As employers focus on driving business growth, the top people priorities for most organizations are assessing and driving employee engagement, according to Brandon Hall Group research.
We define engagement as an “outcome driven by the quality of employee experiences,” which means nearly everything employees touch during their tenure, from onboarding to technology to their relationships with managers and leaders, and everything in between. We organize employee experiences into six buckets:
While more than half of employers believe they create a strong sense of belonging and well-being, less than 40% believe they do well with listening to employees, communicating, career advancement and building trust.
Organizations mostly assess and measure engagement through annual employee surveys. But the employee experiences that drive engagement evolve over time and are too varied and complex to measure in such a simple — and sporadic — manner. Assessing and managing employee engagement should be ongoing and organizations must constantly listen to and connect with employees to understand how their experiences impact their work and their engagement.
Most organizations believe they have a lot of work to do to improve employee experiences. Here are the 10 most important actions to improve employee engagement over the next year, according to Brandon Hall Group’s latest employee engagement research.
How do organizations create an environment in which employees are resilient and feel valued, aligned with the organization and empowered to excel in their jobs and careers while having a positive impact on the business?
Most organizations view employee experience through the lens of business. To truly understand what it takes to keep employees highly engaged, employers must view experiences from their employees’ perspective. Based on our quantitative and qualitative research, here are some critical factors through the lens of employees, divided into the six experience “buckets.”
Wellness/Well-being Employees should feel:
• The organization is fully invested in their wellness and well-being.
• The organization supports their involvement in the community.
• Confident they can do their work during work hours and in environments that suit them as long as they meet the organization’s needs and expectations.
Belonging Employees should feel:
• Managers are invested in their performance and success.
• Empowered to connect with peers across the organization.
• They have access to coaches or mentors when they need them.
• There are numerous ways to make contributions to the organization outside of their specific jobs.
• The organization provides them with the technology they need when they are asked to work remotely.
Feeling Valued Employees should feel:
• Fairly and equitably compensated through wages/salary and additional bonuses and performance-based rewards.
• They have the best affordable technology to do their work.
• Appreciated and recognized for the contributions they make.
• Reasonable autonomy to do their work their own way.
• The organization wants their opinions and values them.
• They receive constructive feedback that helps them reach their potential.
Employee Development Employees should feel:
• Fully supported in successfully fulfilling their job responsibilities.
• The organization is committed to developing their potential through a variety of programs and initiatives.
• They have access to learning at any time, on any device needs and expectations.
• There are opportunities to practice new skills or competencies in a safe environment.
• Confident of their abilities to collaborate effectively in teams.
Career Advancement Employees should feel:
• Performance goals are collaborative and designed to help them succeed.
• They have a clear development path that can be updated as needed through collaboration with their managers.
• Empowered to chart their own career paths and take ownership of their careers.
• They have an accurate and up-to-date view of mobility opportunities available at any given time.
• They have avenues, either through live coaching or technology, to get career advice.
Alignment with Mission, Goals Employees of Organization Employees should feel:
• They have a full understanding of the expectations of the organization and their manager.
• The organizationsupports and helps employees value diversity and inclusion.
• Their feedback to the organization will be acted upon.
• Their employment provides them with considerable value beyond their compensation.
About
Brandon Hall Group Strategy Briefs answer the critical questions learning, talent, HR and business leaders must address to manage their human capital. To tackle these critical questions in more detail, we built tools, frameworks, research summaries and business builders based on up-to-date research and case studies for you to implement best and next Human Capital Management (HCM) practices. To gain access to these valuable resources, contact [email protected].
Leading minds in HCM choose Brandon Hall Group to help them build future-proof employee-development plans for the new era. For more than 27 years, we have empowered, recognized and certified excellence in organizations around the world, influencing the development of over 10,000,000 associates and executives.
