View or download the printable version of the Quick Guide to Employee Engagement (PDF).
What is employee engagement?
Employee engagement is the extent to which individuals devote time, energy, and effort at work. The highest levels of engagement result from facing meaningful challenges while also having the support, resources, and confidence needed to address those challenges.
At the University of Minnesota, we think of employee engagement as a level of employee energy and motivation supported or hindered by the work environment.
When talking about employee engagement, we look at two key metrics:
- Commitment and Dedication: Commitment, motivation, and pride for the work and organization
- Effectiveness of the Work Environment: Conditions that allow individuals to be effective in their jobs and remove barriers to productivity
Why is it important?
Employee engagement is linked with a range of important outcomes for the well-being and productivity of employees and the organization’s reputation.
Engaged employees remain:
- fully focused
- energetic
- mentally resilient
- stay committed and involved
- say positive things about their workplace and recommend it to others
which leads to increased recruitment and retention, increased job performance, and going above and beyond for the good of colleagues and the organization.
Ultimately, enhancing employee engagement helps achieve and sustain a higher level of productivity, and increase retention of talented faculty and staff by fostering better working relationships, collaboration, and resilience.
Today’s challenges require new ways of thinking and working together. Engagement helps align goals with effective workplace practices, which can be a game changer!
How do I improve employee engagement?
Improving on the following conditions, also known as “engagement drivers,“ can help create a higher level of engagement:
Where do I start?
Begin with employees who are frustrated. Why? When an employee has high commitment and dedication but is in an environment that has barriers that don’t allow them to be effective in their jobs, they will be frustrated, but these are often high-potential employees. If the source of their frustration is not addressed, they typically do one of three things:
- find innovative ways around environmental barriers and become engaged
- get tired of challenging environmental barriers and leave the organization
- lower their expectations and become disengaged
As a supervisor, focusing on what you can do to support the work of your employees and help remove barriers will present the greatest opportunity for improving employee engagement.
Employee Engagement Cycle
Employee engagement is an ongoing process that consists of three stages:
- Input – getting feedback through regular check-ins, meetings, or the University employee engagement survey
- Discussion – discussing informal feedback, employee engagement survey data, clarifying and prioritizing the issues
- Action – taking action on feedback and updating on progress