Employee engagement is defined as “the strength of the mental and emotional connection employees feel toward the work they do, their teams, and their organization”
In today’s workforce, a key element of success is employee engagement. Employee engagement is tied to employee productivity, higher retention rates, lower absenteeism, increased employee health and an overall positive impact on company profits.
Measuring Engagement: The Starting Point
It is imperative companies measure engagement frequently to pinpoint where they are doing well, and where the areas of improvement are. One of the most common ways to measure engagement is through an Engagement Survey. Engagement surveys are great resource to define motivators and gain insight into employee’s attitudes and beliefs towards their work and overall environment. However, there are various other ways to measure engagement on a quarterly or yearly basis.
- Regular scheduled check in meetings with employees or departments
This is an opportunity to provide effective employee feedback and ensure your employees have all the tools and resources to complete their job to the best of their ability. Employees want to feel valued and provided with clear expectations to minimize confusion, wasted efforts and job dissatisfaction. It is worth recognizing your employees efforts and hard work formally during check in meetings and informally to show appreciation.
- Pulse Surveys
Pulse surveys are a non-complex way to measure engagement throughout your team. Short, and frequent surveys are a great way to review employee’s current feedback and drivers for motivation. Implementing pulse checks consistently will show results in real-time and drive decision making for engagement strategies.
- Employee turnover rates
Turnover rate shows the percentage of people that left your organization during a given period. A high turnover rate can indicate low employee engagement.
- Employee Net Promoter Score
Employee NPS is a way of measuring and quantifying how your employee feels about your company. “On a scale of 0 to 10, how likely are you to recommend our organization as a great place to work?” is a great starting question. Collect this data at least once a year from your employees and evaluate your score.
- Exit interviews
Exit interviews can help management determine potential areas they could improve to further employee engagement with current team members. A departing employee can provide valuable insight on gaps in engagement or action plans required for management.
Increasing Employee Engagement
Reaching a high level of employee engagement will always be something companies should strive for and work towards. Fortunately, with the right strategies and action plans in place companies can create strides in increasing employee engagement.
- Effective Communication
Communicate the results of engagement and pulse surveys. Thank your employees for their honest feedback and share action plans that have been created from the results. Encouraging open communication and keeping your employees involved solidifies they are part of the process, leads to greater buy-in and affirms they are making an impact in the organization.
- Implementing the Right Benefits
Ask your employees what benefits matter the most to them. Conduct a questionnaire to identify the needs of your workforce and implement meaningful benefits that will lead to satisfied employees and overall cost savings. Flexible benefits that provide employees an option to select what best suits their lifestyle can be extremely beneficial.
- Development and Career Progression Opportunities
Employees value conversations and setting goals that lead to a clear, successful career path. More often than not, employees want to know there is a possibility for career progression and that their employer is willing to work with them to reach their objectives and defined career path. Ask your employees what training and development opportunities they are interested in, and work with them to set goals to reach these objectives.
Companies should aim to support their employees in their career and life aspirations. Investing in your employee’s happiness while providing opportunities for feedback will improve retention, employee satisfaction and motivation. These are all important motivators for employees to thrive with a company long term, rather than look elsewhere.
To learn more about RLB People and how we can help improve your employee engagement, visit our brand-new website here.
