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Employee engagement is more than just a catchphrase—it's a vital element that can make or break your company's work culture. Engaged employees feel more connected, valued and motivated, ultimately boosting productivity and morale.
Even though many leaders know engaging workers is important, they struggle to make it happen. Globally, companies have lost up to $7.8 trillion by ignoring employee engagement, and this number is expected to increase by $450–500 billion each year.
In this article, we’ll discuss popular employee engagement models and highlight the top employee engagement strategies you can use to drive productivity and growth at your workplace.
Employee engagement is an HR concept that refers to the level of enthusiasm, commitment and emotional connection an employee feels toward their work, team and organization.
It goes beyond mere job satisfaction; it's about an employee being genuinely invested in the company's success and feeling a sense of belonging and purpose within the organization.
Employee engagement is based on building trust and integrity and promoting communication and transparency between your company and employees. If implemented correctly, it can considerably increase performance, productivity and overall business success.
Employee engagement is sometimes confused with employee experience. However, there are key differences between the two concepts:
Employee engagement focuses on the emotional commitment and connection employees feel. On the flip side, employee experience considers the entire journey an employee goes through with a company—from recruiting and onboarding to growth opportunities and exit.
Employee engagement is often measured through surveys that gauge emotions, motivation and attachment levels. In contrast, employee experience considers the all-round interaction of an employee with the company's tangible and intangible aspects. This includes physical workspace, tools and technology provided, organizational culture and learning opportunities.
Employee engagement aims to boost productivity, reduce turnover and improve performance. Employee experience aims to enhance employee well-being and satisfaction, positively impacting both work performance and overall happiness.
Employee engagement models provide a structured framework to understand the key drivers that motivate employees to commit and contribute to their workplace.
But there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach for all organizations. Each model comes with its own set of pros and cons. Let’s take a look at four types of employee engagement models:
Aon's model focuses on factors that lead to performance outcomes like retention, productivity and profitability. It blends tangible elements like pay and growth opportunities with psychological aspects.
Aon’s model considers employees engaged when they experience a sense of accomplishment, are inspired by their work and see a clear alignment with the company's broader objectives.
Simple and easy to understand
Offers a holistic view of engagement
Adaptable across industries and company sizes
It might be too general for specific challenges
Deloitte’s model centers on the idea of "Simply Irresistible," focusing on factors that make an organization irresistible to employees.
These elements include:
Deloitte suggests that when these elements are in harmony, they culminate in an overall experience where employees feel valued, motivated and connected.
The Gallup Q12 Model is a concise, research-backed framework that measures employee engagement through 12 core questions. Here’s an infographic that sums it up nicely:
Made with Visme Infographic Maker
These questions delve into various aspects of a work environment that drive engagement, ranging from clarity of job expectations and having the right resources to do the job to feeling cared for and having growth opportunities.
The rationale behind the model is that responses to these 12 questions can powerfully predict KPIs, such as customer satisfaction, productivity and profitability.
Quantum Workplace's e9 model focuses on three factors, each containing three engagement outcomes.
Each factor pinpoints unique ways employees interact with their work environment.
Learning how to improve employee engagement can help your business grow and succeed. Here are some key benefits of employee engagement:
Engaged employees don't just work; they thrive.
They're motivated to exceed their personal bests.
Research shows that engaged employees are 17% more productive than their peers.
This improved productivity isn't just about working faster but working smarter, leveraging insights, experience and passion. Over time, this can help boost profitability and business performance.
Employee onboarding and training is one of the most expensive aspects of a business.
ATD estimates that it costs $1,252 to train an employee, and this doesn’t even factor in the time and effort that goes into recruiting and training them.
Studies also show that highly engaged organizations have an 87% lower turnover rate than companies with low engagement.
So, when you keep your employees engaged, you not only save time and money but also ensure employees don't go looking for opportunities elsewhere.
Engaged employees are more likely to engage positively with customers.
Their enthusiasm is palpable and infectious.
In fact, findings reveal that engaged teams have 10% higher customer ratings.
This is because engaged employees tend to be more patient, understanding and proactive in addressing customer needs and concerns. This leads to positive customer experiences and increases the chances of repeat business and referrals.
An engaged employee often uplifts those around them.
They encourage teamwork, share knowledge and contribute to a positive work environment.
This collaborative spirit not only ensures that projects are completed on time but also reduces stress and improves employees' well-being as they feel wanted at the workplace.
Thus, employee engagement ultimately translates to higher job performance and lower absenteeism rates.
There are plenty of ways to engage your employees. Here are some of our favorite employee engagement strategies you can implement at your workplace right away:
A well-designed onboarding program is much more than a mere orientation; it's the foundation of a mutually beneficial relationship between the company and its employees.
It also has the potential to single-handedly boost employee engagement, with 89% of employees claiming good onboarding helps them feel engaged at work.
Use onboarding as an opportunity to:
Visme offers dozens of presentation templates to help you ace your onboarding sessions. Here’s an onboarding template you can edit and use right now:
Present your slides in person or onboard remote employees by sharing and publishing them online.
If you find yourself stuck writing any of the steps involved in the onboarding process, use Visme’s AI writer to help you out. Just write a prompt and you’ll have ready-to-use, professional content ready in seconds.
Open communication channels are the lifeblood of a thriving work culture. They are also a potent tool to drive employee engagement.
So, if you needed a cue to conduct feedback sessions with your employees, this is it.
Regular feedback sessions help employees understand their strengths, areas of improvement and where they stand in the larger organizational framework. They can also help managers and employees discuss projects, address concerns and co-create solutions.
Here’s a performance review template you can use to provide feedback to employees:
Remember, feedback shouldn't be one-sided. Employees should feel empowered to share their perspectives, ideas and even constructive criticism.
When you see tangible changes being made based on their feedback, it’ll motivate employees, create a positive work environment and you’ll have an engaged workforce.
Workplaces aren't just spaces for tasks and transactions. They are communities where people come together with shared goals.
Encouraging community participation means promoting activities, events and projects that unite employees beyond their daily roles. This could be in the form of team-building exercises, volunteering opportunities or even informal gatherings like taking them out for lunch.
These employee engagement examples help break down silos and cultivate a sense of belonging. And when employees connect on a personal level, they are more likely to understand diverse viewpoints, collaborate and perform well.
Did you know that almost 82% of employees believe acknowledging their efforts improves their engagement?
Highlight the amazing work of your employees. Value and reward their effort, dedication and commitment. Celebrate important milestones. Be it organizational achievements or personal moments like work anniversaries.
For example, you can provide a gift or certificate to high performers:
Celebrating employee wins gives them a sense of pride and unity and sends a clear message that their individual journey and contributions matter.
Showing an interest in the personal and professional development of your workforce is a great way to keep them engaged.
For example, by investing in their personal growth, you show an understanding of the fact that your strength lies in the well-being, versatility and continuous evolution of their workforce.
You can do this by:
This interactive template can help you build an engaging mental well-being course:
All these efforts convey a clear message that you care about your employees.
Employees feel valued and understood on a deeper level, leading to heightened morale, loyalty, engagement levels and overall job satisfaction.
It is also equally important for you to take care of employees' professional development.
Studies show that 94% of employees would stay at the company longer if it invested in professional development.
One of the ways you can do this is by employing a mentorship program. Why?
New hires love mentor programs, with studies showing that 56% want one to help them out. They’re also beneficial for business, with 87% reporting that they speed up new hire proficiency.
Start by connecting new hires with experienced colleagues so they have someone to ask job-related questions and understand the work culture better. Ultimately, the program will result in faster integration and enriched knowledge sharing.
Human beings thrive on connections, and the workplace is no different.
Organizing team-building activities is not just about fun and games. It’s about fostering trust, improving communication and cultivating a sense of camaraderie among team members.
Here are a few employee engagement activity ideas to choose from:
Incorporating such activities into the company culture not only breaks the monotony of the daily grind but also helps break barriers, facilitates collaboration and increases employee engagement.
When employees or contractors can't envision a future within the organization, their motivation wanes—especially millennials. So to keep your employees engaged, it's important to sketch a success roadmap for all your employees.
Create transparent frameworks that highlight ways employees can move up the organizational ladder, including the skill sets required to succeed, performance metrics they need to meet, or even roles they could grow into.
This will not only motivate employees to upskill and perform better but also instill a sense of security and purpose—reassuring them that their efforts are recognized and there’s a promising future waiting for them within the organization.
Every organization has a unique purpose and vision that sets it apart, and sharing this vision is one of the pivotal employee engagement ideas.
In fact, studies show that 42.8% of employees consider the company’s mission as a cornerstone of motivation.
Want to share your mission and vision in style? Use this template:
When employees understand the larger goals of the company, they're more likely to align their personal objectives with the organizational mission, fostering a sense of belonging and purpose.
Share your company’s purpose and vision during the onboarding process. Don’t forget to reaffirm this vision by conducting regular workshops, meetings and team sessions.
According to a survey, 25.3% of employees revealed that their companies have unnecessary red tape—pointing towards the importance of collaboration as one of the primary employee engagement strategies.
Collaboration helps break down silos, encourages knowledge sharing and nurtures innovation. It also shows employees that their feelings are valued and heard, directly boosting the levels of employee engagement.
And don't forget about remote employees who make up 64% of the workforce.
Remote collaboration will help increase productivity, reduce costs and boost sustainability.
Visme’s collaboration tools make it the perfect platform for teams looking to design digital and print content together. For instance, you can develop marketing materials, brand guidelines, whiteboards, project plans and more collaboratively with annotation, commenting and more.
Managers play a crucial role in driving employee engagement. Competent managers skilled in communication, empathy and leadership can uplift team morale and enhance productivity.
With 91% of employees claiming their managers lack communication skills, it's crucial for companies to hire managers equipped with the right skills to motivate and guide.
By investing time and resources in training and developing managers, you can increase their competence in handling teams, addressing concerns and offering constructive feedback. These efforts ultimately drive up employee engagement levels.
With 78% of employees wanting location flexibility and 95% desiring schedule flexibility, it's only natural that businesses use flexible work arrangements to boost employee engagement.
Whether it's remote work options, flexible hours or compressed workweeks, such arrangements empower employees, giving them a sense of control and balance.
Engaging remote employees is also proven to boost loyalty, productivity and well-being. It also helps improve employee retention, saving you time and effort to onboard new employees.
Regardless of the strategy you end up using for your business, you’ll have to make an Employee Engagement Action Plan (EEAP) to implement it. EEAP is basically a series of steps that a business takes to ensure employees achieve more productivity, satisfaction and motivation.
Here’s an employee engagement action plan template to help you get started:
Add interactivity to your content, such as pop-ups, animated gestures and hover effects, with a few clicks of a button inside Visme.
While employees play a role in their own engagement, there are other key players within every company that drive and nurture this essential aspect—leadership, the HR department and managers.
Here’s how each of them can contribute to creating a culture of robust employee engagement:
Learn more about the role of HR in employee engagement, including different types of HR and the ways it can help support employees at the workplace.
Measuring employee engagement is important to understand the morale and productivity of your workforce. It helps identify areas of improvement that help create a positive work culture.
Here are a few methods you can use to measure employee engagement effectively:
Employee engagement surveys are one of the most direct methods to gauge employee engagement. Through structured questionnaires, you can gain insight into employees' experience and satisfaction with your organization and whether they align with your company goals.
By creating an environment where employees freely express their views, you’ll benefit from enhanced productivity, lower turnover and a more positive workplace atmosphere.
Use Visme survey templates to showcase your research in a professional way:
Ask questions that gauge employees' satisfaction with company policies, managers, training materials and more. Then pick icons, images and data visualization tools that match each section and present them in a way that's easy to read.
If you can't find a relevant photo, you can also use Visme’s AI image generator to help you out. Simply type in what you're looking for, and wait for the AI to do its magic.
Even better, track the response rate of your surveys by tapping into Visme analytics. Check out the number of views and time spent on your projects in real-time.
Anonymous feedback platforms provide a confidential channel for communication where employees can reveal honest opinions and issues that might otherwise remain hidden.
They can voice their concerns, suggestions, or grievances without the fear of retribution. And once you start addressing those concerns, it’ll eventually lead to improved employee engagement.
High absenteeism and turnover can be a red flag for employee engagement. By monitoring these, you can identify issues and implement retention strategies to enhance employee engagement.
Compare the metrics before and after implementing employee engagement initiatives to measure the effectiveness of your strategies.
Employee engagement is paramount for any modern business. Not only can it save thousands of dollars on onboarding and turnover, but it can also create a motivated and driven workforce.
Regardless of the strategy you use to improve your work culture, there’s one thing you can’t overlook: the power of engaging content.
Use Visme to revolutionize the way you communicate with your employees. Whether it's interactive presentations, eye-catching infographics or insightful reports, Visme allows you to craft content that resonates with your audience.
The best part? You can easily export your designs in SCORM and xAPI formats for LMS platforms where employees can learn at their own pace.
Learn more about how Visme can help HR teams achieve their goals, create an engaged work culture and streamline recruitment processes.
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