How to Improve Employee Engagement: 10 Tips

Employee engagement refers to the level of enthusiasm and dedication an employee feels toward their job and the organization for which they work. Engaged employees are typically more productive, committed, and motivated, contributing positively to the organization's goals and culture.

In today's competitive talent market, employee engagement strategies are paramount. Motivated and engaged employees perform better, stay with the organization longer, and experience less burnout.  Employees who “report being energized and excited about their work are 31% more likely to stay at their organization, 31% more likely to go above and beyond (discretionary effort), and they contribute 15% more,” according to research from Gartner. 

Creating a culture of engagement involves more than offering competitive salaries and benefits. It requires a holistic approach that includes recognizing and rewarding contributions, providing opportunities for professional growth, and fostering a supportive work environment. By prioritizing employee engagement, organizations can unlock their full potential, leading to sustained success and a thriving workforce.

What is employee engagement?

Employee engagement refers to employees’ involvement and enthusiasm in both their work and their workplace, according to Gallup. 

If we dig deeper, engagement encompasses the effort, initiative, and overall energy employees bring to their jobs. It goes beyond mere job satisfaction or a naive sense of loyalty; engagement encompasses an emotional commitment to the organization, as well as to its objectives. 

Why is workforce engagement important?

When your workforce feels valued and aligned with the company's mission, they become advocates for the organization which contributes to a positive workplace culture and enhances overall productivity. 

Reasons why employee engagement is important include:

Increased productivity

When employees are motivated and enthusiastic about their work, they’re more likely to invest extra effort and take initiative. This level of engagement leads to higher performance and improved efficiency. Increased productivity helps in meeting deadlines and achieving targets, but also fosters enthusiasm around innovation and continuous improvement within the organization.

Higher employee retention rates

Higher employee engagement also leads to better retention rates. It makes sense—employees who feel valued and connected to their organization are less likely to want to leave and search for opportunities elsewhere. Employee engagement strategies will serve to reduce turnover costs and the disruption caused by frequent staff changes. Consistently engaged employees develop loyalty and a sense of belonging, which contributes to long-term stability and growth for the organization.

Better workplace culture

Enthusiastic and committed employees contribute to a positive workplace culture by fostering a collaborative and supportive environment. When one employee is engaged, they will inspire their colleagues, promote teamwork, and create a shared sense of purpose. This positive culture enhances overall employee satisfaction, attracts top talent, and strengthens the organization’s reputation as a desirable place to work.

How to improve employee engagement: 10 tips

Here are some tips for how to improve employee engagement and cultivate a thriving workplace:

1. Recognize and reward employees

A little recognition contributes immensely to employee engagement. Whether it’s employee recognition for a job well done, supporting a teammate, reaching a goal, or celebrating an employee’s work anniversary, recognizing and rewarding employees is an essential way to show the organization cares. 

Don’t let these moments go unnoticed. To help managers track important employee recognition dates, Rippling will automatically send a notification to their manager on an employee’s anniversary, giving them an opportunity to connect with their teammate on their special day.

2. Provide career development opportunities

Offering career development opportunities, including training programs, mentorship, stretch assignments, and clear paths for professional development, helps employees grow professionally. This investment in their future not only enhances their skills but also fosters a sense of loyalty and commitment to the organization.

With a performance management system, it’s possible to assign, share, and track goals across your company. Then managers and employees can review goals by status, owner, and quickly identify places where there may be a gap. It’s easy to view progress and identify gaps sooner rather than later. Rippling’s performance management solution allows you to engage employees by assigning applicable goals, tracking progress in real time, and surfacing goal progress in performance reviews.

3. Plan team-building activities

Team-building activities strengthen relationships among employees, improve communication, and foster a sense of camaraderie. By creating opportunities for employees to connect outside of their regular work tasks, organizations can enhance collaboration and teamwork.

4. Foster open communication 

Encouraging feedback and maintaining transparent communication channels helps build a sense of community and trust with the organization. Employees want to feel heard, valued, and informed about company goals and changes. Demonstrating a commitment to open communication will improve employee engagement.

5. Conduct employee engagement surveys

Regularly conducting employee engagement surveys provides valuable insights into employee satisfaction, what’s working well, and what areas need improvement. By acting on the feedback received, organizations can make informed decisions that enhance the overall work environment and address employee concerns.

Rippling's employee surveys make it easy to create and send employee engagement and satisfaction surveys at the right time. From onboarding to exit and pulse surveys, employee responses can not only offer insight but also trigger specific follow-up actions. Within seconds, you can also analyze employee feedback by department, level, and location to help uncover trends and the “why?” behind your survey data.

6. Support work-life balance

Flexible working hours, remote or hybrid work options, and wellness programs are all ways you can support work-life balance. This type of support helps employees manage their personal and professional responsibilities while also improving employee engagement. A healthy work-life balance reduces burnout and stress, leading to increased job satisfaction and productivity.

7. Provide benefits 

Offering comprehensive benefits such as paid time off, parental leave, health insurance, and retirement plans, demonstrates an organization’s commitment to its employees’ well-being. These benefits not only attract top talent but also ensure employees feel valued and supported.

Benefits are not limited to health and retirement options. Other benefits which may contribute positively to employee engagement include:

• Financial benefits (bonuses, profit-sharing, stock)
• Commuting benefits
• Time off benefits
• Educational assistance benefits
• Community involvement hours

8. Empower employees with autonomy

Empowering employees with autonomy in their roles encourages them to take ownership of their work and make decisions independently. This trust fosters a sense of responsibility and drives innovation, leading to higher job satisfaction and engagement.

Examples of ways to embed autonomy in your organizational processes include:

• Allow employees to set their own schedules
• Ask employees to contribute to project timelines and deadlines
• Offer remote or hybrid work arrangements
• Request feedback on company benefits
• Collect input from team members regarding goals 

9. Encourage innovation and creativity

Encouraging innovation and creativity by providing resources, time, and a supportive environment allows employees to explore new ideas and approaches. This not only keeps the work dynamic and interesting but also drives the company forward with fresh and diverse perspectives.

An example of encouraging innovation can be found in Google’s famous “20% time” policy. The organization implemented a policy that enables employees meeting certain criteria to dedicate some of their workweek to projects outside of their primary job descriptions. The drive towards innovation at Google is often tied to this policy, according to MIT Sloan Management Review.

10. Engage employees during onboarding

Engaging employees from the very beginning of their journey with your organization sets the tone for their experience with the company. Effective onboarding helps new hires feel welcomed, informed, and integrated into the company culture, leading to higher retention and early engagement. 

To help engage employees with a positive onboarding experience, the Rippling Workflow Automator simplifies and automates your onboarding by triggering key alerts and actions. This automation saves a significant amount of time, reduces manual effort, and ensures that your employees have the best possible onboarding experience. 

Transform employee engagement with Rippling

While you’re focusing on creating a culture that engages employees, you want to be sure that you’re not letting problems fester. As part of your engagement strategy, be sure that you have a way for employees to easily flag dissatisfaction. With detection protocols in place, you can take the necessary action to build a happier, more productive workforce.

Most HCMs consist of siloed modules. Every application in Rippling was built to work together. Rippling's best-of-breed apps cover the full breadth of your global HR needs from onboarding to development to offboarding. You can use everything from surveys to workflows to monitor your processes and culture and keep things moving in the right direction for your employee engagement strategies.

HR software like Rippling integrates all employee data across HR, IT, finance into a unified platform. This enables easy tracking of critical people analytics metrics to analyze employee engagement and take action.  

This blog is based on information available to Rippling as of July 16th, 2024.

Disclaimer: Rippling and its affiliates do not provide tax, accounting, or legal advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide or be relied on for tax, accounting, or legal advice. You should consult your own tax, accounting, and legal advisors before engaging in any related activities or transactions.