Quick wins for SMEs – Employee engagement for small businesses on a budget

A simple employee engagement framework for small businesses

For many small-medium sized businesses without a huge budget, employee engagement can feel overwhelming, especially when you’re not sure where to start.

A simple and effective framework to follow is:

Listen → Act → Communicate → Repeat

First, listen to your employees by collecting feedback through pulse surveys or check-ins.

Then, act on that feedback.

The biggest driver of engagement is to make sure employees see that their input leads to real change.

After acting, communicate back to your team to show them what’s been done and how their feedback has influenced decision-making.

Finally, repeat the process regularly to keep the engagement cycle going.

This continuous loop helps employees feel heard, and motivated to share their thoughts in the future.

Using tools like Stribe makes this process even easier by helping you collect feedback, track responses, and measure the impact of the changes you make – all in one place.

Small businesses with less than 100 employees can sign up to Stribe instantly.

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Quick wins for SMEs who want to improve engagement fast

Our low-cost, high-impact tips to help your small business improve employee engagement fast.

• Start using pulse surveys

 Our number one tip is to start with pulse surveys.

The best way to improve engagement quickly is to check in with employees regularly using pulse surveys – short, frequent surveys that track how your team is feeling over time.

Unlike lengthy annual surveys, pulse surveys are quick to complete and help you spot issues before they become bigger problems.

You can use free online survey tools to get started, but dedicated survey software (like Stribe) makes the process even easier by automating feedback collection and analysis.

For the same price as a coffee per employee, per month – Stribe helps you gather honest, anonymous feedback and turn insights into action.

• Fix pain points first

Ask your team about their everyday frustrations and focus on those first.

Things like slow systems, too many meetings, rigid schedules, or unclear processes can drain motivation and slow people down – but they’re often easy to fix.

Use a quick, anonymous pulse survey to find out what’s causing frustration and tackle those issues first.

• Get employee input on workplace perks

Not all perks need to be expensive – sometimes, the smallest changes make the biggest difference.

Instead of guessing what employees want, ask them directly.

A quick survey can reveal simple, low-cost perks that have a real impact – flexible working is a great example.

When perks are tailored to what employees actually value, they feel more appreciated and engaged – without wasting money on benefits no one uses.

• Start saying thank you more often

 Recognition doesn’t cost a thing.

A simple thank-you, a shout-out in a team meeting, or a quick message of appreciation can go a long way.

Encourage your team to celebrate each other’s wins, too – this helps build a positive culture where everyone feels valued.

With Stribe’s employee recognition tool, it’s super easy to collect and share these moments of positivity, making appreciation part of your everyday culture.

• Conduct ‘stay’ interviews

Instead of waiting for employees to quit before finding out what went wrong with exit interviews, try conducting ‘stay’ interviews instead.

Anonymously ask your employees how satisfied they are, whether they might be considering leaving in the near future – and what is contributing to those feelings.

By spotting potential flight risks early, you can address issues before they lead to turnover.

A simple question like;

“How likely are you leave in the next 6 months?” followed-up with “What factors are contributing to your answer?” can uncover valuable insights about job satisfaction, career development, and wellbeing.

We recommend using Stribe’s 3 step QFA Framework is to write your survey questions to guarantee more useful insights.

Case study – How Ladderstore improved engagement with Stribe

In 2024 Ladderstore switched from using Microsoft Forms to Stribe for gathering employee feedback – and the results were impressive.

Before Stribe, they struggled with getting meaningful, honest responses.

Employees weren’t always comfortable sharing their thoughts, and the feedback they received wasn’t actionable.

After making the switch, they noticed a big difference.

With Stribe’s anonymous surveys, employees felt safer giving honest feedback, leading to more valuable insights.

As a result, they saw a noticeable increase in employee engagement and satisfaction.

The team felt heard, and the company was able to make informed decisions that positively impacted their work culture

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About the author

Jade Madeley

Starting out her early career as a journalist, Jade Madeley is an accomplished content writer with 8+ years’ experience across business, personal finance, SaaS, human resources and employee engagement. Working with Stribe, she crafts insightful content that brings complex HR topics to life and drives meaningful action.