Employee engagement has always been important, but in the current climate, it\u2019s climbing further up the agenda. In this blog, we look at why employee engagement is now vital if you want to keep talent in the company and share five ways you can improve it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Building your reputation, developing customer relationships<\/a>, and growing your business are all down to your employees. They are the backbone of your business, your brand ambassadors, and your most important asset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In today\u2019s highly competitive recruitment market, to keep your employees they need to be both satisfied and engaged. While employee satisfaction is a measure of how happy your employees are at work, it\u2019s not the same as employee engagement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEngaged employees are committed to your organisation\u2019s success \u2013 they\u2019ll go the extra mile beyond the remit of their job description,\u201d explains Cecile Kempeneers, Director, Professional Services \u2013 Customer Success, Salesforce Belgium. \u201cThey\u2019re also less likely to leave, even if offered a higher salary elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Following COVID-19, which has caused many people to reassess their priorities and shone a spotlight on the importance of mental health, organisations are increasingly recognising the need to focus on employee engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In July 2021, there were more than a million vacancies available<\/a> in the UK, an all-time high, and in Germany, more than a third of the country\u2019s companies reported a lack of competent workers. In Belgium, 83% of employers say<\/a> they\u2019re having difficulty filling vacancies, according to the results of ManpowerGroup\u2019s research, with labour shortages reaching a 15-year high. And although the reasons behind this are manifold, lack of engagement is a significant factor. Gallup finds<\/a> that \u201cit takes more than a 20% pay raise to lure most employees away from a manager who engages them, and next to nothing to poach most disengaged workers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Employee turnover isn\u2019t the only concern when it comes to poor engagement \u2013 according to Gallup\u2019s State of the Global Workplace 2021 Report<\/a>, the loss of productivity relating to not engaged and actively disengaged employees is equal to 18% of their annual salary. With the same report identifying global employee engagement at around 20%, this is a significant problem for many organisations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, how do you actively engage your employees? \u201cTo be engaged, employees need more than just a good salary, great working conditions, and fair treatment,\u201d comments Kempeneers. \u201cThey need to believe in the organisation\u2019s ESG (environment, social, and governance) strategies, respect its leadership, and trust the business vision.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are several simple actions that employers can take to boost engagement though \u2013 so here are our top five tips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s crucial that people feel cared about and cared for \u2013 particularly in these difficult times. The boundary between where we live and work has faded<\/a>. Every employee needs to feel they have someone at work that they can turn to for help when they need it \u2013 whether it\u2019s for mental health support or time off to homeschool their children through lockdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re all humans first and foremost,\u201d says Kempeneers. \u201cAnd it\u2019s really important that people can be themselves and express themselves freely. With company policies and resources that encourage people to raise their hands and ask for help, you can make it a part of your culture. This will not only enhance engagement but also minimise the risk of burnout.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Due to COVID-19, many people have struggled with caregiver hardship situations. Some employees even have to leave their jobs to care for loved ones at home. At Salesforce, employees are offered family care time<\/a>, so they can take time away from work and focus on their family when they need it most. <\/p>\n\n\n\n By taking mental health seriously, organisations can ensure employees get the help they need and will benefit from happier, more productive teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just a few years ago, a new starter would quickly get to know their colleagues in the office \u2013 at the water cooler, coffee machine, or from working at adjacent desks. It\u2019s now a completely different experience. To ensure newcomers feel a sense of family (or Ohana<\/a> as we call it at Salesforce), it\u2019s important to find an alternative to those informal chats. Whether digital or face-to-face, this may require much more planning than before, but is worth it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Peer support can also play a vital role in your engagement strategy for new starters<\/a>, and become a self-perpetuating system for wellbeing. ” \u2019How are you doing?\u2019 is now a much more poignant question than it used to be,\u201d comments Kempeneers. \u201cWe now really mean it, and people need to know that it\u2019s okay to say if you\u2019re not fine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Clear and open communications when it comes to company strategy, expectations, and performance are a must. But it\u2019s also helpful to encourage personal expression and dedicate some channels to fun. However, avoid overloading employees with irrelevant messages that can quickly become an unwelcome distraction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The right technologies can help. For example, teams at Salesforce use Slack<\/a> to keep connected. \u201cCollaboration platforms can be great to enable employees to work and chat more effectively, but people often need a little training to ensure they can use it efficiently and are not bombarded with content,\u201d comments Kempeneers. \u201cI have a dedicated channel where my team can express their mood, exchange memes and gifs, and share music \u2013 we even have a Spotify list for every project, which gives us something other than work to connect over.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n To understand how employees truly feel, organisations need to run regular engagement surveys. \u201cAt Salesforce, we have an annual engagement survey with an 85% participation rate in Belgium \u2013 it\u2019s the most important survey that we run,\u201d explains Kempeneers. \u201cThe survey includes questions on ethics, diversity, psychological safety, and leadership. It even asks whether they would leave the company if offered a higher salary elsewhere. It helps us really get to grips with how people are feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The results are published company-wide. But the most crucial part is taking action on the feedback received \u2013 at a team, country, or even regional level. \u201cMaking changes in response to results proves to employees that you\u2019re paying attention and taking an interest in their needs,\u201d adds Kempeneers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes, it\u2019s easy to become swept up in the minutiae of day-to-day work life and neglect the bigger picture. But it\u2019s important to remember that there\u2019s more to life than work. One way to help people feel more connected to each other and their community is to run volunteering days. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFollowing the recent floods in Belgium, we teamed up with some of our implementation partners to organise a trip to the area of Dinant, where we all helped clean up in the communities affected,\u201d comments Kempeneers. \u201cWe\u2019ve also helped plant a forest<\/a> in the past. These kinds of activities are great for the environment and community while helping people feel good and building team spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the few positives to have come out of the global pandemic is a new focus on mental health. By putting employee engagement and well-being first, organisations will not only have happier teams but also more productive employees who stay with them for longer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To read more about strategies to boost employee engagement, read our Personalisation and the Art of Employee Engagement report<\/a>.<\/b>Why employee engagement matters so much right now<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How to improve employee engagement<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Boost employee engagement with a culture of trust and care<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
2. Rethink the approach to onboarding to engage new employees<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
3. Encourage engaging and fun communications, but avoid messaging overload<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
4. Measure employee engagement and act on the results<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
5. Do good things together<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n