opportunity to recognize individual workers and their achievements within the company. You might consider, for example, dedicating an entire episode to recognizing and interviewing a few employees who have gone above and beyond. This, in turn, can serve as inspiration to other employees while also showing that your company cares enough to recognize its hard workers.

Company podcasts also present a unique opportunity for your brand to get on a more personal level with its employees. Let's face it. No employee wants to read a 10-bullet memo from upper management. Memos, after all, are often boring and impersonal. By hosting a company podcast with talking points from leaders in management, however, you can more effectively gain your workers' attention in a less formal way.

If you have a larger company, a podcast can also be used to help different departments or teams learn more about each other and their roles within the organization. When employees are better able to understand how their roles play into the inner workings and goals of the business as a whole, they can be empowered to perform their jobs better (and with a greater sense of confidence).

Last but certainly not least, a company podcast allows you to stay in touch with your employees on a relatable level — especially in situations where you may not physically see your workers in the office daily. This is becoming increasingly common among businesses that have shifted to a "work-from-home" or hybrid setup as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It may not be practical to have everybody come to the office for a meeting (or even hop on a conference call at the same time), but you can still get your message across in a company podcast that employees can listen to at their own leisure.

Where to Begin With a Company Podcast

Now that you have a better understanding of the many ways a company podcast can be used to boost employee engagement, where do you begin with creating one?

It's actually easier than you might think!

There are a few key components to any successful and engaging podcast. The first is to have an overall theme or message that you communicate through your podcast. Whether you aim to recognize employees for their hard work, communicate a new policy, or invite input on a particular issue, choose one theme and stick to it.

From there, aim to keep your podcast short and sweet. Your employees will appreciate not having to sit through an hour-long podcast to get information that could have been communicated in a three-sentence email. Keeping things concise and to-the-point will keep your listeners' attention while improving recall of the information as well.

Finally, encourage feedback from your employees. Ask them for specific input on what they'd like to hear more of (or less of) in your podcasts so that you can adjust accordingly. When your employees feel heard, they're more likely to stick around.

Tobe Agency is Here to Help!

Launching an employee engagement podcast can be a great way to capture your workers' attention — even if it's just for 20 minutes or so each week. Likewise, a podcast doesn't have to take up a lot of your time or resources.

Looking for help in producing your first employee engagement podcast? Tobe Agency has you covered. Check out our free Podcast Guide for small businesses or reach out to our team for more information on how we can help.