Who is responsible for employee engagement? Clue: It's not HR.
Employee engagement is top of mind for many organisations because an engaged workforce is a productive and happy workforce. Despite this, nearly 80% of employees worldwide are not engaged at work.
What exactly is employee engagement?
Organisational psychologist William Kahn led a study, Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work. He observed workplace behaviour with the goal of defining engagement and how it enabled people to bring their ‘full self’ to work. He identified 3 psychological conditions:
Meaningfulness: Do your team find their work meaningful enough (to the organisation and to society) to engage their full self?
Safety: Do your people feel secure and comfortable in bringing their full self to work without the risk of negative consequences?
Availability: Do the people in your team feel mentally and physically capable of bringing their full self to work?
Gallup determined that the most significant reason for disengagement at work is due to people assuming that ‘it’s an HR thing.’ According to Gallup, 70% of team engagement is determined solely by the leader of an organisation.
The influence of leadership
Employee engagement is heavily influenced by leadership. Research shows that people are more engaged when they have a supportive and inspiring leader. A study by Dale Carnegie found that people are 4 times more likely to ‘do what it takes to get the job done when their leaders make employee engagement an everyday habit.’
What does this mean? It means employers have some work to do to increase employee engagement.
Why is employee engagement important?
Employee engagement is a critical factor in the success of an organisation. The statistics say it all. The most engaged organisations outperform the least engaged by 10% on customer ratings, 21% on productivity and 22% on profitability. Engaged employees are more productive, motivated and loyal. This results in increased productivity and a better employee experience.
Poor employee engagement is also detrimental to retention rates. Engaged employees are 87% less likely to leave their organisations, emphasising the critical role leaders play in retaining top talent.
Ways to improve employee engagement
Employee engagement should be part of the fabric of your organisation. There are many ways to help boost employee engagement.
Endorse and live your organisation’s vision
Lead with a clear and compelling vision that aligns with the organisation's values and inspires your team. When people understand the purpose and direction of their work, they are more likely to be engaged.
Promote open communication
Encourage open and transparent communication. Allow people to express their ideas, concerns and feedback. This creates a culture of trust and inclusivity, which will encourage higher engagement levels.
Provide development opportunities
Invest in professional growth by offering training, mentorship programs and opportunities for learning new skills. Offering growth opportunities makes people feel valued, and this means they are more likely to contribute their best efforts.
Recognise and appreciate other people’s work
Recognise and appreciate people’s work. Celebrate achievements, provide constructive feedback and acknowledge people’s efforts. A culture of recognition fuels employee engagement.
Empower and delegate
Delegate authority and responsibility to people, allowing them to take ownership of their work. Empowerment leads to increased motivation, engagement and innovative thinking. It also provides a platform to grow new leaders.
Organisations that embrace employee engagement
Here are some examples of organisations known for their excellent employee engagement practices and the reasons for their success.
Gainsight
Gainsight provides customer success and product experience software. According to the 2023 Great Place to Work study, it ranked first among Australia's best workplaces, demonstrating its commitment to employee engagement. Great culture was listed high as a reason why, along with good work-life balance. Additionally, the company has a high Glassdoor rating of 4.7 out of 5, indicating a positive employee experience.
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines has consistently been recognised for exceptional employee engagement. The organisation’s philosophy is that happy employees equal happy customers equal happy investors.
At this organisation, leaders maintain engagement by attending new employee orientations, and the president meets every new pilot during their onboarding. Southwest Airlines also gives recognition and awards to people and engages in quarterly reviews, rather than annual reviews.
Canva
Canva is a graphic design platform headquartered in Sydney. It has gained recognition for its strong focus on employee engagement and positive workplace culture. Canva has been recognised as a Great Place to Work, ranking highly on Australia's Best Workplaces list in recent years.
Canva uses experience-driven onboarding to deliver WOW experiences to all their new hires. It invests in onboarding efforts to create a personalised employee experience made to embed the new person into Canva culture.
Google prioritises personalisation at work by establishing the 80/20 rule. The ‘innovation time-out policy’ allows people to spend up to 20% of their time learning new skills or doing things that inspire them. Another way Google engages its workforce is through FixIts. This allows senior leadership to communicate solutions to people’s problems within 24 hours.
Wrapping up
HR departments play a crucial role in supporting employee engagement initiatives, but the ultimate responsibility lies with leaders. Strong leadership sets the tone for employee engagement. By understanding the impact of your actions and implementing strategies to improve engagement, you can create positive change and a great work environment for your team. Investing in your people is investing in your team’s success.
Looking for more insights about talent attraction and engagement? Check out our employer resources.