Are employees always so engaged?

Continued high employee engagement

McLean & Company defines employee engagement as the overall feeling of being energized and passionate about one's work and dedicated to one's workplace. It is important to differentiate this concept from employee satisfaction. Satisfied employees feel comfortable and are generally happy that their needs are being met.

Employee experience is increasingly seen as a way for organizations to improve outcomes related to employee engagement, such as productivity, retention...

"Delivering a great employee experience" is now ranked as the 2nd highest HR priority for 2022 (McLean & Company, 2022 HR Trends Survey; n=826)

Especially as employees increasingly aspire to have a seamless work experience that fits into their lives.

To assess employee engagement (engaged, almost engaged, indifferent or disengaged) respondents were asked a single question: how likely would you be to recommend your organization to a qualified friend or family member as a great place to work?

As a result, in 2021, 81% of employees feel engaged or almost engaged (+1% from 2019) while 19% are disengaged or indifferent (-1% from 2019). Organizations have adapted to the realities of the pandemic and there have been positive changes in engagement.

Employee empowerment, company culture, and the relationship with their manager are the most significant drivers of engagement. Also, employees view their relationships with their direct colleagues more positively than other relationships. These relationships can be leveraged to improve overall engagement.

Before the pandemic, telecommuting employees were more engaged than face-to-face employees (65% vs. 55%). This trend continued in 2020, despite the large number of new telecommuting workers (69% vs. 61%).

Fostering Collaboration Across Departments

According to those surveyed, telecommuting has not had an impact on maintaining a strong culture. However, in all of this reorganization of work, companies need to ensure that they cultivate good collaboration between departments and increase the visibility of each department's activities. This is especially important for remote workers who may have less exposure to other departments on a daily basis.

Also, employee satisfaction with their leaders' leadership has increased in recent years:

Organizations need to build on the communication improvements seen during the pandemic, particularly with respect to transparency and acting on employee feedback.

Learning and development impacted by new forms of work

While 54% of employees are satisfied with the learning and development programs offered by their organization, it appears that satisfaction among employees with more than one year of service is decreasing over time. There is a need to give more visibility to internal career progression opportunities and encourage continuous learning to increase knowledge and improve engagement.

Also, telecommuting has had an impact on accountability and training. Remote workers may have felt they needed training on how to communicate and collaborate effectively in a virtual environment and how to use new tools and technologies to perform their jobs effectively.

Organizations must therefore be mindful of the demands of their employees to acquire or renew their skills in order to adapt to their new and evolving virtual environment.

A delicate balance between work and personal life
62% of organizations reported an increase in work hours, while 80% reported an increase in flexibility.

As remote work has become the norm, employees realize that this work style brings its own challenges, such as the lack of separation between personal and work space. Recurring connection difficulties are even seen by some as a potential career killer.

Longer hours can contribute to stress and burnout, posing a threat to employee engagement and retention. With careful management (e.g., setting clear expectations and establishing manageable workloads), flexible work arrangements can increase and maintain an organization's engagement and productivity.

It's worth noting, however, that another study by Cisco found that 78% of respondents were attracted to hybrid or remote work. The formula has brought well-being and autonomy.

Another significant fact, but one that remains to be validated or invalidated by time, is the perception of a difference in treatment between remote and present employees. While an inclusive culture is key to engaging both, 57% of respondents believe that those who are present in the office will enjoy better career progression than those who are remote.

To conclude

Capturing the impact of the social, economic and cultural upheaval of recent years on employee engagement can be complex.

Retention factors, such as work-life balance, are always among the lowest rated in employee engagement data, but underestimating them can be detrimental to organizations. In today's competitive labor market, creating an effective talent retention plan is crucial.

As salaries and benefits increase and employee perceptions continue to be negative, attention must be paid to how rewards are communicated and what form they should take. Whether it's through a strategic project like creating an employee value proposition or training for managers on how to bring the conversation around the topic of compensation.

Finally, engagement is different for face-to-face and telecommuting/hybrid employees. Managers must be equipped to ensure the support and engagement of both in-person and remote employees, in order to limit inequities, promote cohesion and, ultimately, performance and the achievement of objectives.

To go further, we offer you these 2 training sessions: