5 employee engagement models for today’s global workforce

Employee engagement models are frameworks that help organizations understand how to keep people engaged, motivated, and committed at work. And with only 26% of employees engaged, according to the latest Engagement and Retention Report, those frameworks have never mattered more.

Because the best engagement models don’t just explain what employee engagement is. They show leaders how to build it and how to stop it from slowly disappearing between meetings.

Let’s break down what engagement models really mean, how they work in practice, and why activating them matters — starting with the top five models used today.

What is an employee engagement model?

An employee engagement model is a structured framework that explains what drives engagement at work and how organizations can influence it. It gives leaders a clear way to understand what helps employees feel motivated, connected, and committed — and how those experiences shape performance, culture, and retention.

Why do employee engagement models matter?

Employee engagement models help organizations understand what motivates employees, design consistent engagement strategies, and connect those efforts to real business results. And those results are impossible to ignore. According to Gallup data, highly engaged business units see 78% less absenteeism and 14% higher productivity.

Most importantly, they create a shared language for engagement across the organization. Because when everyone knows what engagement looks like, it’s a lot easier to build it, and much harder to pretend it’s happening.

How do employee engagement models work?

Employee engagement models work by identifying the core drivers that shape how people experience work — things like purpose, relationships, workload, recognition, and growth. These drivers are then measured and analyzed so organizations can understand where engagement is strong, where it’s fragile, and why.

From there, most models connect engagement insights to business outcomes like retention, productivity, and customer experience. Leaders use that understanding to shape priorities, guide behavior, and design initiatives that actually move the needle.

The five most widely used models of employee engagement

1. Achievers’ employee engagement platform

Purpose:

The Achievers employee engagement platform is built to help organizations shape their workforce through recognition. It connects meaningful employee recognition and motivating rewards to the behaviors that drive performance, belonging, and retention — turning everyday moments into measurable business impact.

More than a framework, Achievers gives leaders a system to influence culture intentionally, reinforce the right behaviors, and create engagement that sticks. Because culture doesn’t change in strategy decks. It changes in what people notice, celebrate, and repeat.

Idea:

Recognition activates behavior. Behavior shapes culture. Culture drives business results. When employees are consistently recognized for meaningful contributions, those behaviors repeat. Over time, those repeated behaviors become the culture people experience — and the reason they choose to stay.

Application:

Achievers applies its engagement model through a recognition-led platform that connects everyday actions to culture and performance. Recognition, feedback, and insight are built directly into the tools employees use every day, making engagement easy to see and easier to sustain.

Employees can recognize each other for meaningful, values-based contributions. Managers can reinforce performance and growth in the moments that matter. And leaders can clearly see which behaviors are being celebrated, where engagement is strengthening, and where teams need support — turning engagement from a concept into something people experience.

This creates a continuous engagement loop:

• Recognition reinforces the right behaviors
• Repeated behaviors shape culture
• Culture strengthens connection, performance, and retention

And the impact shows up quickly. Data from the State of Recognition Report shows that employees recognized at least monthly are 2x more likely to feel engaged and less likely to set their LinkedIn status to open to work. Achievers makes this impact possible by using recognition as a tool to shape behavior, culture, and more.

Best for:

Organizations that want a practical, scalable way to improve engagement and retention by embedding recognition, behavior, and culture into everyday work.

2. The Gallup G12 model

Purpose:

Gallup’s Q12 model offers a practical, research-backed way to understand what drives engagement at work. Built on decades of workforce research and insights from millions of employees worldwide, the model connects everyday employee experiences directly to productivity, retention, and performance.

Idea:

Engagement can be measured, understood, and improved by consistently asking the right questions. Gallup’s Q12 shows that how employees answer those questions reflects how well a team is set up to succeed.

Application:

The Q12 model organizes engagement into a clear progression:

• Basic needs
• Individual contribution
• Team belonging
• Growth

Organizations use Q12 results to measure engagement, benchmark across teams, and track improvement over time — turning employee feedback into actionable insight.

Best for:

Organizations looking to measure engagement consistently and benchmark performance across teams.

3. Deloitte’s Simply Irresistible Organization™ model

Purpose:

Deloitte’s Simply Irresistible Organization™ model helps organizations understand why some workplaces attract and retain talent better than others. Developed through extensive employee interviews, the model focuses on the experiences that make organizations feel engaging, supportive, and worth committing to.

Idea:

Employee engagement is shaped by experience, leadership, and trust — not just performance metrics. When people feel supported, valued, and connected to purpose, engagement follows naturally.

Application:

Deloitte organizes engagement around five core factors:

• Meaningful work: Employees are in the right roles, have autonomy, and understand how their contributions matter.
• Positive work environment: Inclusion, flexibility, and well-being shape how safe and supported people feel.
• Hands-on management: Leaders provide clarity, coaching, and regular feedback.
• Growth opportunities: Employees see clear paths to learn, develop, and advance.
• Trust in leadership: Transparency, honesty, and a shared mission build confidence in the organization’s direction.

Best for:

Organizations focused on employee experience, leadership effectiveness, and long-term cultural alignment.

4. Zinger’s employee engagement model

Purpose:

The Zinger model is an employee engagement framework that helps organizations understand engagement through a human lens — grounded in psychology, purpose, and personal energy. Created by David Zinger, it treats engagement as something shaped by how people experience their work, their relationships, and their sense of meaning, rather than just by performance metrics.

Idea:

Engagement is built through everyday human experiences — how people are treated, supported, and recognized at work.

Application:

Zinger’s model brings engagement to life through two connected structures: the CARE mindset and a practical engagement pyramid.

The CARE concept reinforces that engagement must be continuous and human:

• Connection: People feel engaged when relationships are real and inclusive.
• Authentic relationships: Trust and belonging matter as much as performance.
• Recognition: Employees should feel seen and valued every day.
• Engage continuously: Engagement isn’t a program. It’s a habit.

The pyramid then shows how engagement builds over time:

• Well-being and strengths: Energy, health, and personal capabilities
• Relationships and recognition: Belonging and appreciation
• Meaningful work and progress: Purpose and momentum
• Results: Individual and organizational success

Best for:

Organizations that value human connection, purpose, and relationship-driven engagement.

5. Aon Hewitt’s Say-Stay-Strive model

Purpose:

Aon Hewitt’s Say-Stay-Strive model positions employee engagement as a direct driver of business performance. Rather than treating engagement as a soft signal, the model links how employees experience work to measurable outcomes like retention, productivity, safety, and financial growth.

Idea:

Employee engagement shows up in what people say about their organization, whether they choose to stay, and how much extra effort they put in. Together, these behaviors reflect real commitment and help predict outcomes like retention, productivity, safety, and customer satisfaction.

Application:

The model identifies six core elements that shape engagement:

• The basics: Benefits, job security, safety, and work-life balance
• Company practices: Communication, inclusion, infrastructure, and enablement
• The work: Collaboration, empowerment, and autonomy
• Leadership: Direction, visibility, and accountability
• Performance: Growth opportunities, rewards, and recognition
• Brand: Reputation, responsibility, and organizational pride

Together, these elements influence three observable engagement behaviors:

• Say: Employees speak positively about the organization
• Stay: Employees choose to remain and build long-term commitment
• Strive: Employees put in discretionary effort and go beyond expectations

Best for:

Organizations that want to link engagement behaviors directly to business outcomes and performance indicators.

How to activate your staff engagement model

An employee engagement model only creates value when it’s put into practice. Not when it lives in a document. To activate your engagement model:

Make engagement part of daily work

Reinforce engagement through regular feedback, recognition, and connection — not just formal programs.

Link engagement to specific behaviors

Call out and reward the actions that reflect your values, goals, and culture.

Equip managers to lead engagement

Give managers clear tools and expectations to recognize, coach, and support their teams.

Build engagement into existing workflows

Let engagement happen where work already happens, instead of adding new processes.

Track progress with meaningful metrics

Measure participation, behavior patterns, and outcomes — not just survey scores.

From model to action: Making your engagement framework work

Employee engagement models give organizations a shared language for understanding what drives motivation, connection, and performance. Some focus on measuring employee engagement. Others on experience, relationships, or outcomes. Together, they all point to the same truth: engagement is shaped by how people are treated, supported, and recognized at work.

But they all point to the same truth: engagement is built through everyday behavior, not annual strategy.

That’s where most models fall short — and where Achievers steps in.

Achievers turns engagement into action by embedding recognition into daily work, reinforcing the behaviors that shape culture, and making engagement visible, measurable, and scalable. It doesn’t just explain engagement. It helps organizations practice it.

Because the most effective employee engagement model isn’t the one you understand best. It’s the one your people actually experience.

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