How Sonic Boom increases overall employee engagement

For many years, we had a myopic view of engagement, focusing only on engagement in our program. I mean, heck! That’s why we started Sonic Boom in the zany way we did — because everyone else was doing clinical wellness. We saw a need to drive engagement and felt the best way to do so is to create programs people actually enjoy. You don’t have to pay people to go to Disneyland, right? 

But in recent years, it has become increasingly clear that, beyond engagement in a wellbeing program, overall employee engagement is key. And I get it — as an employer, I’m paying people to engage at work. What’s exciting is that it has become starkly obvious that our program can do wonders to amp that up, and our clients are verifying that it’s working.

It’s really not a surprise that our program has this positive effect on employee engagement. After all, most books on the subject, or a few quick searches on The Google Machine, will inevitably lead to the same advice:

• Make physical and emotional health a priority
• Encourage socialization and communication among colleagues
• Recognize and reward performance, commitment, and achievements
• Ping employees about what’s important to them
• Allow employees to express and share passions and interests
• Provide a forum for dialogue
• Promote company goals and values to help inspire and provide a purpose
• Offer feedback
• Encourage accountability
• Create a culture of engagement

Workforce engagement is critical and can be directly proportional to the quality of an employee’s work. The more invested and passionate employees are about the company, industry, colleagues, and management, the more motivated and dedicated they’ll be. However, don’t confuse employee engagement with job satisfaction — someone may or may not love the job and still may (or may not) be engaged at work. 

In case it wasn’t blatantly obvious how the Sonic Boom program improves overall employee engagement, let’s take another look at that list. 

• Physical/emotional: Check and check. Both are at the very foundation of what we do. In fact, because the program is so dynamic and comprehensive, it checks all the other boxes, too, such as financial and social wellness. Speaking of which …
• Socialization: The Sonic Boom program drives social connection like none other, which is perhaps one of our biggest differentiators. Members are able to fully customize content and messaging, and the platform is designed to elicit emotional responses that are shared within the organization. Colleagues are connected even when they don’t know one another and/or all interactions are virtual! Some of the most consistent praise we’ve gotten since our world began to adopt a work-from-home lifestyle is that the social connection that our program creates is one of the most valuable, intangible benefits.
• Recognition: Caught Ya was part of the first iteration of Sonic Boom and will always be a key component. Designed to facilitate recognition for healthy behaviors, it has evolved into a way for colleagues to applaud each other for other things, such as job performance, attitude, or anything else. In a matter of seconds, someone can congratulate others, or themselves, with a thoughtful comment and optional photo, and they comment on others’ posts, as well.
• Soliciting employee feedback: With our social tools, surveys, recommendation cards, and even push notifications, we have always helped clients customize programs around what their team members value and crave. But the only way to know what they want is to ask them.
• Sharing is caring: Employees love to engage in the social aspects of Sonic Boom —  sharing views, experiences, advice, motivational tips, recipes, and, well, pretty much anything. Others can comment/like the posts, creating social connection that facilitates teamwork, camaraderie, and connection.
• Forum for dialogue: In case it hasn’t become obvious, Sonic Boom is loaded with ways for people to social connect, both within and outside the “walls” (albeit virtual for many) of the workplace. 
• Promotion of company goals/values: Because Sonic Boom is infinitely customizable, one of the first things we collaborate on with clients is how to bring value beyond the obvious “wellbeing components.” Any vendor is going to provide physical activity, nutrition, financial, and stress-related content and resources. However, because we’re customizable, we look outside the box and ask, “What value can we bring that might not be so obvious?” For many clients, that value is in the form of promoting company mission or fundamental principles.
• Offer feedback: Employees want to hear from their employers — it makes them feel important and included. Sonic Boom provides, and always has, a forum for two-way dialogue and promotion, even when other communication techniques may be limited.
• Encourage accountability: People in Sonic Boom acknowledge one another (Caught Ya), compete, cooperate, commiserate, and communicate. The core essence of Sonic Boom is based on accountability.
• Create a culture of engagement: This has been our mission since Day One, and we’re proud that we’ve executed and delivered. While we continue to hone our program, strategies, consultation, and features, we have always been able to create and/or enhance a culture of wellness and engagement.

Do these points resonate with you? We’d love to hear about what’s missing from your current employee-wellbeing program, and share how Sonic Boom can help improve your people’s daily health habits PLUS their peer-to-peer interaction and overall workplace happiness. If you’re a current client or member of the Sonic Boom program, we’d love to hear how the program has enhanced your overall employee engagement (beyond the typical health-habit improvements that we always see). Feedback is important to us, and we welcome your thoughts! 

Are you looking to improve your employees’ wellbeing at home and at work? Click below to find out how Sonic Boom’s comprehensive, fully customizable wellness programs can help!