What Drives Employee Engagement?

There are many benefits of having an engaged workforce. Engaged employees are an asset to any organisation and give you the edge in an increasingly competitive marketplace. They’re more productive, absenteeism through sickness is reduced and they go that extra mile. In an ever-changing world it’s vital to gauge how motivated your staff are on a regular basis.

We at The Survey Initiative pride ourselves in the work we do in partnership with our clients and endeavour to discover what the main drivers for employee engagement are for each of them.

Employee engagement drivers differ from one organisation to another, from industry to industry and also from country to country. However, they are powered by similar individual triggers that make an employee want to stay with their organisation, become an advocate and put in their discretionary effort.

Whilst the drivers for each organisation differ, here we discuss what we have seen to be the top 3 drivers to having great employee engagement:-

Appreciation and recognition for work done

Research shows that, whilst there are many forms of recognition that people value, a simple ‘thank you’ that is genuine and meaningful really does make a difference.

Appreciation is a fundamental human need. Employees respond to appreciation expressed through recognition of their hard work because it confirms that their work is valued. When employees and their work are valued, their engagement, satisfaction and productivity levels rise, and they are motivated to go the extra mile.

Empowerment and involvement in decision making

Employee empowerment is the act of giving more responsibility to employees in the workplace, enabling an employee to think, behave, act, react and control their work in more autonomous ways.

Research shows that empowerment and involvement in decision-making rate among the highest drivers to employee engagement and satisfaction.

Do I Make A Difference?

People want to feel that what they do at work is making a difference, not only to their employers, but to their work colleagues too.

When employees are aware that the work they do is making a difference, even if only in small ways, the effect, not only on employee engagement and satisfaction levels, but also importantly on productivity, is positive.

Our expert team has been providing employee engagement and satisfaction surveys for over 20 years. If you would like to know more about how we can help your organisation with employee research, then give us a call on +44 (0)1255 850051 or contact us via our website.