Employee Engagement – Potential and Possibilities

Globally, despite the pandemic, employee engagement increased. This is great news, this indicates that through it all, employers have prioritized the health and well-being of their employees.

In their 2021 research, the ITA Group identified three areas of focus for organisations in 2022.

#1: Enrich Culture by Improving Appeal and Authenticity of Mission Vision, and Values – Culture is organisation wide and should be viewed in a holistic manner. Employees want to be connected to a purpose bigger than themselves, so promote your mission, vision, and values like a marketer would and communicate your message in an employee-centered way. Think of them like micro influencers. They are critical to spreading your messages across the organization and can explain personally relevant details to their peers that reinforce what your mission, vision, and values mean to different job functions, departments, and even individuals.

#2: Embrace Tenure – Driven Engagement Slumps – Slumps are a reality, but they can be circumvented. The research stated that the reality slump is highest among employees who have been employed between 1-2 years. They also noticed a new trend in slumps among those with 11-19 years of service.

1 -2 Years Tenure: when employees with 1-2 years of service see that you are genuinely interested in their development and retention, they are more likely to remain engaged and less likely to leave. To keep your employees, show them that their work matter at both the macro and micro level; while this is important for all employees, it becomes especially important for employees with 1-2 years of service.

11 – 19 Years Tenure: employees within this tenure range are generally viewed as the stable ones in the organisation. They are most likely very strong in their role or area of expertise. However, and most importantly they know how to navigate the organisation and if/when they leave, making up for that lost knowledge could be difficult. The research also found this particular slump disproportionately impacts women. It was found that women were affected deeply on an emotional level, causing them to feel less energized and spent more time feeling agitated, restless, weary, withdrawn, and bad. It’s important to unearth individual needs to support this group efficiently and effectively. No matter what underlying causes you identify, know that this segment has been through a lot. Professionally, personally, and emotionally, it’s critical you find a way to hear the needs of this segment of your employee population.

#3: Keep Enhancing Current Engagement Initiatives – The pandemic has been incredibly challenging in many ways, but it also provided a much-needed nudge for many leaders to modernize sub-standard legacy programs. Thee six most important types of initiatives a company should offer to nurture the psychological benefits.

These include:

1. Internal company communications and awareness-building strategies
2. Company-sponsored events and activities
3. Recognition programs
4. Incentive programs
5. Skills development programs
6. Wellness programs (physical + emotional + financial)

When employees are more satisfied with engagement initiatives, they are also more satisfied with their organisation overall. Keep evolving your programs into something employees actually like, which will lead to improved satisfaction, increased willingness to promote your brand and an enhanced belief your company cares about them.

To your engagement success!!

Judy