Organizations with highly engaged employees see 23% higher profitability and 18% higher productivity.
Many organizations rely on annual surveys or isolated feedback to gauge engagement, but this approach leaves critical gaps. Without continuous measurement and regular pulse checks, leaders miss out on real-time insights, leaving them ill-equipped to make strategic decisions that impact engagement, performance and business outcomes.
The truth is this: You can't manage what you don't measure. Ongoing, targeted engagement initiatives -- coupled with timely action based on real-time feedback -- are key to driving sustained improvement and boosting performance.
Where Organizations Miss on Measurement
- Enterprise-level goals vs. team-level action: Organizations set engagement goals at the enterprise level but fail to translate them into actionable steps for individual teams, leading to a lack of ownership and tailored strategies for improving engagement.
- A focus on action plan completion, not improvement: HR success measures track the completion of action plans rather than actual improvements in engagement levels, which creates a false sense of accomplishment without real progress.
- A lack of accountability: Without clear ownership, leaders and managers are not held accountable for engagement levels within their teams. Low engagement scores go unaddressed, perpetuating disengagement and underperformance.
How Leaders Should Respond
To ensure engagement remains a top priority and teams are empowered to improve, it's critical to incorporate regular pulse checks in addition to baseline engagement surveys.
Leaders can maximize the impact of engagement measurement by:
- Including pulse checks in your engagement measurement: Conduct comprehensive engagement surveys twice a year, and supplement them with shorter pulse checks in between. These pulse surveys will provide more frequent insights into how employees are feeling and give leaders the data they need to act promptly.
- Setting team-level goals: Translate enterprise-level engagement goals into specific, actionable steps for individual managers and teams. This helps managers take ownership of engagement within their teams and drive targeted improvement efforts.
- Focusing on results, not just action plans: While action plan completion is important, the real goal should be measurable improvement in engagement. Use data to track progress and hold leaders accountable for making meaningful changes.
- Holding leaders and managers accountable: Ensure that leaders and managers are equipped to drive engagement efforts within their teams. Regular measurement gives them the information needed to take action and lead by example.
By measuring engagement on an ongoing basis, leaders gain a clearer understanding of the drivers behind engagement, allowing them to make informed decisions that have a tangible impact. Continuous measurement provides real-time data that can help leaders adjust strategies, provide targeted support and ultimately boost team performance.
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This content first appeared in our "10 Lessons to Improve Employee Engagement" microlearning email series.
