Irrespective of the industry, team engagement and performance plays a vital role in the long-term success of the company. It has been observed that a highly engaged workforce improves productivity, profitability, and retention rates. Moreover, businesses that have high-level employee engagement, stand on the top in customer satisfaction ranking, less absentee rates of employees and enjoy a huge boost in sales.
Employee engagement is of utmost importance for an organisations’ success. But, it is not easy for firms to understand whether the strategy they have implemented is working or not. So, here we will learn some steps to measure employee engagement effectively and regularly.
What is employee engagement?
Before we start understanding how to measure employee engagement, we need to know what exactly it is. Engagement is the degree to which the workforce is passionate about, motivated by and invested in their work and the organisation they work for.
Now that we know what employee engagement is. Let’s step ahead and understand how to measure it.
How to measure employee engagement?
For measuring employee engagement, one thing to keep in mind is that there is no one-size-fits-all way for measuring employee engagement. We need to follow various methods to get a picture of the team’s engagement. Below are some mandatory steps that organisations should follow for measuring their workforce engagement.
Conducting employee engagement survey
One of the best methods for gauging workforce engagement is conducting employee engagement surveys. It is a quick and effective way to poll the entire team regarding their commitment to their work and perception of the organisation. This survey can be conducted by using a mix of numerical scale and open-ended questions. It provides real-time data that helps in understanding the situation in a better manner. It is suggested to be aware of the anonymity or confidentiality terms of the survey and make sure employees know the difference between the two.
Conducting small group discussions
In large-scale companies where conducting individual meetings are complicated, small group discussions are perfect. It includes employees from the same or similar departments to discuss the success of their team and their challenges. It can be organised by assembling a group of employees from across the company to get varied responses to big-picture ideas.
One thing that organisations should pay heed to during such sessions is, every individual should feel comfortable and speak honestly. Firms should make sure to provide a platform for follow-up conversation for private matters. This can be done through email or by conducting 15 minutes sessions with the employees, managers and HRs.
Holding one-on-one meetings
During private conversations, employees get the opportunity to speak up on the matters that are most important for them. Managers and the HR department can conduct one on one meetings with employees on a monthly, quarterly, or yearly basis.
Managers and HRs use this opportunity to ask questions, as well as listen to the employees. They need to assure individuals that their conversation is private.
Conducting exit interviews
Exit interviews are one of the best ways to understand how to improve employee engagement. This interview is conducted when an employee is leaving the organisation. It is a reactive tactic and cannot be the focus of HRs efforts. If organisations want to engage current employees more effectively, then they can’t rely on the opinions of those they have lost.
Still, acting and exit interviews are a great way to get genuine and honest feedback about the company as employees are likely to be comfortable speaking about the company when the job is not at stake.
Conclusion
Companies should measure employee engagement as often as possible. However, the frequency of assessment depends on the method used by the organisation. In today’s era, where remote working has become the new normal, it is quite difficult for some organizations to conduct physical interviews and track employee performance and engagement.
So, organisations are relying on an effective alternative that helps in measuring employee engagement. This alternative is the performance management system that helps in making the contemporary work environment more simple and effective. These applications are highly advanced and designed by keeping in mind the requirements of the enterprises of tomorrow.