The Best Employers Eastern Region 2018 winners are set to be announced tomorrow – but recognising these companies is only one of the initiative's aims.

The scheme, running since 2012, is also designed to raise the level of employee engagement at companies across the region by showcasing innovative techniques and encouraging businesses to set up their own action plans.

READ MORE: The region's 'Best Employers' to be revealed at awards conferenceHere, Alex Pearce, director of assessment at psychometric experts Eras, lays out some tips to boost employee satisfaction and engagement.

Identify the areas you want to address

Mr Pearce recommends focusing on a handful of things you want to change in the business. Focus on areas you are willing to invest in – whether that is time, effort, people or budget – or areas that you think bosses or colleagues would be keen to address and support.

Communication and sharing

If you have completed a Best Employers survey it is critical that employees get an overview of your results. Mr Pearce said: 'They have spent time completing and calculating so they need to feel that the employer is serious about making things better.'

Teamwork and collaboration

Make sure employees are engaged in the efforts for change. Rather than leaving all the decisions to senior management, Mr Pearce suggests working with employees to identify further actions and 'increase the commitment to change'. These ideas can then be used to create a more formalised plan.

Action planning

Once your priorities have been worked out it is time to set up an action plan. Outline specific tasks, decide who will be responsible for them and set time scales for tasks to be completed, or at least for updates to be given. It is also important to ensure you have a method of measuring success, Mr Pearce said.