How to measure employee engagement and take action in 2025

Measure employee engagement, and you’ll find out pretty quickly whether people are genuinely invested — or just really good at pretending on Zoom. When employees feel connected and supported, they’re not just more productive — they actually want to be there.

According to the Achievers Engagement and Retention Report, 72% of employees would take a job where they feel valued over one that pays more but offers zero support or recognition. Turns out, meaning beats money (most of the time).

Engagement metrics give you more than a pulse check — they give you a map. They show you what’s working, what’s wobbly, and where to lean in, so your people stay motivated, not just on payroll.

5 ways to measure employee engagement

If you want to measure employee engagement in a way that actually works, you need more than a once-a-year survey. Employees need to be able to speak up when something’s going well — or not — and know that their input matters. The easier you make it to give feedback, the more honest and useful that feedback becomes.

Here are four ways to keep a pulse on engagement, no matter where or how your people work:

5 key questions to ask when measuring employee engagement

If you want to understand what’s driving — or dragging down — engagement at your company, start with the questions you’re asking. These five questions cover the fundamentals and help surface what your people are really experiencing at work.

1. How likely are you to recommend this company as a great place to work?

This is your eNPS, or employee Net Promoter Score — a quick read on how people feel about working at your company. A high score usually means your company’s culture is on track. A low one? That’s a sign to dig deeper. It’s not the only metric you need, but it’s a solid pulse check on overall engagement.

2. How well do you understand the company’s goals and mission?

People want to feel like they’re part of something bigger — and that their work actually contributes to it. If employees aren’t clear on the company’s direction, it’s hard to stay motivated. Make sure your values show up not just in your mission statement, but in how you recognize and reward people every day.

3. How happy are you in your role?

Simple, but telling. Happiness may be subjective, but when employees say they’re satisfied at work, that usually reflects a strong foundation: clear expectations, meaningful work, supportive teams. If the answers are trending low, it could point to deeper issues around burnout, misalignment, or lack of recognition.

4. Do you feel valued for your contributions?

Recognition plays a huge role in how connected employees feel. When people feel seen — by managers, peers, and leadership — they’re more likely to stick around and stay engaged. If scores here are lagging, it might be time to rethink how appreciation shows up day to day (hint: a modern recognition platform helps).

5. Do you have the support and resources you need to do your job well?

This one gets to the heart of employee empowerment. If employees don’t have the tools, clarity, or coaching they need, engagement drops — fast. Great managers help clear roadblocks, not create them. And strong engagement starts with making sure people feel equipped to succeed.

Best practices for measuring employee engagement

In 2024, employee engagement in the U.S. dropped to its lowest point in a decade — a wake-up call for organizations to rethink how they’re listening to their people. Measuring engagement isn’t just about checking a box. Done right, it’s how you build a workplace people want to be part of.

Here’s how to approach it with intention:

• Start with a goal, not a guess: Before you launch a survey or spin up a new feedback tool, get clear on what you’re trying to learn. Are you focused on boosting retention? Understanding workplace burnout? Measuring the impact of a recent change? Having a clear goal helps ensure you’re asking the right questions — and doing something useful with the answers.
• Make it safe to speak up: If employees don’t feel their feedback is confidential, they’re unlikely to be fully honest — and that makes your data less reliable. Use anonymous channels where possible and reinforce that candor is both welcome and protected.
• Explain the “why”: Don’t assume people know what your survey is for. Let them know how their feedback will be used, what it helps improve, and why it matters. When employees understand the purpose, they’re more likely to engage — and trust the process.
• Close the loop: This one’s big: if you ask for input, do something with it. Share what you heard. Highlight the changes you’re making. And involve employees in the next steps. Nothing builds trust like follow-through.

When you lead with transparency, purpose, and action, measuring engagement becomes more than a metric. It becomes part of a culture where people feel seen, heard, and ready to speak up again.

The real value of employee engagement software

You can’t improve what you don’t understand — and when it comes to employee engagement, guesswork won’t cut it. That’s where employee engagement software comes in.

Achievers goes beyond traditional tools to offer a centralized, always-on platform that captures feedback from multiple channels — quick polls, open comments, recognition activity, and more — and turns it into real-time insights you can act on. And with flexible, customizable reporting, you don’t just get the data — you get the full picture.

Here’s what makes Achievers stand out:

• Always-on feedback tools that surface real sentiment — in the moment.
• 2x more recognition activity than any other vendor, giving you real behavioral data tied to engagement.
• Real-time analytics and customizable dashboards that help leaders spot trends, flag issues, and measure impact.
• Action planning tools built into the platform to help managers follow through and make changes that stick.
• Seamless software integrations with tools employees already use — like Microsoft Teams, Outlook, and Workday — keeping recognition and feedback in the flow of work.

And it works. Organizations that fully adopt Achievers see up to 5x greater impact on engagement, productivity, and retention. Because when feedback is easy to give, data is easy to interpret, and action is easy to take — engagement becomes something you shape, not just something you measure.

Measure employee engagement the right way

Measuring engagement is only step one. What drives real impact is what happens next — recognizing the right behaviors, acting on employee feedback, and building a culture where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued.

That’s where Achievers comes in. With recognition and real-time feedback built into the flow of work, Achievers makes it easy to uncover what motivates your people — and take action that actually sticks. From AI-powered insights to a global rewards marketplace, everything’s designed to help you strengthen connection, boost retention, and shape the culture you want.

Make engagement more than a metric. Make it part of how your company works — every day.

See how Wesley uses Achievers to measure employee engagement — and act on it

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