Building a Connected Workforce: Key Insights on Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is a pivotal force shaping workplace outcomes. As Disruptive HR’s CEO Lucy Adams discussed, broader employee experience encompasses the organizational journey, but engagement taps deeper. This emotional commitment and behavioral dedication drive the retention, productivity, and satisfaction that organizations desire.

With only one-third of employees engaged at work in 2023 and the ratio of engaged to actively disengaged workers at just 2.1-to-1, significant room for improvement persists. HR professionals identified inadequate total compensation, lack of career development and advancement, and lack of workplace flexibility as the top reasons why employees are leaving their organizations. Boosting engagement can help address these pain points through positive employee experiences. Elevating engagement requires strategies to place employees first.

This installment of the Better Workplaces Challenge Cup Fireside Chat explores the current state of engagement and discusses a road map for moving forward.

Outlining Employee Engagement

Adams explained that crucial differences exist between employee engagement and experience. Engagement represents employees’ emotional and behavioral commitment; experience constitutes the holistic organizational journey.

Adams emphasized starting from the employee perspective: “Employee experience is incredibly different to employee engagement. When you look at employee experience, it’s all about starting from the end user’s position—the employee. What are their pain points? What are their needs? What are their wants? What are the things that they are looking for as a customized experience for them when they go into the workplace? And it’s not just a nice experience.”

This aligns with findings that the responsibility for creating a positive employee experience belongs to everyone within an organization, according to 40% of the HR professionals and employees surveyed. Fostering a positive experience requires considering employees’ perspectives and customizing the workplace experience to address their needs and wants.

Key Strategies for Enhancing Employee Experience

How to uplift experiences? Adams spotlights three key methods:

User-Centric Approach

In creating a pathway for employee experiences, walking in staff shoes and understanding pain points, needs, and wants is essential. Airbnb’s “belong anywhere” flexible work policies link directly to its quirky identity. As Adams noted, connecting workplace values, branding, and daily experiences substantially amplifies impact. Successful alignment requires empathy and a commitment to regular check-ins that capture evolving employee perspectives as new challenges emerge. Moreover, soliciting authentic feedback around interactions with policies, processes, and tools provides invaluable insights as companies strive to embed employee centricity holistically.

Moments That Matter

Isolate fundamental interactions holding emotional weight—including onboarding, performance reviews, and offboarding—and redesign them to uplift, not deflate. Reimagined programs add personal touches, welcome new hires, set reasonable goals jointly, and celebrate exits. Rethinking touchpoints doesn’t require a top-down overhaul, either. Even minor tweaks generate goodwill if done consistently, Adams suggested. For example, HR incorporating peer recognition or peer interviewers during hiring can profoundly shape candidate impressions for little lift. As leaders ask, “How do we want employees to feel during this experience?” creative, low-cost solutions emerge.

Leveraging Technology

Deploy intuitive tools, avoiding extensive training that could hamper seamless adoption. Innovations offer benefits, but clunky integration frequently hinders user experience. Prioritizing interfaces matching existing employee digital literacy can pay dividends. For smooth uptake, ensure platform alignment with current workflows and communication mediums already favored within the organization rather than attempting to shift engrained user behavior outright. In addition, flexibility allows personalization via easy-to-use customization settings, empowering employees to self-optimize platforms for their needs, reducing reliance on top-down standardization.

Adapting to Hybrid Work Models

The hybrid shift brings new questions about culture, connections, and equitable access, which Adams explored.

Culture Beyond the Office

Define which in-person interactions provide unique value by asking, “When does it have a purpose for us to be together?” According to Adams, culture emerges from focus and relationships, not location. This aligns with research showing that while technology and physical workspace are components of employee experience, organizational culture has the greatest influence on satisfaction and retention. As aspects like flexible scheduling and virtual collaboration become more prevalent, culture derives more from shared purpose and quality interactions versus physical location.

Enhancing Remote Interactions

Virtual initiatives like VaynerMedia’s informal “12 at 12” Zoom meetings counter remote work communication gaps. Increased team connections also foster broader collaboration across groups, Adams suggested.

Equalizing Experiences

With the ratio of engaged to actively disengaged workers still only at 2.1-to-1 in 2023, policies like Coinbase’s meeting mandates reduce proximity bias. With engagement lagging despite hybrid growth, deliberately building virtual watercooler moments reduces second-class online citizenry feelings. Simple efforts such as remote coffee chat programs, poolside pop-ins, virtual lunch groups, or home office tours foster bonds between locations. Similarly, offering flexible collaboration hours that accommodate global teams signals equal representation.

Navigating Communication Channels

With hybrid models arising, how should communication channels adapt? Adams recommended developing employee personas to discern preferences from broader needs like work rhythms. Insights allow tailored, targeted communication for relevance and impact.

Future Trends in Employee Engagement

Adams weighed in on several emerging innovations in employee engagement.

AI and Digital Tools

Adams said she believes HR should closely track artificial intelligence, given its potential to customize experiences and provide employee insights. With 42% of enterprise organizations deploying AI and adoption expected to climb sharply by 2025, the technology’s customization and analytical potential offer substantial upside.

SHRM research found that the top three current uses for AI within HR are recruiting, interviewing, and/or hiring (64%), learning and development (43%), and performance management (25%). As more organizations implement AI over the next five years, its ability to gather employee insights, personalize development, and improve existing HR processes will continue transforming the function.

Adult-to-Adult Dynamics

Rather than parental oversight, organizations could shift toward employee empowerment in everything from self-directed learning to stronger manager-staff partnerships on engagement initiatives. Gallup found that managers holding meaningful one-on-one conversations weekly built connections more than other activities did. Hence, shifting company-staff dynamics to mutually empowering partnerships could strengthen the success of engagement initiatives.

Eliminating Hassles

With over 38% of the U.S. workforce having tried freelance work and one-third of employers expecting higher turnover rates in 2024 tied to overwork and pay issues, removing barriers becomes pivotal. Moreover, 73% of hiring managers linked turnover to overburdened staff. As a result, eliminating productivity barriers is crucial for retention and experience. Eliminating friction should take priority, like PepsiCo’s process improvements to empower customer service.

Adams summarizes, “We can improve the experience by removing the hassle." Yet only 23% of leaders feel equipped to manage amidst business model disruption, signaling significant capability gaps. Moreover, SHRM Research indicates another reason HR professionals cite for why employees leave is unsustainable work expectations. Removing hassles and barriers to productivity can help address this challenge.

Startups Pioneering the Future of Engagement

Numerous startups bring innovative perspectives to evolving workplace dynamics through new employee engagement solutions:

• Move the Chain offers a holistic platform that integrates popular team collaboration tools such as Slack and Teams to strengthen cultural connection, recognition, and insights. Features like profile personalization, gamified events, and performance management integration allow enhanced personalization and seamless adoption.
• Nurau provides an AI-powered coaching chatbot for managers seeking empathetic guidance handling complex employee interactions. Alongside emotional intelligence capabilities, it delivers real-time intelligence dashboards and human oversight for accuracy. Priced at $15 per manager per month, it aims to make customized coaching universally accessible.
• Pin People combines organizational psychology, data science, and analytics to help companies measure, understand, and act on improving the employee experience. Applying algorithms and models across the employee life cycle from onboarding to offboarding, it surfaces targeted insights and consulting advice to drive strategy and culture shifts.
• Qualee takes a mobile-first approach, unifying engagement, onboarding, and compliance needs on a single customized platform. With over 20 language options, it leverages AI to generate real-time recommendations, improving productivity, retention, and cross-generational understanding.
• SylloTips utilizes AI to optimize knowledge flows across organizations. Features including multilingual semantic search, gamified contribution incentives, and automated skill mapping based on discussions aim to break down silos and integrate institutional knowledge.

These companies exemplify how innovations like personalized AI, augmented analytics, holistic human capital management (HCM) consolidation, and enterprise knowledge connectivity can strengthen engagement.

Best Practices for Boosting Employee Engagement

To reverse the downward employee engagement trend, leaders must refocus on fundamentals that foster high engagement by following best practices.

Foster Open Communication

Regular, transparent communication builds trust. SHRM data shows that 85% of employees said they feel more engaged when their leaders communicate transparently. Establishing consistent feedback channels like weekly meetings (companies reported 14.9% lower turnover with regular mechanisms) allows leaders to gather insights and demonstrate their investment.

Thus, organizations should train managers on building trust through vulnerable, authentic conversations while using digital tools to facilitate transparency. When communication channels remain closed, employees feel their voices go unheard, hampering engagement and innovation. Through open dialogue, management can connect with staff on objectives, explain decisions, and shape better policies.

Provide Growth and Development Opportunities

Offering continuous learning and career development empowers talent retention and motivation: 87% of Millennials and 73% of Generation Z rated these growth opportunities as important. Certain programs significantly impact organizations with comprehensive training boast 218% higher income per employee versus those without formalized offerings. Promoting internal mobility also allows staff to expand their knowledge without switching employers. Investing here also boosts recruitment—candidates rate training and development as essential when considering job offers. By promoting skill building and internal transfers, companies empower employee growth journeys, which is critical for rising generations that prioritize lifelong learning.

Beyond talent retention and recruitment, continuous learning also enables organizations to remain competitive and adapt to rapid changes in technology and market forces. Employees who are constantly upskilling will be better prepared to meet emerging challenges. Furthermore, learning cultures tend to foster more innovation, creativity, and ideation as people expand their perspectives. Leaders should, therefore, incorporate learning opportunities into everyday work rather than siloing development programs.

Recognize and Reward Employees

Tailored recognition programs can lift engagement by fulfilling employee appreciation needs. Companies reported 31% lower turnover with effective initiatives. At the same time, compensation is foundational; over half of the compensation is highly valued in terms of creativity, flexibility, and work/life balance. Thus, leaders should focus here, too—peer reward platforms, incentives, and promoting balance demonstrate care for overall well-being, boosting loyalty.

Research revealed that 69% of employees said they would work harder if they felt their efforts were better recognized. Managers should incorporate ongoing praise through weekly check-ins while establishing peer recognition channels. Small gestures like thank-you notes or events celebrating achievements can show individuals they are valued beyond monetary compensation. Even simple verbal appreciation can motivate teams. Leaders must understand that intrinsic rewards often outweigh extrinsic rewards.

Promote Work/Life Balance

Boosting engagement requires healthy work/life balance policies—80% of employees reported greater loyalty with flexible arrangements. Encouraging employees to disconnect outside working hours and use vacation days to prevent burnout is essential, and 91% of HR leaders are now concerned about this. Offering compressed weeks, job sharing, and mental health days conveys that a company values well-being and productivity equally. Ultimately, accommodating individual needs and checking in on wellness demonstrates that leaders care about supporting the whole person’s health—not just productivity metrics.

Widespread burnout continues to fuel the Great Resignation. Allowing employees control over when and where they work promotes engagement. For example, remote workers are less likely to leave when given autonomy over their schedules. Flexibility in accommodating child care, elder care, continuing education, or volunteer interests makes a difference. The more companies can structure roles around lives instead of the opposite, the more loyalty develops. Small perks like occasional treats or stipends for self-care also boost morale and energy levels. By supporting work/life harmony, organizations empower engagement on all fronts.

Cultivate a Positive Workplace Culture

An inclusive, diverse culture with shared values, including trust and collaboration, proves critical—such companies are 1.7 times more likely to be innovation leaders. HR should continually assess cultural health via stay interviews and surveys. Although culture stems from leadership behaviors, everyday habits and policies also matter. Nurturing a thriving community multiplies the effect.

A positive culture directly impacts retention, as well. Employees who feel respected, valued, and psychologically safe are less likely to leave voluntarily. Fostering solid connections and a sense of belonging boosts engagement, too. Thus, HR should monitor sentiment to inform culture-shaping efforts. Something as simple as opening meetings with shout-outs recognizing peer accomplishments can gradually shape attitudes. Ultimately, though, culture flows from policies, systems, environment, and leadership—HR is positioned to drive change here.

Leverage Technology for Engagement

Digital tools can provide insights through real-time data analysis. Pulse surveys that analyze sentiment enable targeted engagement strategies. With advanced technologies, companies reported 20% better employee satisfaction and 21% higher productivity. Still, relationships remain vital—technology should augment, not replace, the human connections underlying strong engagement.

Though analytics identify issues, technology alone cannot solve engagement challenges. Policies, leadership behaviors, resource allocation, and environmental reinforcements truly drive change. However, digital platforms provide efficient mechanisms for leaders to implement initiatives while fostering transparency. For example, recognition and rewards programs administered through apps still require authentic, individual praise. Technology enables seamless processes, but achieving meaningfulness demands human effort. Ultimately, digital transformation succeeds when efficient systems are paired with cultural and interpersonal growth.

Concluding Thoughts

In Adams’ view, enhancing engagement requires adopting user-focused strategies, leveraging supportive technologies, and proactively embracing future trends that sustain progress. Common barriers such as change resistance, limited bandwidth, or patchwork point solutions are likely to impede progress. However, leaders bold enough to address challenges before reaching disengagement tipping points have an opportunity. Those seeking competitive advantage through strategic employee experience investments will gain outsize returns as talent acquisition and retention challenges compound.

FAQs

What’s the difference between employee engagement and employee experience?

Employee experience looks holistically at the entire employee journey within an organization; employee engagement focuses specifically on strengthening emotional commitment and sparking behavioral dedication in the workforce.

How can technology boost engagement?

The right technology helps facilitate seamless, personalized communication, collaboration, and experiences by integrating intuitively into existing workflows rather than creating friction through complex new platforms that require heavy training.

What helps nurture culture in hybrid models?

Maintain a hybrid culture by deliberately focusing on purposeful in-person interactions, proactively fostering informal virtual connections, and insisting on policies that ensure equal engagement opportunities for remote and onsite staff.

Why develop employee personas for communication?

Tailoring communication strategies based on employee personas’ distinct preferences and needs by group enhances relevance and effectiveness substantially compared to broad, one-size-fits-all messaging that misses the mark for many.

References and Further Reading

• [Source: SHRM - Employees with a Positive Employee Experience Are 68% Less Likely to Consider Leaving, New SHRM Research Highlights]
  https://www.shrm.org/about/press-room/employees-with-a-positive-employee-experience-are-68--less-likel
• [Source: SHRM - 2024 Talent Trends]
  https://shrm-res.cloudinary.com/image/upload/AI/2024-Talent-Trends-Survey_Artificial-Intelligence-Findings.pdf
• [Source: SHRM - The Case for Employee Experience]
  https://www.shrm.org/content/dam/en/shrm/research/CPR-222701_Research-Employee%20Experience_FullReport.pdf
• [Source: SHRM - Better Workplaces on a Budget Report]
  https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/research/better-workplaces-budget#:~:text=%EF%BB%BFThe%20Better%20Workplaces%20on,3
• [Source: SHRM - The ‘What’ and ‘Why’ of Employee Engagement]
  https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/employee-relations/what-why-employee-engagement
• [Source: SHRM - The Power of Employee Engagement]
  https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/employee-relations/power-employee-engagement
• [Source: SHRM – Toolkit: How to Develop and Sustain Employee Engagement]
  https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/tools/toolkits/developing-sustaining-employee-engagement
• [Source: SHRM - Employee Engagement Drops for First Time in 10 Years]
  https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/employee-relations/employee-engagement-drops-first-time-10-years
• [Source: Gallup - In New Workplace, U.S. Employee Engagement Stagnates]
  https://www.gallup.com/workplace/608675/new-workplace-employee-engagement-stagnates.aspx
• [Source: HRDive - 1 in 3 Employers Say They Anticipate Higher Turnover in 2024]
  https://www.hrdive.com/news/employers-expect-employee-turnover-2024/709154/
• [Source: Prudential - Gig Economy Impact by Generation]
  https://news.prudential.com/files/doc_news/2018/Gig_Economy_Impact_by_Generation.pdf-
• [Source: Gallup - U.S. Employee Engagement Needs a Rebound in 2023]
  https://www.gallup.com/workplace/468233/employee-engagement-needs-rebound-2023.aspx
• [Source: Deloitte - How Leaders Can Fuel an Elevated Employee Experience]
  https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/uk/Documents/consultancy/deloitte-uk-how-leaders-can-fuel-elevated-employee-experience-updated.pdf
• [Source: Workleap - Statistics on the Importance of Employee Feedback]
  https://workleap.com/blog/infographic-employee-feedback/#:~:text=69%25%20of%20employees%20say%20they,up%20to%20begin%20recognizing%20employees.
• [Source: IBM - Data Suggests Growth in Enterprise Adoption of AI Is Due to Widespread Deployment by Early Adopters, but Barriers Keep 40% in the Exploration and Experimentation Phases]
  https://newsroom.ibm.com/2024-01-10-Data-Suggests-Growth-in-Enterprise-Adoption-of-AI-is-Due-to-Widespread-Deployment-by-Early-Adopters]
• [Source: Inc. - Gallup Research Says This 15-Minute Weekly Habit Boosts Employee Engagement and Strengthens Relationships]
  https://www.inc.com/justin-bariso/gallup-research-says-this-15-minute-weekly-habit-boosts-employee-engagement-strengthens-relationships.html#
• [Source: Upwork - Freelance Forward 2023]
  https://www.upwork.com/research/freelance-forward-2023-research-report