Employee engagement is driven by company culture and involves the state of a worker’s opinion of their employer, as well as towards their role, position within the organization, colleagues, and more.

Improving employee engagement is a significant factor when considering retention and recruitment rates for a given business.

Employee engagement is important because workers who are motivated are generally more productive in their jobs. A person’s passion for the company, their role within that company, and their coworkers are vital markers of strong employee engagement.

As with any business strategy, developing and sustaining employee engagement differs from one team to another. What may work for one group of people may not for another. However, a few key factors that have been shown to drive employee engagement include:

• Leaders that are committed to making the organization a great place to work 
• Managers that develop good working relationships with their direct reports 
• Employees are given autonomy to get the job done—and done well 
• Employees are empowered to do their jobs well with the appropriate technology and equipment 
• Leaders value people in the organization—and invest to make them more successful

For employers, tracking employee engagement can be tricky. It’s tough to truly understand how engaged a worker is with the organization and with their role, but a few signs can be good indicators: 

• Meets or exceeds team goals and expectations
• Interest in developing their professional skills and taking on greater responsibilities
• Maintains an honest and open dialogue with managers and colleagues 
• Maintains a positive attitude with managers and colleagues 

Still, it can be difficult for managers to keep track of these employee engagement signs—particularly when employees are working remotely. Consider the following to help boost engagement during work-from-home periods: 

• Implement a productivity monitoring tool
• Invest in a human resources information system (HRIS)
• Evaluate additional technology solutions
• Implement routine video calls between teams and employees
• Implement routine all-team video calls
• Invest in your culture with remote happy hours, lunch hours, and more

Related Terms: Absence Management, Company Culture