Skip to content

Achievers Achievers

  • Platform
    • Achievers Employee Experience Platform™
      For culture builders, Achievers is an employee voice and recognition solution that builds engagement and sustainable performance in organizations.
    • Recognize™
      Activate real-time employee engagement with Achievers Recognize, the platform that delivers sustainable performance and Culture Continuity™.
    • Listen™
      Use data science to help you build a better company by unlocking insights into improving the performance and engagement of your people.
  • Why us
  • Company
    • About us
      Achievers’ mission is to change the way the world works. Our Employee Success Platform is specifically designed to drive higher levels of employee engagement.
    • Careers
      We’re a Great Place to Work-Certified™ organization. Explore opportunities at Achievers and join our team of A-Players.
    • Awards
      We are an industry leader in all things engagement. Discover why organizations love Achievers.
    • Contact Us
      We’re here to help! Get in touch with us.
  • Customers
  • Resources
    • Featured content
      Publishing white papers, research reports, and more to help organizations move forward in their employee engagement journey.
    • Webinars
      Watch our webinars featuring workforce science experts and HR thought leaders live and on-demand.
    • Engage Blog
      Stay up to date on the latest employee engagement trends and access guest commentary from HR thought leaders.
    • Workforce Institute
      Get research and insights on employee engagement, recognition, culture, and more — all backed by workforce science.
  • Demo
  • Platform
    • Achievers Employee Experience Platform™
    • Recognize™
    • Listen™
  • Why us
  • Company
    • About Us
    • Careers
    • Awards
    • Contact Us
  • Customers
  • Resources
    • Featured content
    • Webinars
    • Engage Blog
    • Workforce Institute
  • Request a demo
  • US
    • UK
    • AU
    • NL
    • DE
    • SG
  • Featured Content
  • Achievers Workforce Institute
  • Engage Blog
  • Browse By Blog Category
    • Achievers Exclusives
    • Achievers Tech
    • Culture
    • Diversity
    • Employee Engagement
    • Employee Feedback
    • Employee Retention
    • Engage Blog
    • HR Technology
    • Inclusion
    • Leadership
    • Onboarding and Hiring
    • Recognition and Rewards
Go to homepage The Definition of Employee Engagement 

The Definition of Employee Engagement 

Profile image of author: Kellie Wong

by Kellie Wong

May 5, 2020

If it feels like everyone is talking about employee engagement lately, well… you probably work in HR! Smart businesses are realizing the incredible power of engagement to turbo-charge profitability. There are countless articles on the subject all over the internet, but everyone seems to have a different idea of what engagement actually is and how best to achieve it in the workplace. And that can be a problem. After all, the first step towards accomplishing a goal is to name exactly what you’re after. For this reason, it’s crucial to have a strong working definition of employee engagement that your company leadership can get behind. 

What is employee engagement?

The definition of employee engagement is the emotional connection and commitment your workers have to your company. Engaged employees care about company goals and tend to identify with their work on a personal level. For the most engaged employees, business goals and personal goals begin to blend together. 

Author and Forbes contributor Kevin Cruse describes this high level of commitment as a willingness to spend “discretionary effort.” Engaged employees are willing to go the extra mile to solve problems, work extra hours, and provide their insight — without being required to do so. Engaged employees go beyond baseline expectations and tend to see their roles as more than just an exchange of time for money: They want to do their best and see their companies succeed. 

What employee engagement isn’t

Unfortunately, much of the conversation around employee engagement focuses on fun. Not that there’s anything wrong with creating a dynamic, enjoyable workplace, but the stereotypical startup culture of foosball tables and on-site brew pubs is not a foolproof recipe for employee engagement. While it’s possible for employees in these offices to be engaged, it’s also possible that they take these perks for granted — or worse, consider them a not-so-subtle attempt to cover up other areas of company culture that may be lacking. 

Employee engagement also isn’t the same thing as employee satisfaction. A satisfied employee feels fairly compensated. That is, that person is willing to work for the type of pay, benefits, and general respect they receive. This is also important — after all, a dissatisfied employee is certain to be disengaged — but it’s not enough. Satisfied employees may do excellent work, but they aren’t guaranteed to go the extra mile or identify with your mission to such an extent that they wouldn’t consider another job offer. 

definition of employee engagement

Why employee engagement needs to be a priority 

Employee engagement isn’t just a feel-good story for the C-suite to share at a conference. Gallup’s employee engagement analysis shows that companies in the top quartile for employee engagement are 21 percent more profitable than those in the bottom quartile. On the flip side, disengaged employees cost businesses an estimated $450 to $550 billion each year in the United States alone. 

Engaged employees are less likely to look for greener pastures, especially if they feel there’s room to grow and develop in their current position. Disengaged workers, on the other hand, are highly likely to leave: A third of employees plan to start a job hunt in the next 12 months. Those workers are expensive to replace, with one report estimating that it costs 33 percent of an employee’s salary to find and train a new hire. 

The bottom line? Employee engagement impacts your bottom line. 

Quick tips to increase employee engagement

Now that we’ve walked through the definition of employee engagement and its value, are you ready to strengthen it across your organization? Get started with our quick tips below.

1. Encourage connections two levels apart

Most employees’ only contact with leadership is with their direct supervisor, but fostering connections along the full chain of command can help solidify your company’s vision and mission for everyone. Encourage managers to meet with employees two levels down from their position to answer questions and listen to ideas. Likewise, middle managers can benefit from contact with leadership two levels above them to have a better sense of how their efforts fit into the big picture. 

2. Recognize employee effort and achievement

Did you know 40 percent of employed Americans say they’d put more energy into their work if they were recognized more often? Recognition takes little time to do (especially with employee recognition tools now available) and can make a huge impact on employee morale and happiness. A simple act of gratitude can jump-start an employee’s motivation and help your team become more engaged. 

employee benefits tools

3. Turn employee reviews into conversations

Packing a list of bulleted suggestions for improvement into a single annual review is the opposite of helpful and could actively turn your employees off. Instead, provide employee feedback on a regular basis (whether daily, monthly, or quarterly) and use that time to have meaningful conversations and build trust with your employees.  

4. Let employees evaluate you

Feedback goes both ways, so it’s crucial to let your employees evaluate managers, company culture, and more. Try leveraging pulse surveys (a short series of questions conducted on a relatively frequent basis) to provide a place for employees to share concerns and ideas for improvement — then take action on those suggestions. 

Once everyone in your organization has agreed on a definition of employee engagement, it’s time to get to work on developing a vision of what engagement looks like for your company. Developing an employee engagement strategy is crucial to keep up with the competition and to maximize productivity across the board. 

Need help making the case for employee engagement? Download our free e-book, “How Companies that Act Fast on Engagement Outpace the Competition,” to begin the discussion today. 

Companies that act fast on engagement - E-Book

 

Profile image of author: Kellie Wong

by Kellie Wong

Kellie Wong was a Senior Content Marketing Manager at Achievers.

STAY ENGAGED

Join our email alert list so you never miss a post.

AWARDS


SnackNation : Top 30 HR Blogs

Best of HR Blogs

Feedspot: Top 100 HR Blogs

Feedspot: Top 30 Employee Engagement Blogs and Websites

Proven: Best 75+ HR Blogs

Actimo Top 50 HR Blogs

Coburgbanks: 10 Employee Engagement Blogs That All Managers Should Know About

HR West: Human Resource Award

FOLLOW US

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
RSS Feed

YouTube
Instagram
Slideshare

HUMAN RESOURCES TODAY

Human Resources Today

Stay engaged

Join our mailing list so you never miss a post.

Subscribe
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Instagram YouTube
  • Platform
    • Our Platform
    • Recognize
    • Listen
  • Company
    • About us
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
  • Resources
    • Featured content
    • Webinars
    • Engage Blog
    • Workforce Institute
    • Events
    • Appreciation cards
    • News

© 2023 Achievers Solutions Inc.
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Modern Slavery Statement

For an accessible version of this (page/site), please contact us by phone at 1-888-622-3343