Employee Engagement Surveys Are Good Business

Our head of People and Culture at ADAPTOVATE, Lené Marx, takes a look at the importance of employee engagement surveys.

Employee Engagement surveys – are they useful?

To understand how to effectively use an engagement survey, it’s important to define what employee engagement means for your organisation. 

Not all experts and research companies have the same definition of ‘employee engagement’, for example: 

•  Quantum Workplace defines employee engagement as “the strength of the mental and emotional connection employees feel toward their places of work”. 
• According to Gallup, engaged employees are “those who are involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace”. 
• Aon Hewitt defines employee engagement as “the level of an employee’s psychological investment in their organization.” 

For us at ADATOVATE, employee engagement is the emotional commitment our team members have to the business. 

When employees feel engaged, they care about the company, and they do their best work to achieve the company’s goals. The main objective for engaged employees is to contribute to the company’s success, it is not about employee benefits or bonuses, it is about being part of a successful business. 

Employee engagement surveys are an effective tool to understand the commitment, motivation, sense of purpose and concerns of employees to uncover the issues that impact engagement and productivity, and when done correctly, provide critical data that can be leveraged to improve company culture and engagement.

What do employee engagement surveys mean to the employees themselves?

Employees want to feel listened to and see action from the feedback they’ve provided. 

Research shows that employees who feel their voice is heard are 4.6 times more likely to feel empowered to perform their best work.  It’s also part of creating a sense of belonging and a push for equality and inclusiveness in the workplace. 

Employee engagement surveys should turn talking points into action items and action items into tangible outcomes. 

At ADAPTOVATE, engagement survey results drove some of the key initiatives delivered by the People & Culture team over the last 12 months. Some of these include: 

•  a refresh of our Career Development Cycle (performance review process) which involved moving the process to a digital platform which further supports our feedback driven culture 
• more in-depth training for our executive team to further develop their leadership skills 

The future of work culture is changing…

“It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change.”

~ anonymous

While this quote may not have originally been business orientated, the words seem to echo in the business world, now more than ever. And managing people is no exception. 

We live in a world where trends change in the blink of an eye. A practice that is working fine today might not be applicable tomorrow. The same goes for employee engagement. 

With every new generation in the workforce, employee engagement trends change drastically.  

In 2022 we are looking at the rise of a culture-first decade. Employee engagement, which seemed like an exciting concept at the beginning of the last decade, is now an obvious business goal. There is an urgent need to elevate company culture or risk losing top talent. Companies like Hilton, Salesforce and American Express are setting the stage for companies to implement strategies to reinvent company culture. 

Things that are currently driving employee engagement are: 

What does the future of engagement surveys look like?

According to a survey released by Microsoft, the pandemic increased the focus on employee engagement. 

Technology helps organisations connect and interact with their workforce; nearly 86% of executives believe technology has a greater role in employee engagement today than a few years ago. Still, the time-consuming employee engagement surveys play a crucial role as they are great predictors of employee behaviour, a tool for employees to express their thoughts, and a vehicle for changing behaviour. 

Cisco does it well:

Gender diversity – how important is it?

There are many compelling reasons to implement better gender diversity in workplaces and there has been significant change in attitudes, noteworthy achievements and continued positive developments.

As women continue to strive for more equality in senior boardrooms and pave new paths in all sorts of roles – including leadership and executive positions in traditionally male-dominated industries – it’s now incumbent on businesses to step up to the plate and improve gender parity. 

Gender balance in the workplace is associated with positive organisational outcomes for all. A study by the Center for Creative Leadership and Watermark found having more women in the workplace improved job satisfaction for both women and men. 

Employees whose companies had a higher percentage of women in their ranks rated their organisations more favourably on: 

• Job satisfaction 
• Organisational dedication 
• Burnout 
• Employee engagement 

A study by an American global analytics firm Gallup found those who work for female managers were more engaged in their workplace and suffered less burnout. 

Research has also uncovered a ‘female advantage’ in having more women in the workplace, showing they tend to be more likely to use effective leadership styles. 

Reading recommendations:

Work Rules! (Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead) by Laszlo Bock 

Work Rules! Is one of the best organisational culture books. Author Laszlo Bock, former head of People Operations at Google, was one of the engineers of the tech titan’s legendary work culture. The book shares personal learnings gleaned from Google’s practices, as well as case studies from other industry greats and behavioural research. Work Rules! provides practical guidance for creating empowering and energised environments. 

Notable Quote: “Does your manager trust you?” is a profound question. If you believe people are fundamentally good, and if your organisation is able to hire well, there is nothing to fear from giving your people freedom.” 

The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel Coyle 

The Culture Code is one of the best books about work environments. The book explores top organisations, both business and non-business, examining what conditions foster optimal unity and cooperation. The author uses a three-pronged approach: build safety, share vulnerability, and establish purpose. Coyle outlines strategies that inspire camaraderie, personal growth, and positive change. The Culture Code teaches readers how to fix harmful cultures and form workplace communities that encourage employees to thrive. 

Notable Quote: “The road to success is paved with mistakes well handled.” 

Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek 

Championing a servant leadership style, Simon Sinek asserts that great cultures depend on generous leaders. Team members feel most valued and fulfilled when leaders elevate the teams’ needs before their own. Leaders Eat Last makes the case that organisations with people-first cultures have higher levels of cooperation and achievement. When employees feel taken care of, they return the favour and commit to the company and the team. 

Notable Quote: “Returning from work feeling inspired, safe, fulfilled, and grateful is a natural human right to which we are all entitled and not a modern luxury that only a few lucky ones are able to find.” 

Sources used for this article:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/nazbeheshti/2019/01/16/10-timely-statistics-about-the-connection-between-employee-engagement-and-wellness/?sh=13bfeff422a0

https://haiilo.com/blog/employee-engagement-8-statistics-you-need-to-know/#:~:text=1.,are%20engaged%20in%20the%20workplace. 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/danabrownlee/2019/09/04/how-the-best-companies-to-work-for-engage-employees-and-retain-top-talent/?sh=7e10c5591eca 

https://nudge.co/blog/brands-taking-the-employee-experience-to-the-next-level/ 

https://blog.vantagecircle.com/employee-engagement-trends/ 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielnewman/2021/06/21/the-new-future-of-work-requires-greater-focus-on-employee-engagement/?sh=288fe87a4e65 

https://blog.shrm.org/blog/the-future-of-employee-engagement-beyond-analytics-and-surveys 

https://www.michaelpage.com.au/advice/management-advice/staff-development/5-reasons-it-pays-have-women-workplace#:~:text=A%20study%20by%20an%20American,to%20use%20effective%20leadership%20styles.