The Employee Engagement Cycle

Employee Engagement starts by listening. Whether you are reviewing a formal survey report or starting conversations, understanding your team's current environment is the foundation for growth.

• If you have a Survey Report: Log into the survey dashboard to review your team's feedback. Look for high-scoring strengths to celebrate and areas for improvement. 
  • Core resources 
    • Explore how to navigate the survey dashboard and view survey results.
    • Learn how to interpret survey results
      • Key resource: Interpreting Survey Results Printable Guide (PDF)
• If you do not have a Survey Report: (For teams with fewer than 5 respondents). You can still work on employee engagement. Request a higher-level unit or college report from your leadership, or gather input directly from your team using our self-reflection tools. 

For all supervisors (with or without survey results) 

• Employee Engagement Survey Drivers and Self-Reflection Questions

This resource is excellent for supervisors leading smaller teams without their own survey report, and for those with reports. A companion handout you can have your employees complete is also available (See: Employee Engagement Drivers and Discussion Questions- employee version). 

Survey data and employee feedback are most valuable when you discuss them openly with your team. During Phase 2, lead discussions with your team to share what you learned, ask clarifying questions, and work together to generate ideas for actions you can take to strengthen employee engagement. 

• Your role as the supervisor: You don't need to have all the answers. Your role is to facilitate an inclusive, collaborative conversation in which employees can help identify the actions and adjustments that will have the greatest positive impact on employee engagement. 
• Core resources:
  • Employee Engagement Cycle: Discussion Quick Guide (PDF): A step-by-step handout to guide your team meeting.
  • Visit the Lead Discussions web page for templates, talking points, a customizable Google Slides presentation template, and other conversation starters. 

Small, consistent changes outweigh grand, forgotten plans. Select one to three manageable goals to tackle with your team over the next few months. Mix quick wins with longer projects, or start small and add new goals as you make progress.

• Transparency is critical: When you implement a change, even a small workflow adjustment, it is helpful for teams to specifically label it for your team as being relevant to employee engagement. Use phrases like, "Based on our employee engagement discussion regarding workload concerns, we are going to pilot this new shared calendar…" This ensures your team connects tangible improvements to their feedback.
• Core resources:
  • Visit the Take Action web page for resources to help supervisors and teams identify actions and build action plans. See our Action Library for curated lists of possible action steps you can take, organized by the topics within the employee engagement survey. We also offer an Action Plan Template and two example plans you can review for inspiration. The most effective action plans are woven directly into your daily work. Look at employee engagement as a powerful tool to drive your team forward in your most important areas.