There is a clear business case for focusing on employee engagement, it is much more than just a point-in-time metric. However, traditionally it has been seen as a program to be delivered, often through employee satisfaction surveys.

According to the CIPD, most questionnaires used to measure engagement are not tried and tested to scientific standards. The reality is that drawing together survey questions to give a broad overall engagement score can vastly oversimplify matters. The multi-faceted nature of employee engagement means it is easy to bundle together quite distinct factors that could be difficult to action. 

We also have a habit of overcomplicating the way we manage and measure engagement – focusing on predictors that often are outside of manager control and typically do not relate to meeting employees' core psychological needs at work.

Or we set the bar too low on a favorable metric that inflates scores and creates blind spots - this results in the appearance of high engagement without strong business outcomes. And sometimes, we overuse surveys – for example, pulse surveys get immediate feedback but we rarely take action on the results.

However, the biggest failure associated with engagement programmes is that they are considered an "HR thing". That they are not owned by leaders, expected of managers, or understood by front-line employees. Before the pandemic hit, only 35% of US / c22% globally were engaged. So, while the upward trend is positive, the low levels of engagement are a big issue – a large proportion of our workforce feels disconnected. 

Peakon survey compared responses Jan to July 2020 – just before and during the lockdown. The survey found that, for many organisations, the crisis brought more positive engagement than before. Those who had to work remotely discovered an extra focus on communications, and managers took a close interest in the team. 

Direct communication through engagement apps increased; our Hapi app was used by clients as a central hub for communication, increasing direct push notification by 635% during the pandemic. 

People liked the ability to work at home, not commute, and felt more productive not being in the office. Many organisations also put well-being at heart, whether it was access to Mindspace, an enhanced Employee Assistance Plan, or online yoga, so many people took up new forms of exercise.

Front line workers in the eye of the storm and in a highly stressful state felt a sense of community, cohesion & purpose. However, since the pandemic, there has been a lot of noise around great resignation. People have taken time to reconsider what they want to do, and unsurprisingly, engagement levels have seen a noticeable drop. 

Many are taking opportunities in the employee-led market & changing jobs or careers entirely. While pay is a factor for many changing roles, it is not all about the money. Insights from a McKinsey survey where employers were asked why their employees had quit (purple) cited compensation, work-life balance, and poor physical and emotional health. These issues did matter to employees—just not as much as employers thought. 

By contrast, (blue) the top three factors employees cited as reasons for quitting were that they did not feel valued by their organizations (54%) or their managers (52%), or because they did not feel a sense of belonging at work (51%). Employees were far more likely to prioritize relational factors, whereas employers were more likely to focus on transactional ones. Attributing today's quit rate to pay issues also overlooks the bigger picture of the workplace. 

The pandemic changed the way people work and how they view work. Many reflect on what a quality job feels like, and nearly half are willing to quit to find one. As the table shows, more are actively disengaged and are more likely to look for a new role. 

Reversing the tide in an organization requires managers who care, engage, and give workers a sense of purpose, inspiration, and motivation to perform. Such managers give people reason to stay. In other words, reversing the Great Resignation requires fixing the Great Discontent - and managers are the key.

If we want people to feel engaged, we need to focus on helping people understand: 

• Where they fit
• Help them feel valued
• Help them feel part of something bigger
• Help them feel like they are contributing/making a difference
• Help our managers.

As stated before, overcomplicating questionnaires and the various views about the right way to measure engagement, and help get to the heart of what helps people feel engaged at work. For example, if they feel recognised or have the opportunity to do their best work, the responses tell us if people feel valued or have a sense of purpose. Connectivity is also a priority - studies have shown those who have good relationships and friendships at work are more likely to stay, so having questions about feeling cared for or having close ties with others can tell us a lot.

So if we follow the journey from before covid to re-emergence now, we must recognize that things have changed considerably and will continue to change. As suggested before, engagement was a once-a-year activity; coordinated through a survey that may or not have notice taken of the results. We have all sat in rooms brainstorming how we make things better but for things to not change significantly. 

During the pandemic, the boost in engagement came through the focus of we are all in it together, greater emphasis on staying in touch, and prominent leadership reassuring employees about the direction of travel. As we emerge, we are straddling a new way of working that requires us to be more considerate about how we interact, connect, and re-create a sense of purpose.

Highly engaged employees feel valued, feel connected, understand what is going on, feel supported, and feel like they are making a difference – these are the aspects we need to now work on. Many organisations are adding engagement scores to their strategic ESG goals. But, if we want them to tell us anything meaningful, there is work to be done to listen to employees and make this a business & leadership imperative, not just an activity run by HR once a year.

At Innecto, we can work with you to help identify your current employee engagement strategy and enable the development of tailored approaches that will make the most impact. Our levels of service can be tailored to your current strategy and challenges. To find out more, email me (justine.woolf@innecto.com) or call our consultancy team on +44 (0)20 3457 0894.

 

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