Employee engagement goes beyond just showing up for work. It’s about feeling passionate, connected, and motivated to contribute. According to a Work Institute report, lack of engagement is one of the main reasons employees leave their jobs. However, figuring out how they feel about work isn’t always easy. Annual engagement surveys are a widely accepted method for measuring employee engagement, serving as an effective yearly benchmark to gain insight into overall engagement trends. But once you learn how to measure employee engagement, things become simpler.
In this article, we outline six key methods for measuring employee engagement in your workplace and building a stronger, more successful team ready to do its best.
Understanding Employee Engagement
Employee engagement is a critical aspect of any organization, as it directly impacts productivity, job satisfaction, and overall business success. Engaged employees are more likely to be motivated, committed, and invested in the company’s goals and values. They are also more likely to provide excellent customer service, leading to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty. On the other hand, disengaged employees can lead to decreased productivity, higher turnover rates, and negative impacts on the company’s reputation.
To understand employee engagement, it’s essential to recognize that it’s a multifaceted concept that encompasses various aspects, including emotional, cognitive, and physical engagement. Emotional engagement refers to an employee’s emotional connection to the organization, while cognitive engagement relates to their mental investment in their work. Physical engagement, on the other hand, refers to the physical energy and effort employees put into their work.
How to measure employee engagement in 6 ways
Use employee surveys
Employee surveys are questionnaires that companies use to ask their employees about their experiences at work. They are a crucial part of employee engagement measurement methods, which help in assessing and enhancing employee engagement within organizations.
They’re great because they give employees a chance to share their thoughts and feelings, which helps managers understand what’s working well and what needs improvement. Surveys also show that the company cares about its employees’ opinions, boosting engagement and making them feel more involved in the organization.
Employee engagement metrics are essential in creating strategic initiatives for cultural improvement, ensuring a thriving workplace, and addressing fluctuations in employee engagement over time.
And if you’re tired of managing surveys manually, you can try an employee survey tool like Effy AI. It simplifies performance management for small to medium-sized businesses and periodic reviews.
Effy AI offers:
- Question library: Access pre-made templates covering topics like job satisfaction.
- Customization: Tailor surveys to your company’s needs or create new questions.
- Survey distribution: Share surveys via email, Slack, or links.
- Automated reporting: Generate reports with charts and graphs with the help of AI that saves you hours on analyzing and summarizing survey responses.
- Anonymization: Let employees provide honest feedback by staying anonymous.
- Automated reminders: Reach the highest response rate with regular reminders.
360 feedback survey
A 360-degree feedback survey is an employee engagement survey designed to gather performance evaluations from multiple perspectives.
This typically includes:
- Managers (direct supervisors)
- Peers (colleagues)
- Direct reports (employees they manage)
The survey focuses on the employee's work behaviors and skills rather than just outcomes. It might ask about areas like:
- Teamwork
- Communication
- Leadership effectiveness
- Problem-solving skills
360 feedback surveys are often used alongside a self-assessment, where the employee evaluates their own performance. This allows for comparison and a more complete picture.
Pulse survey
Unlike an annual employee engagement survey, a pulse survey serves as a quick check-in with employees to gauge how they're feeling about work. It's like keeping your finger on the pulse of your workforce and checking if your team's heartbeat works healthy.
Here's what you need to know:
- Short & sweet: Pulse surveys are brief, with just a few key questions that take minutes to answer.
- Frequent check-ins: They're sent out more often than annual employee engagement surveys. It's usually monthly or quarterly, to catch issues early.
- Gauging sentiment: They aim to understand overall employee satisfaction, morale, or specific concerns.
- Actionable insights: Feedback helps identify areas for improvement and allows you to take action promptly
Gallup Q12 engagement survey
The Gallup Q12 engagement survey is a specific employee engagement survey for measuring engagement and commitment to the workplace.
Unlike some surveys that look at satisfaction, the Gallup questions focus on engagement. It doesn't just check if employees are happy, but also enthusiastic and invested in their work.
The Gallup survey consists of these 12 questions that employees answer on a scale of 1 to 5:
Gallup employee engagement survey provides benchmarks to compare your company's results with others in your industry. They also offer guidance on how to use the results to take action and improve engagement.
Calculate your eNPS
Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) is a metric used to assess employee loyalty, satisfaction, and engagement.
Here's how to calculate it:
- Ask one question: "On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to recommend our company as a place of work?"
- Based on their answers (0-10), classify them as:
- 9-10: Promoters (really satisfied and would recommend the company)
- 7-8: Passives (somewhat satisfied but not overly excited)
- 0-6: Detractors (aren't happy and might speak negatively about the company).
- Subtract the percentage of Detractors from the percentage of Promoters to get your score.
Understanding scores:
- Above 0 is good, and above 50 is excellent.
- Negative means more unhappy than happy employees.
Conduct one-on-one meetings regularly
Regular one-on-one meetings are a crucial part of employee engagement efforts and can help you understand how your team is really doing.
They’re a chance to ditch the formalities and have open conversations with your team members. This is their time to vent about challenges, brainstorm ideas, or simply chat about their career goals.
1:1 meetings are a great opportunity for people to speak their minds openly, especially since not everyone feels comfortable sharing in front of the whole team.
Here’s a one-on-one meeting template you can use to inspire yourself:
Starting with weekly or bi-weekly meetings for 30-60 minutes is a great way to begin.
However, don’t be too strict and formal here. Imagine it like having a casual, friendly chat to make the person feel comfortable being open and honest with you.
Of course, you can offer constructive feedback and identify areas for improvement, but above all—be an active listener. Let them talk.
Bonus tip: See our collection of the best one-on-one meeting software to automate this process!
Hold stay and exit interviews
A stay interview is a proactive conversation between an employer (usually a manager) and a current employee. The goal is to understand what the employee finds engaging and motivating about their role and the company and to detect any areas for improvement.
The most important thing here is to identify potential issues before they lead to dissatisfaction or turnover.
More and more companies are seeing the importance of stay interviews because more and more people are leaving. That's why stay interviews are getting popular fast—going from 33% to 46% in just a year.
On the other side, we have exit interviews for employees who are leaving the company.
These interviews are important to gain insights into why employees leave, such as compensation issues, lack of growth opportunities, or company culture problems. Exit interviews help identify areas where the company can improve to retain top talent and create a more positive work environment.
Analyze performance metrics
Analyzing performance refers to checking the metrics to see how well someone is doing their job.
Employee recognition programs can significantly impact productivity, retention, and overall performance by reinforcing desirable behaviors and fostering a positive company culture.
It’s about how much they get done—effectiveness, how quickly they do it—efficiency, and how good the final result is—quality.
Here’s what the process looks like:
- Identify relevant performance metrics (productivity, time management, etc.).
- Collect data from various sources (employee surveys, HR records, etc.).
- Analyze trends and patterns in the data.
- Compare to industry benchmarks.
- Identify areas for improvement.
- Implement changes and monitor progress.
Strategies to increase employee engagement through recognition programs and other means can further enhance productivity and overall performance.
Review employee retention rates
Retention rates show how many employees stay with the company over time.
To get this rate, divide the number of employees who stayed by the total number of employees at the start of a period, then multiply by 100. High rates mean happy and highly engaged employees, while low rates suggest problems and dissatisfaction.
Job satisfaction, growth opportunities, work-life balance, and company culture influence retention.
A recent L&D workplace survey revealed that a strong learning culture leads to a 57% higher retention rate. This could be training programs or mentorship opportunities for developing new skills.
Apart from learning opportunities, think about these perks to improve employee engagement and retention:
- Competitive compensation
- Opportunities for professional development
- Flexible work arrangements
- Recognition and appreciation programs
- Open communication
- Positive work culture and inclusivity
- Wellness programs.
- Effective leadership style
- Timely employee feedback
There's no magic trick for a motivated and engaged employee, but there are plenty of tools in your toolbox.
The key? Don't pick just one.
The most insightful picture comes from combining all these six strategies we've just covered.
And if you feel overwhelmed, streamline the whole process with Effy AI, which can help you with:
- Creating and sending surveys: Craft personalized surveys or choose from pre-made templates.
- Data analysis: Get clear, actionable insights from employee feedback.
- Automated reporting: Save time with reports and create the best employee engagement strategy accordingly.
With a little effort, you can develop your team's full potential and create a work environment where everyone feels valued, supported, and ready to do their best work.
Alternative Methods to Measure Employee Engagement
While surveys are a popular method for measuring employee engagement, there are alternative methods that can provide valuable insights into engagement levels. Some of these methods include:
- Observational Studies: This involves observing employees in their natural work environment to gain insights into their behavior, interactions, and work habits.
- Focus Groups: Gathering a small group of employees to discuss their experiences, concerns, and suggestions in a facilitated setting can provide in-depth insights.
- One-on-One Interviews: Conducting in-depth interviews with employees helps gain a deeper understanding of their thoughts, feelings, and experiences.
- Social Media Analytics: Analyzing social media data can reveal employee sentiment, engagement, and behavior trends.
These alternative methods can provide a more nuanced understanding of employee engagement and can be used in conjunction with surveys to gain a more comprehensive picture of engagement levels.
