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Time to Engage
You can’t dispute the power of an engaged workforce.
Engagement is hard to elicit, and even harder to intensify, but when employees really care and feel emotionally committed to their work, magic happens. Quite naturally they become internal influencers, brand ambassadors, and culture promoters. Engaged employees are more likely to deliver outstanding customer experiences, and they are better teammates — because they take responsibility; they contribute consistently; and they do what it takes to achieve results. If it sounds utopian, take a look at these stats:
32%
are engaged.
32% of US workers are engaged.
21%
more profitable.
Companies with an engaged workforce are 21% more profitable.
41%
less absenteeism.
Companies with an engaged workforce have 41% lower absenteeism.
17%
more productive.
Companies with an engaged workforce are 17% more productive.
And here’s something noteworthy: While it might be challenging to measure and correlate, engagement strategies yield real results — even when only a third of workers classify as ‘engaged’. The numbers climb when there is a large population of ‘highly engaged workers.’ Profitability and productivity grow exponentially,
plus a host of performance indicators identified by Gallup. Companies who actively engage and delight their teams are building loyalty and driving business growth. The effort is worth it.
So what exactly is engagement? And can it be measured?
There are plenty of definitions out there. Gallup, who has years of research on engagement, says engaged employees are “those who are highly involved in, enthusiastic about, and committed to their work and workplace.” We asked Kiki Orski, CEO and Founder of Peak Performance Consulting, and author of the newly published book,
Smash the Silos, to weigh in with her own working definition.
“Employee engagement measures the strength of a relationship between an employee and an organization. It describes how much discretionary effort an employee is willing to put in,” says Kiki. She agreed there are many definitions floating around, and often much confusion. Kiki explained that “an employee can be "satisfied" with their work and still do just the bare minimum to get their job done. An employee can also be happy but not engaged, meaning they’re not willing to do anything more than is absolutely necessary.”
The terms we use to define engagement matter, as do the questions we ask to measure it. Engagement is about commitment, caring, and the willingness to put in effort. Kiki adds that “organizations are notoriously data rich and information poor, meaning we gather all these numbers but don't necessarily do all that we can to improve them. There is research that positively correlates employee engagement to business outcomes. Every leader should be aware of and concerned about it.”
Eric Mosley, Workhuman co-founder and CEO echoes this by saying, “Amazing work cultures don’t just spring up overnight. they come from amplifying employee voices, asking questions relevant to today’s workforce, and then making the right changes.”
The terms we use to define engagement matter, as do the questions we ask to measure it. Engagement is about commitment, caring, and the willingness
to put in effort.
What keeps employees engaged?
1- Sense of Ownership
Employees can work on projects that they own — from analysis and scoping through implementation and iteration.
2- Sense of Belonging
Employees feel comfortable sharing feedback and ideas with colleagues and business leaders. They are encouraged to be their authentic self at work, and share unique points of view. They understand how their role at the company contributes to large-scale business strategy.
3- Results & Recognition
Employees have specific performance objectives that are realistic, attainable, and measurable; and their contributions are recognized, valued, celebrated, and rewarded.
4- Pathways to Growth
Employees have individualized professional development plans that are aligned with strategic corporate goals AND their personal career aspirations. They’re motivated to learn new skills.
4 Ways to Engage Teams
1 - Hire & Develop Inclusive Leaders
Inclusive leaders can really transform a work environment. They’re communicators who know how to make any employee feel welcomed; and they encourage everyone to participate and make contributions that are valued. When you make inclusion a leadership requirement and hire accordingly, the boost in engagement impacts everything - from your ability to innovate to customer satisfaction. Here are the top traits and competencies to screen for:
2 - Continuous Listening & Feedback
Gone are the days of the annual engagement survey that takes two hours and makes everybody groan. Today the employee survey industry is worth billions of dollars. Platforms like
WorkHuman and
Delighted make getting insight from your team fast and easy. There are survey tools for every goal - whether you want to check morale in real time, gauge leadership effectiveness, or predict potential flight-risks and proactively handle turnover. Here’s a sampling of popular formats:
Pulse Surveys -
Get real-time insight, and do it often with these effective quickies. Since responses are situational and subjective— frequent, multiple collections offer a more accurate and comprehensive view of employee sentiment over time.
Most platforms are automated and designed to send the right surveys to the right workers at the right time, while eliminating survey fatigue.
eNPS -
Employee Net Promoter Score is a strong indicator of loyalty; and it also identifies who the detractors -or naysayers- are on your team. The survey can be as simple as asking a single question with a rating scale, and it’s a popular metric because it’s straightforward and easy to understand.
“Listening to employees is one of the most valuable management practices we have. If you’re still running an old survey platform or haven’t yet adopted a continuous listening strategy, now is the time to do it.”
Josh Bersin - HR Predictions for 2022 | Copyright © 2021 The Josh Bersin Company
Engagement Surveys -
Custom engagement surveys are typically targeted to uncover how your team feels about something specific -- whether you want employees to share their thoughts on a policy, a new initiative, or discover what they prefer when it comes to benefit programs and perks.
Onboarding & Exit -
Ask for feedback during key moments in the employee lifecycle. Real insights help you identify the right strategies to improve overall employee experience.
3 - Focus Groups
Focus Groups aren’t a new concept, and for many companies the time is right for an implementation, or a revival. Practically everything is different now, and there’s much for employees to weigh in on. There are new ways of working — with implementations in their infancy.
Simultaneously, for many teams, there’s a renewed (or newfound) comfort level when it comes to having conversations that matter. The pandemic sparked spirited discussion on wellbeing, burnout, boundaries, diversity, racial injustice, and beyond. With so much change, there’s a residual ripple effect that’s impossible to ignore. What’s working? What isn’t? What else needs to change?
What’s awesome is — if you’re just starting a listening strategy, focus groups let you dip in your toes and pinpoint where to focus first. And if you’re already listening with pulse surveys, focus groups give the data a voice. Structured groups foster deeper understanding because there’s multi-directional conversation, and action plans are easier to carve, thanks to sharing and merging of the best ideas. Here’s advice from SHRM on how to execute focus groups like a pro.
4 - Harness the Power of Technology
If you’re a large organization with a unified ERP platform, capitalize on any engagement tools that are baked in to the HCM module. Most include robust listening tools including pulse and engagement surveys so you can collect and analyze data. And if you want more? Add a stand-alone platform that integrates. (Stand-alone platforms are great choices for small to mid-sized businesses who are on legacy systems, too.) There’s so much on the market to shop - from interactive employee portals that improve communication across the entire organization to full service employee experience platforms.
The best employee portal apps on the market have social components that make it easier for employees to connect, chat, and form virtual communities regardless of their role, tenure, or geographic location. Some platforms offer skillset tagging so it’s easy to find and connect with internal experts. And many full-service experience platforms include onboarding, compliance, recognition, performance management and development modules to engage and support workers during all stages of the employee lifecycle.
Here are a few movers and shakers to kickstart your research:
Interact
Social intranet & extranet for employees, partners, and vendors. It’s packed with features, including pulse surveys, personalization & personas, workflows, and an onboarding module.
https://www.interactsoftware.com
15Five
Robust employee experience and engagement platform that includes modules for feedback & surveys, goal-setting and focus, performance management, and skills development.
Lattice
Collect feedback, transform it into meaningful insight, and plan for effective action to build a people-first culture with Lattice. Modules include: Feedback & Analytics, Growth Planning & Career Paths, Goals & Performance Management, and a Compensation module that connects pay and performance.
https://lattice.com/engagement
WorkHuman
The workman cloud is packed with tools that let teams and individuals shine bright in the modern workplace. Modules include Social Recognition and Service Awards, MoodTracker & Pulse Surveys, Performance Management, Community Celebrations & Life Events, plus Social Analytics.
Kudos
Kudos is an EX platform with a unique differentiator that helps organizations build a more prominent culture and infuse corporate values into every employee experience. Modules include: Peer-toPeer Social Communities, Values Alignment, Awards & Recognition, and Culture Accelerator.
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