Is Communication the Key to an Engaged Workforce

Is Communication the Key to an Engaged Workforce One significant factor that can determine the engagement levels within an organisation is the quality of communication taking place between employees and those in leadership roles. Practices  such as taking employee feedback on board, conducting performance reviews and  generally  keeping staff in the loop about things occurring within the business are all factors that can contribute towards creating a highly engaged workforce. This infographic created by  Quantum Workplace  demonstrates just how important communication is for employee engagement and offers a few pointers for how engagement levels can be improved. How can employee engagement be managed? Engaged companies treat employee engagement as a year round activity, unlike disengaged companies who may treat it as a short-term project. Employees are partly responsible for their own engagement. Highly engaged companies are 6x more likely to say employees have a lot of responsibility for increasing engagement. The top 3 feedback tools that are important in highly engaged companies are performance management programs, recognition programs and annual employee surveys. Should companies conduct employee surveys? 5% of highly engaged companies surveyed their employees in the last year and the better the engagement the better the participation. In highly engaged companies 60% of employees participated in the survey, compared to 20% in disengaged companies. Providing a follow up to employee surveys is an important but often overlooked factor.  Employees whose managers follow up with them after a survey are 12% more likely to be engaged at work than those who receive no follow-up. What tools and tactics are used by engaged companies? One-on-one meetings between manager and employee, as well as whole company and department meetings. Regular emails from leadership and social media tools. Employee engagement surveys,  performance reviews and goal setting. What are the communication differences between engaged and unengaged companies? 86% of highly engaged companies conduct one-on-one meetings with employees, compared to 50% of disengaged companies.  Face to face has been found to be more effective, than emails from leadership. Exit interviews and employee surveys are prioritised over performance reviews in highly engaged companies, as it focuses on how things can be improved for employees to make their experience better. Whereas disengaged companies prioritise thing such as company newsletters. How to improve your employee engagement: Introduce a formal employee recognition program. Conduct an annual survey involving managers. Complement exit interviews with exit surveys. Conduct one-on-one meetings with employees. Commit to your engagement all year round. Image: Pablo