In the “2023 State of the Global Workplace Report”, Gallup reported the most recent numbers of global workplace engagement.  Sadly, the numbers are low with just 23% of the global workforce being engaged despite 77% of companies focusing on employee experience to increase retention.

So what’s the opportunity in this disappointing number?  Untapped potential!  Employee engagement is connected to every performance indicator a company measures and wants to improve, including productivity, quality, profitability, customer loyalty, and wellbeing.  The upside of this latest report from a global leader in workplace trends is that there’s tremendous opportunity for improvement and therefore impact. 

An engaged workforce not only makes for happier more productive individuals, but those individuals become champions for your company.  EY’s 2021 Global Board Risk Survey found that 85% of senior leaders have experienced two or more major transformations in the previous five years and that working on human factors “can increase the probability of success to more than 70%.”

As a leader within your current company, and “yes” regardless of title you are being called upon to be a leader, there are three key areas you can focus on to increase engagement scores across your team.  And while you’re reading take an honest look at your own level of engagement and where you may need a boost, as well. 

Communication Check

Tools abound for communicating with your teams and customers as workers jump from email to Zoom to text to Slack to Google Chat to Discord while a voicemail pops into their inbox.  But how effective are the tools?  Workers often find themselves multi-tasking and trying to respond to multiple channels at once while not being singularly focused and effective in their communication. 

According to “The State Of Workplace Communication In 2023” workers are spending as much as half of a 40 hour work week on digital communications tools while 58% of workers are feeling pressured to be available outside work hours, 60% are experiencing burnout due to the digital communication culture at work, and 42% feel stress in trying to craft replies so that their message will be taken the “right” way.

Is it time for a communication channel audit? As a leader, what steps could you take to streamline communication to decrease stress and help create a sense of connection and clarity amongst your employees.

Nail a Culture of Recognition

Much has been written on the importance of recognizing and celebrating employees' contributions. Research by Quantum Workplace shows that employees are 2.7x more likely to be highly engaged when they believe they will be recognized for their contributions.  So it’s likely you already have some type of recognition program in place. 

Despite those formal programs 53% of employees want more recognition from their immediate manager and 41% from their teammates (Quantum Workplace and Bamboo HR Study).  If you haven’t provided peer-to-peer recognition opportunities or fostered a culture where appreciation is regularly expressed by managers and colleagues, this is a great place to start and add to your program.

Disney, Google and Orangetheory all have examples of great rewards and recognition programs to borrow ideas from, but always be sure that the program is authentic to your company culture and ties back to your company values.  When employee recognition programs align with the broader strategic goals of the company engagement soars.

Empower and Grow Employees

According to Gallup, 51% of the workforce is looking for or actively seeking a new job.  However, that number falls to 43% when employees are “engaged.”  Empowering employees and providing them with a sense of autonomy in their work moves the needle on engagement. This involves delegating responsibility, trusting employees to make decisions, and offering opportunities for skill development and personal growth.

Empowered employees who feel their skills are valued and have opportunities for advancement are more likely to be engaged and motivated, with employees being 2.5x more likely to be highly engaged according to Quantum Workplace.  Creating an environment of continuous learning through training programs, mentoring initiatives, and career development plans to support employees' professional growth benefits the employee and company alike.  As you upskill and reskill your workforce you develop the skills needed for the future of the company.

With such a long way to go to having a more fully engaged workforce, an increase of just 10% would place a company far above their competition in leading customer satisfaction, profitability, employee turnover, productivity, and employee wellbeing.  Prioritizing employee engagement is one of the most effective practices for a company to improve upon in today’s environment.