Learn about the core drivers of employee engagement and devise actionable strategies and tactics for boosting engagement in your organization.
If you want to take charge and steer productivity and employee commitment in your organization to the next level, you can not afford to ignore the drivers of employee engagement.
And, it’s not just us suggesting this - research from Gallup highlights that engaged employees are 21% more productive than their disengaged counterparts.
However, what’s alarming to learn is that only one-third of employees are currently engaged at their workplace. What’s more concerning is that 16% of employees are actively disengaged, which potentially harms organizations through negative attitudes or actions.
How do you ensure this isn’t the case with your company?
Where can you start?
The first step to boosting employee engagement is understanding the drivers of employee engagement and what exactly spurs disengagement patterns. This is what your employee engagement strategies need to address. So, in this blog, we’ll be discussing the top 7 drivers of employee engagement you must know about before building your employee engagement strategies.
What are the top drivers of employee engagement?
#1Acknowledgment and recognition
You’ll agree that acknowledgment and recognition are the most fundamental human needs. In your role as an HR leader, you must remember that your employees are no different. They tend to tie how much you value them with appreciation. So, if you manage to make them feel worthy, they’ll be engaged and motivated to go the extra mile to drive fantastic business outcomes.
Gallup Research highly recommends investing in employee recognition programs as a potent, low-cost, high-impact strategy for fostering higher productivity and satisfaction. To address this employee engagement driver, make sure you build impactful recognition strategies and foster a solid culture of appreciation across your workforce. Make it a point to celebrate your employees’ big and small achievements, acknowledge their efforts and appreciate them regularly. Make sure you do this both personally in one-two-ones and also on public channels like your employee communications app. You can also get creative to make it a routine practice. For example, by announcing titles like “Employee of the Month” and so on on your employee apps.
#2Holistic employee wellness
It’s intuitive to correlate how one’s performance is directly tied to their physical, mental, and emotional well-being, isn’t it? This is something that works as a key driver for employee engagement levels too. Research suggests that 89% of employees working for a company with a wellness program are happy with their jobs and recommend the workplace to a friend. On the other hand, a mere 17% of employees recommend a company that is not committed to workforce well-being. You’ll want happy, healthy, and productive employees, isn’t it?
So recognizing this driver, start investing in improving your employees’ holistic wellness, and you’ll surely see another level of engagement and its benefits will follow! To implement this well, make sure you take a comprehensive approach and focus on physical fitness initiatives, mental health support, and stress management. Ensure you also provide an anonymous environment to reach out when needed, seek helpful counseling support. Share informative resources regularly to boost mental health and attain work-life balance. Implement this, and results like reduced absenteeism, higher morale, and overall enhanced performance will be quick for you to see!
#3Opportunities for employee development
Providing opportunities for employee development demonstrates a company's commitment to your workforce’s growth and success. When employees get access to learning and advancement opportunities, they tend to feel valued and motivated and this becomes a key employee engagement driver. The result is higher job satisfaction, loyalty and a more productive workforce - a perfect win!
For designing effective development plans that steer engagement and are beneficial for your business too, make sure you align employee aspirations with your business goals. For this, you can start with clear career paths, set achievable goals, and provide the necessary resources for skill development. This may include training programs, mentorship opportunities, and different on-the-job learning experiences. If you’ve got frontline workers, make sure learning and development opportunities are easily accessible on the go to them as well with mobile-friendly resources. Small steps like these will ensure everyone feels supported in their growth and will lead to higher engagement and retention.
#4Clear purpose, values, and mission
Clarity in purpose, values, vision, and mission is another key employee engagement driver. Commonly, a gap in clearly communicating these is what employees from focusing on their core goals and spurs a disengaged environment. Research suggests that a staggering 63% of employees don’t have a clear understanding of what their company is trying to do and why. Think about it: can you really blame people for being disengaged if you don’t clearly communicate, provide a direction and meaning, and foster a deeper connection to the organization?
So, make sure you cater to this driver and ensure utmost clarity. Research from Harvard Business Review suggests using storytelling, communicating with regular updates, and sharing consistent messaging to ensure your company’s mission is at the forefront.
#5Conducive working conditions
Another key employee engagement driver is the quality of your working environment. Unless you provide your employees with the necessary tools and resources to perform the job efficiently and in a congenial environment, you cannot expect them to be enthusiastic and perform efficiently. This is particularly important given the rising incidence of remote and hybrid work.
So it’s best to make sure you intervene to provide good working conditions and access to the right toolkit that supports clear communication. Conduct regular check-ins, and use technology to foster a sense of community despite physical distances. One thing to ensure when using any communication tools is the ability to balance asynchronous and synchronous comms to prevent information overload. This will ensure your workers stay connected and engaged with their teams and the organization.
#6Supportive leadership and culture
Last but not least, supportive and competent leaders who build the right culture also influence employee engagement and can be a key driver. 58% of employees say complacent leadership is the top reason they feel disengaged. Think about it - wouldn’t you feel more connected to your organization if you felt the leadership was approachable and the culture was free and pleasant?
So ensure leaders communicate regularly and respectfully and set the tone for a positive work culture. This will foster trust build a sense of belonging, and impact engagement. To convey support, make it easy for them to actively address employees and emphasize a supportive culture of open dialogue. This need not always require frequent meetings; it can be as simple as sending out regular communication via employee channels and facilitating free two-way conversations.
Bottom line: Engagement starts with smooth communication
As social beings, being able to communicate, feel heard, valued, and recognized is what spurs engagement and motivation. This is the most fundamental commonality among all the different drivers of employee engagement we’ve discussed. Whether it’s wellness, development, free conversation, or easy working via tech tools, a lot boils down to the employee communication approach you follow and the infrastructure you provide in your organization.
At Speakap, we understand the importance of these drivers and offer a comprehensive employee engagement platform to support them. Whether it's facilitating effective communication, recognizing achievements, or supporting remote work, you get everything you need to drive employee engagement and steer business success.
Find out more about our industry-leading employee engagement solutions: https://www.speakap.com/en/solutions/employee-engagement