How a Culture of Engagement Can Boost Talent Acquisition

Work is a major part of our lives. We spend up to 30 percent of our lives at our jobs. This is about the same percentage as we...

January 7, 2020
Press the button to generate random icebreaker questions.
There are 300 more icebreaker questions at the bottom of the article
How would you describe your job to a five year old?
What season would you be?
What is a weird food you have tried? Would you eat it again?
What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Would you go in the mother-ship with aliens if they landed on Earth tomorrow?
What is your favorite season?
Do prefer working from home or the office?
What is your earliest memory of this job?
What is the best thing you have bought so far this year?
What is the earliest book you remember?
If you had to move to another country, which one would you choose?
You are the best criminal mastermind in the world. What crime would you commit if you knew you would get away with it?
What is your favorite movie genre to watch?
What was the last thing you ate?
What person from history would you add to Mount Rushmore?
What is a weird fact you know?
What is your favorite part of working from home?
Were the Spice Girls a good team?
Imagine you can instantly learn any language. Which would you choose?
If you could live in any state, which state would you pick?
Which fictional team is the best team of all time?
What did you want to be when you grew up?
What do you usually eat for a quick lunch?
What simple food will you never eat?
Show us the weirdest thing you have in the room with you right now.
Would you rather stay at a hotel or an AirBNB?
What is your favorite movie genre to watch?
Are you more productive in the morning or at night?
Who is someone in your community that makes a difference?
Who was your most unique pet?
Choose one famous person from history you want on your team during a zombie apocalypse.
What is a good way to give back to the community?
Which song could you listen to over and over again?
Is Hugh Grant funny?
What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?
Would you want to have an imaginary friend today? Did you have one as a child?
What actor or actress would you want to play you in the movie about your life?
What is the best super power?
What is your New Years resolution?
You can only eat one food again for the rest of your life. What is it?
What is the best work holiday?
What is the first gift you remember receiving?
Would you rather join Metallica or Backstreet Boys?
What is the best example of a community you have seen?
What is an easy way to do something nice for someone?
Show us your phone background and tell the story behind why you picked this image.
What was your first job?
Pick any band to play at your funeral.
If you could have an unlimited supply of one thing for the rest of your life, what would you pick?
Which superpower would you give to your arch enemy?
What is the most obscure superpower you would want?
What emoji best describes how you are feeling right now?
If you could live in any country, which country would you pick?
Would you rather live in a city or a town?
What is your favorite holiday?
What is something you accomplished as part of a team?
What is your standard office lunch?
What is your most used phone app?
What is your favorite season?
Have you ever won something as a team?
Imagine you are a professional baseball player. What is your introduction song?
Beach holiday or ski trip?
Have you ever been to a funny comedy show?
Would you rather live at the North Pole or the South Pole?
What is your favorite song to sing?
If you could live in any state, which state would you pick?
Imagine you could teleport anywhere. Where would you go right now?
What is the most unusual job you have heard of?
What was the last thing you ate?
You can visit any fictional time or place. Which would you pick?
What do your family and friends think you do all day?
What movie do you wish you could watch again for the first time?
Show us your most-used emoji.
What was the most unique style or fashion trend you ever embraced?
What movie defined your generation?
You are stranded on a remote desert island. Are you alone or with your worst enemy?
What is your favorite knock-knock joke?
Have you ever told someone Santa is not real?
Do you know how to speak more than one language?
On a scale of 1 – 10, how much of a team player are you?
What is your #1 recommendation in this city?
What is your favorite holiday?
What bucket list item do you most want to check off in the next six months?
What is your favorite mythical creature?
What was the first way you made money?
If you could be great at any Olympic sport, which would it be?
Which song could you listen to over and over again?
When did you start liking/hating mushrooms?
Where is your favorite vacation spot?
Do you take your PTO all at one time, or another way?
Which show do you remember most from your childhood?
Which beverage goes best with pizza?
Would you want to have a personal assistant follow you around everywhere and do what you asked of them?
Have you ever met your idol?
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Would you rather live 100 years in the past or 100 years in the future?
What is your hobby?
When you are alone in the car, what volume is the music at?
Imagine you no longer have to work. How would you spend a Tuesday?
What is your favorite type of sandwich?

Work is a major part of our lives. We spend up to 30 percent of our lives at our jobs. This is about the same percentage as we spend sleeping. Naturally, we’re going to talk about work. We gossip, we complain, we tell funny stories. And, if we’re fortunate enough to work someplace we like, we brag.

When it comes to talent acquisition, that’s what employers want – employees who brag. Candidates listen to the opinions of employees much more closely than they do recruiters and other HR people. When employees say that a company is a good employer, it makes a real impact. Any company can offer more money, a flexible schedule, or other perks, but not many can offer a satisfying, positive work environment. So how does a company improve its employee experience?

Two words – employee engagement.

Employee Engagement
Employee engagement means that your employees see themselves on the same side as their company and their co-workers. The relationship between employer and employee doesn’t have to be adversarial. When it’s positive, and employees feel empowered and appreciated – they will work harder. When employees are engaged, everyone wins, but the reality is that most employees don’t feel engaged.

Developing a Culture of Engagement
Building a culture of engagement is key to keeping and developing employees, and a big part of that is employee appreciation. Showing your employees that they are noticed and valued is a concrete way of demonstrating your investment in your people.

One of the best ways for your employees to feel engaged is to make them feel appreciated. Annual bonuses are a great start, but that’s something most companies already do. When it comes to appreciation, little things mean a lot. Acknowledge social landmarks like birthdays, marriages and anniversaries as well as work accomplishments such as promotions and cost-saving ideas. Things like treating your HR team to a catered lunch after open enrollment is completed or giving your IT team gift cards after a major systems upgrade will put people in a much better mood than they might have been if all they got was their regular paycheck.

Employee appreciation shouldn’t be limited to management. Often, your employees will have a clearer view of the challenges their co-workers face, and the work they put into solving them. Your employees should have the opportunity to acknowledge and express their appreciation for their co-workers. Recognition from other employees can be very meaningful and helps build a sense of teamwork and camaraderie.

When you invest in your employees, they will respond. You’ll see employee productivity go up, costs go down and turnover decrease. Employee engagement can also provide a big boost to talent acquisition.

Ways Employee Engagement Helps works with Talent Acquisition
Not only does employee engagement make your company a more attractive place to work, but the act of engaging your employees in talent acquisition helps strengthen a culture of engagement. So where do you start?

  • Make your hiring as transparent as possible. Everyone in your company should know when you have a hiring need. Tools like Slack have made it easy to keep people in the loop. You can also use email and the good old corkboard to let people know when you have a hiring need. Keeping your employees informed is essential to employee engagement.
  • Encourage people to network. Ask any recruiter you come across and they’ll tell you the best recruits are the people who aren’t actively looking for a new job, and the best place to find new people are the people they know. Don’t forget to reward employees for successful referrals!
  • Involve your employees in the hiring process. Have your employees participate in resume screening and interviews. This will give the candidate a better sense of your company and will help your employees feel invested in the process.

Talent Acquisition and Employee Engagement
When you show your appreciation for your employees, you are making an investment in your team that will be returned many times over. Recognizing the work of your employees reinforces their commitment to your company and helps to build a culture of engagement. Talent acquisition is a natural part of your company and can work hand in hand with employee engagement to create, develop and strengthen a culture of engagement.

Assembly is dedicated to helping companies build and sustain employee appreciation, freeing you up to focus on building your company and your team. Assembly provides the tools and platform to scale your company’s culture.

Browse our Free Employee Recognition Guide

Get the foundational knowledge on creating an employee recognition program that boosts employee engagement and helps them feel valued.

Explore Guide
Employee recognition guide