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Employee engagement refers to the level of enthusiasm and dedication an employee feels toward their job and organization. Engaged employees go above and beyond to achieve your organization’s goals, inspiring others and contributing to a positive work environment. Understanding where your company’s level of employee engagement and how to improve it is essential for developing and maintaining a motivated, productive workforce.
Measuring employee engagement involves using various tools, from pulse surveys to one-on-one interviews, to gather employee feedback on the key drivers of engagement. Your people leaders can then analyze this data — preferably with the help of an employee engagement platform — to discover existing areas of strength and identify opportunities for improvement.
Here’s a complete guide to measuring employee engagement, from how it can benefit your organization to the tools and best practices needed to track and improve it.
Why is measuring employee engagement worth it?
Engaging your workforce can have a transformative effect on everything from retention rates to productivity numbers. Motivated team members show greater initiative, taking on new responsibilities and suggesting innovative ideas. They also put their best foot forward when dealing with vendors and clients, improving your organization’s reputation and improving the customer experience. Employees who are actually interested in their work are more likely to build a long-lasting career at your company as well. This makes it easier for your organization to retain the experienced talent it relies on while minimizing the costs associated with turnover.
Without regularly measuring engagement, your company can’t identify and address issues before they significantly impact your workforce and demotivate employees. By examining trends in a range of engagement-related metrics, companies can uncover the root causes of disengagement and develop targeted strategies to address them. Quickly acting on employee feedback makes employees feel heard and shows them that your organization is responsive to their needs. This data-driven approach also ensures that initiatives to boost engagement are actually directed at pressing issues so your organization can avoid wasting time and resources on programs that won’t connect with employees.
4 ways to measure employee engagement
Measuring employee engagement requires a multifaceted approach to ensure that team members always have an easy way to provide input whenever they have something to share. Offering a variety of feedback channels also lets employees choose the method they feel most comfortable with, increasing the chances of receiving honest thoughts from a broader cross-section of your workforce. Let’s take a look at four ways your company can solicit feedback from employees, regardless of whether they’re in-office or working remotely.
1. Pulse surveys
Pulse surveys are focused questionnaires designed to gather quick insights into employee engagement. Unlike lengthy annual surveys — which often reveal issues long after the window to take effective action has closed — pulse surveys usually consist of a relatively small set of questions and are conducted on a frequent, consistent basis throughout the year. This steady stream of timely feedback lets organizations maintain an accurate picture of employee engagement and promptly address any weaknesses that emerge. The simplicity of pulse surveys also encourages higher participation rates, giving your HR professionals and leaders a more comprehensive data set.
2. One-on-ones
One-on-one meetings between managers and their direct reports are great opportunities for leaders to establish strong relationships with employees, based on open communication and mutual trust. They should be a private environment where team members can openly discuss their concerns, career aspirations, and feedback about the workplace. Leaders should take the time to ask questions about job satisfaction, challenges the employee is facing, and what motivates them the most. The answers to these questions, combined with observations of the employee’s demeanor and enthusiasm, can provide a detailed picture of individual and team employee engagement levels. Managers should also address any issues raised by their team members directly and provide immediate support to turn one-on-ones into an effective tool for both measuring and improving engagement.
3. AI-powered HR chatbots
Modern HR chatbots incorporate AI to interact with employees through a conversational interface, providing a stream of information on employee engagement in real time. By asking targeted questions and prompting employees to share their thoughts, chatbots can collect valuable data on engagement levels without the need for lengthy surveys. Chatbots also offer anonymity and convenience, encouraging more honest and frequent feedback from employees who might hesitate to share their opinions through other channels. And unlike surveys, HR chatbots act as a two-way feedback channel, with the ability to provide immediate support and resources to employees based on their responses. For instance, if an employee expresses frustration or indicates that they’re stressed, the chatbot can provide information on emotional wellness strategies or direct them to other relevant company resources.
4. Employee recognition programs
Employee recognition is the primary driver of employee engagement, so creating and tracking participation in a recognition and rewards program is a great way to both improve and measure engagement. Ad hoc recognition is unlikely to make a significant impact on engagement levels, which is why your organization should implement a formal employee recognition program if it wants to see measurable results. This doesn’t have to be an expensive or time-consuming proposition, either — there are many easy-to-use SaaS employee recognition platforms available, the best of which include features like built-in rewards catalogs, reporting and analytics capabilities, and fun ways for employees to show appreciation whenever the urge strikes them.
5 key questions to ask when measuring employee engagement
If you’re looking to start measuring employee engagement at your organization, take a look at these five survey questions that address some of the major factors contributing to engagement.
How likely are you to recommend your company as a great place to work?
This question reveals your company’s Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS), an HR version of the traditional customer-focused NPS. While not the be-all, end-all of measuring engagement, a high willingness to recommend your organization to others is a strong indicator that employees enjoy their jobs – and that your company has built a positive organizational culture.
How well do you understand your company’s goals and mission?
Few things motivate employees sustainably like a compelling mission statement and an inspiring company vision. Your organization should clearly define and communicate these guiding principles, while ensuring that they’re reflected in the big and small actions your organization takes — from high level corporate policies to the way you recognize employee anniversaries. When team members see that your company’s mission is more than just words, they’ll feel a real sense of purpose and belonging, and they’ll stay engaged with their tasks over the long haul.
How happy are you with your job?
Employee happiness is a straightforward reflection of how well your company is meeting the needs of its workforce. Highly satisfied team members are likely to stay with your organization longer and work harder, while an unhappy workforce signals underlying issues that your company should address.
Do you feel valued at work?
When employees believe that their contributions are noticed and genuinely appreciated by their manager and peers, they’re more likely to be committed to their work. If the responses to this question show that team members feel unacknowledged, consider adopting an employee recognition platform that makes it easy to show appreciation on a daily basis.
Do you have the resources and support needed to do your job effectively?
If employees aren’t empowered to succeed at work, their engagement is bound to suffer as they encounter frustrating roadblocks that turn simple tasks into recurring headaches. Beyond the basics, like necessary tools and other resources, ensure that workers are given the support from leadership they need to thrive. The difference between a boss who constantly micromanages and one who adopts a coaching, empowering approach is night and day when it comes to employee engagement.
Best practices for measuring employee engagement
Before you set up your employee engagement platform and start setting up your first pulse survey, take the time to define what your organization aims to achieve by measuring employee engagement. Your company might be particularly interested in reducing turnover, improving its employer brand, or gauging the effectiveness of recent organizational changes. By setting these goals upfront, you can ensure that the questions you ask are relevant and focused and the data you gather is actually meaningful.
Your company should also provide employees with anonymous and confidential feedback channels. Employees aren’t likely to feel comfortable revealing their real thoughts otherwise. And as employees won’t necessarily understand the purpose of your feedback initiatives — or believe that their input will really make a difference — HR should clearly communicate the purpose and importance of measuring engagement. Educate employees on how their feedback will be used to improve the workplace and reassure them that their responses will be confidential.
Finally, your organization must act on the feedback it receives to drive the meaningful change that employees want. Leaders should communicate transparently about the insights they’ve gained and then develop action plans collaboratively with employees. This reinforces to employees that their voices are heard and valued, increasing buy in and further boosting engagement.
The role of employee engagement software
Measuring and analyzing engagement data in real-time isn’t possible without a dedicated employee engagement platform. Employee engagement software acts as a centralized system for gathering information from various feedback channels, ensuring that it’s always readily available for analysis.
Look for a platform that includes modern feedback tools, like pulse surveys and AI-powered chatbots, along with reporting tools that let HR professionals and managers visualize and interpret engagement data. Ensure your chosen software integrates the existing systems HR personnel and other employees already use every day as well, so it’s always easy for them to dive into the data or provide feedback.
And don’t forget to select a platform that guides your leaders as they create and manage action plans together with their teams, as the only way to drive meaningful improvements at your company is by turning insights into actionable strategies.
Make measuring employee engagement easy at your company
The Achievers Employee Experience Platform offers all these features and more. It includes Achievers Listen, a dedicated employee engagement solution that empowers every people leader at your company with the ability to measure and act on feedback. It also features Achievers Recognize, so your organization is empowered to quickly create a comprehensive employee recognition program that rewards employee contributions, reinforces positive behaviors, and promotes a supportive workplace culture.
If you’re ready to start measuring and boosting employee engagement at your company, check out a free demo of the Achievers Employee Experience Platform today.
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