What is employee engagement and how do you improve it?

What is employee engagement?

Despite its recognition as a transformative business strategy, employee engagement remains challenging to define and implement precisely. BI WORLDWIDE Canada (BIW) describes it as a reciprocal relationship where positive company experiences inspire employees to stay, work hard, and perform better. BIW’s research has identified 12 New Rules of Engagement® that predict outcomes like commitment, effort, and inspiration, forming the foundation of its employee engagement solutions.

Why is employee engagement important?

Employees' daily decisions and actions significantly impact workforce and organizational effectiveness. The treatment employees receive from their company and each other can either positively influence their actions or pose risks to the organization. Gallup's extensive research shows that engaged employees consistently deliver better business outcomes across various industries, company sizes, and economic conditions. However, only 23% of employees globally and 49% in the U.S. and Canada are engaged (Gallup).

The new generation of employees views jobs as more than just a 9-to-5 routine; they seek meaningful projects and employee value propositions, feedback, and recognition and rewards. Employers must continuously focus on employee satisfaction and effective employee engagement strategies to attract and retain talent, boost productivity, and improve work quality. Despite this shift, many companies still do not prioritize employee engagement due to perceived implementation difficulties, inconsistent stakeholder buy-in, or challenges in linking engagement to the bottom line.

BIW addresses these barriers with a unique approach based on measurable outcomes to enhance employee engagement. Its 2023 survey, which included over 2,140 responses from employees across various continents, countries, and industries, found that of those who score highly on the 12 New Rules of Engagement®, 70% are highly committed, 91% are giving high effort, and 95% are feeling inspired at work.

Strategies to improve employee engagement

Many executive leaders have not fully embraced employee engagement, failing to communicate its importance to employees and hold managers accountable for its implementation. Consequently, some organizations believe they have exhausted engagement as a performance lever without fully exploring its potential to transform their business. These organizations often experience low engagement or see their engagement levels plateau and decline, despite repeated attempts to improve scores. In some cases, high employee engagement numbers do not correlate with positive business results, leaving leaders puzzled and blaming tools, measurements, or external factors.

Recognizing, supporting, and motivating employees is essential, but the approach to engagement must be tailored to each company's unique goals, needs, and culture. BIW partners with a panel company in the United States and the panel company’s global partners to target English-speaking employees of companies with 1,000 plus employees to discover what works best for them, leveraging their expertise in employee engagement.

Companies with strong brand identities that stay true to their core values attract top talent, retain their best employees, and create robust work cultures. BIW offers a suite of global employee engagement solutions grounded in behavioural economics, including employee recognition, manager training, communication, and service awards. These comprehensive engagement solutions help create holistic work cultures that deliver tangible benefits to employees and measurable results for business goals.

A structured approach

BIW’s employee engagement programs are based on the principles of behavioural economics and the New Rules of Engagement, which are anchored on 12 crucial aspects of the "unwritten social contract" between workers and their companies. These aspects are derived from decades of data and employee psychology, informing their approach to cultivating and retaining employees.

Proprietary technology, human-centred design

Using proprietary technology, BIW’s employee engagement programs reinforce employee satisfaction and enhance team efforts by tracking important milestones, progress, and opportunities for recognition and rewards.

A data-driven approach to optimize performance

Standardized approaches can be detrimental to employee engagement strategies, as organizations differ in culture. Recognizing these nuances is key to developing effective employee engagement programs. BIW uses a survey methodology to collect data for each engagement, helping clients understand their strengths and weaknesses. Quantitative results are validated based on unique performance metrics defined by the client.

Conclusion

Employee engagement is a multifaceted and essential strategy for enhancing organizational effectiveness and workforce satisfaction. By understanding and implementing tailored employee engagement programs, companies can foster a positive work environment that motivates employees to perform at their best. BIW's approach, grounded in behavioural economics and the New Rules of Engagement®, provides a comprehensive framework for achieving these goals. Through proprietary technology, data-driven methodologies, and a focus on human-centred design, businesses can create robust employee engagement strategies that deliver measurable results. Prioritizing employee engagement not only improves business outcomes but also cultivates a culture where employees feel valued, inspired, and committed to their work.