In 2019, Hays’ study demonstrated the link between employee engagement and performance : over 40% operational efficiency and turnover down 14% for companies in which employees feel committed. Now recognized as a competitive lever, employee engagement is one of the main HR concerns. In the future, the level of employee engagement may even be used to design the working conditions necessary to maintain a high level of employee performance.
Before we get there, let’s first understand the notion of engagement, how to measure it (using an engagement survey solution, for example) and above all, how to improve it.
Employee engagement is the degree of attachment and involvement of an employee towards their assigned tasks and their role in the company. This theme has become central for HR and managers. Indeed, engagement at work today is synonymous with the proper functioning of the company.
Committed employees are employees who are satisfied with their working conditions and who find meaning in their missions. They are therefore naturally more inclined to stay loyal to the company or even recommend it.
Employee engagement suffers from a seemingly superficial image, wrongly viewed as a cosmetic HR gadget. It’s not uncommon to hear top managers using these arguments for refusing to invest. Yet, employee experience isn't a fad.
In just a few years, it has become a major issue for companies wishing to retain their employees and attract the best. Indeed, 59% of French employees say QWL is the most important issue to act on. The trend is even stronger among millennials, 84% of whom see employee experience as the most important factor when choosing a company to work for. As a comparison, only 46% of them listed remuneration as a criteria.
Employee engagement generates more profits than costs. According to the Journal of Corporate Finance, the most employee-friendly firms are more profitable and better valued. Indeed, an organization with highly-engaged employees develops 2.5 times more turnover than another similar company. While improving engagement often requires human and financial investments, the return on such investment makes it worth it.
The impact of a motivated team on the productivity level has long been demonstrated : engaged and bonded employees tend to work better together and reach their goals quicker. If they're motivated by their mission and stimulated by the company activity, they'll also be more inclined to come up with new ideas to innovate or positively change the actions carried out by the company.
Discover Poplee Engagement expertiseTurnover is the indicator most associated with employee engagement. It reveals organizational and managerial dysfunctions within a company. In other words, by putting in place favorable conditions to the development of your employees, you reduce the risks of seeing them resign and you prevent psychosocial risk factors as much as possible.
Moreover, beyond the human costs generated by turnover (team destabilization, atmosphere, etc.), its financial cost is substantial. Along with the costs incurred by the departure of an employee (voluntary departure, new hire, training for newcomers, etc.), there are often underestimated social costs (weakened employer brand, endangered follow-up and customer satisfaction, etc.).
Focus: 4 levers to retain talents
In order to develop employee engagement, you first need to know the state of it. Are your employees very, little, moderately engaged ? To find this out, you need to take your teams' pulse.
Three indicators determine employee engagement in a company:
Besides these indicators, there are various methods for measuring employee engagement, led by various HR firms. Positive reviews can even be rewarded with QWL labels.
In order to better develop your teams' involvement and engagement at work, it's also essential to identify the key moments that engage employees in their work.
Launch a survey for freeWhile employee engagement is based on a multitude of factors, there are still some key moments in business life. Here are the ones that are essential to boost employee engagement.
After having convinced the best talents to join you following the HR interviews, it's important to welcome them well. Onboarding defines the process of integrating new employees into the company. It is not simply a question of familiarizing the new employee with their new roles. It is important to integrate them within the company by promoting your employer brand and reputation, particularly through:
Business life is punctuated by rituals of all kinds:
Essential levers for developing team spirit within companies, these events are also an opportunity to put your employees in the spotlight.
Business growth, team reorganization, relocation… Transformations within companies are more and more frequent. They're often synonymous with upheaval for your employees. In order to minimize their impact on team engagement, it is essential to support change gradually by:
You now know how to measure employee engagement. Likewise, you know what the key moments are. There is only one step left before taking action : identifying the major levers for employee engagement.
In order to have all the cards in hand, here are the 5 pillars of employee engagement to develop or implement in your company.
Establishing or maintaining a strong corporate culture has become an HR issue in just a few years. Its importance is justified by the unifying role it plays at the team level.
A strong corporate culture relies on two main principles:
Whether in private, social or professional life, a sense of belonging is an essential factor in our fulfillment. Maslow’s pyramid reflects this, and it isn't the only one. Indeed, on our pyramid of the 10 pillars of employee experience, pride in belonging to a company is at its peak.
A sense of belonging can only develop on the basis of a corporate culture that promotes trust, inclusiveness and collaboration.
7 in 10 employees say that they suffer from a lack of recognition at work. Yet, recognition for a job done is the factor that has the most impact on employee engagement. Recognition improves self-esteem, as well as the well-being and health of employees. It leads to better investment and efficiency at work, increased productivity and better performance of organizations. Recognition is therefore an essential dimension of talent management within the company.
For recognition to be effective, it must be:
These 6 tips will allow you to better express recognition to your employees. This will enable you to better develop employee engagement within your company.
By introducing the notion of "meaning" to work, Generation Y first, then Generation Z, made it a prerequisite for companies, from recruitment to talent retention and well-being.
4 tips for co-constructing meaningful work with your employees:
These 4 levers will allow you to transform the employee experience on a lasting basis to develop employee engagement.