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Employee Engagement Plan: 6-Step Strategy and Template

Ask leaders what’s most important for a successful business and many of them will point to a single critical factor: employee engagement. Once a team is “all in,” any business is far more likely to thrive.

Yet even as leaders recognize its importance, actual engagement remains disarmingly low. According to the latest data from Gallup, just 32% of full- and part-time U.S. employees are engaged at work, while 18% are actively disengaged. All those disengaged employees cost the world $7.8 trillion in lost productivity, according to Gallup's 2022  report on the state of the global workplace. That’s equal to 11% of global GDP.

Why does all the concern over engagement not result in a boost in employees feeling motivated and excited about their work? In large part, it’s because organizations often don’t develop thoughtful and strategic engagement plans that reflect the actual needs of their employees.

In our work with scores of clients from top companies, we’ve learned a lot about the types of engagement plans that win and those that fall short. Through this blog, we’ll walk you through the six key steps for success and share details on other critical factors to consider as you craft a winning plan.

What Is an Employee Engagement Plan?

An employee engagement plan is a tool for leaders to enhance or transform employee engagement, which is essentially the emotional connection employees have with their work. Like all successful business plans, employee engagement plans should spell out specific desired business outcomes.

The best employee engagement plans lead to a myriad of behaviors that engaged employees demonstrate, such as a sense of excitement about coming to work and a feeling that the work is meaningful and interesting.

Employee engagement plans should be updated or tweaked every year to support the business strategy, rather than on an ad hoc basis or as an afterthought. When a plan is truly strategic, it is also given the appropriate priority and resources to have a real and lasting impact.

Benefits of an Effective Employee Engagement Plan

The most obvious and tangible result of an effective employee engagement plan is that it helps to transform the company culture . When people are excited about the work they do, appreciate the colleagues they work for, and feel protected and respected, they are naturally more productive. This is why so often engagement is directly tied to key business outcomes.

Engagement often results in employees feeling compelled to give something extra – extra time, extra energy, extra brainpower. Employees go above and beyond with discretionary effort because they’re motivated to do so.

Research has consistently shown that engaged teams do better on several key performance measures. Gallup’s  latest employee engagement research  found that business units and teams scoring in the top quartile in engagement had the following impressive differences in business outcomes when compared to the lowest quartile group:

• 81% less absenteeism
• 58% less patient safety incidents
• 18% less turnover in otherwise high-turnover organizations
• 43% less turnover in the low-turnover organizations
• 28% less theft reports
• 64% less safety incidents or accidents
• 41% less product defects
• 10% higher customer loyalty/engagement
• 18% higher productivity (sales)
• 23% higher profitability

Further, recent studies have found that when employees are involved in decision-making, employees tend to be more innovative and engaged.

In the Deloitte 2023 Global Human Capital Trends survey, organizations with higher worker involvement in designing and implementing organizational change were more likely to experience positive outcomes.

Specifically, organizational leaders who said they co-create with their workers stated they were 1.8x more likely to have a highly engaged workforce, 2x more likely to be innovative, and 1.6x more likely than their peers to anticipate and respond to change effectively.

Employee Engagement Best Practices

There are multiple ways to craft an effective employee engagement plan, but it’s important to keep in mind some tried and true practices for making engagement an integral part of your overall strategies and goals.

Best Practice 1: Connect the Tactics to the Overall Vision

A strong employee engagement plan should never simply list a set of tactics. Rather, the tactics should be incorporated into the overall plan and reflect the vision you have for the organization and the kind of work environment you want to build.

Communication needs to be a key component of the engagement plan, which means that it’s critical to have both human resources and communication leaders collaborating on the design and roll out of the plan.

As you dive into your strategic planning, consider the key components of any strong business strategy for employee engagement:

• A clear explanation of the current business environment and any challenges your business faces with employee engagement today
• What you want to accomplish (your business goals and communication goals)
• Who you need to talk with (which leaders and employees you should consult to help craft the plan)
• What you want to say (your core messages)
• How you will communicate (your internal communication strategies for the engagement plan and the tactics and channels you’ll use)
• When you will communicate (your calendar), and
• How you will measure your progress

Best Practice 2: Take Employees on a Journey

The difference between a strategy on paper and a winning employee engagement strategy that accelerates performance is how well leaders bring their teams along on the journey .

It’s not enough to be the leader’s strategy… it has to be the team’s strategy, too. And the only way to make it the team’s strategy is to let them be a part of your plan to elevate engagement.

Often communication leaders are great at informing teams, flooding them with emails, videos, social media, charts, newsletters, strategy wheels, and meetings. Yet, great strategy activation and communication are marked by three key elements: involve, inform, and inspire employees, so they want to help you make it happen and achieve the results.

We can all relate to how much better it feels to be part of something rather than having something pushed on you out of the blue without understanding the why or story behind it. That’s why it’s essential to involve those closest to the challenges and opportunities with engagement, such as HR and other people leaders, and employee ambassadors.

Listen and learn from them and help them feel heard. Test strategies and approaches to see how they react. Ask them what they think is needed to propel the business. When you do, they’ll bring forward great ideas and solutions, give more to execute, and you’ll go further faster, together.

Best Practice 3: Incorporate a Storyline

We can’t underestimate how essential it is to define the destination. Help employees see why the journey to better engagement is a good idea for the company, for customers, and for them as individuals. Be sure to share the “how” – of both priorities and focus areas – to get to the destination and what you expect of employees. Help them know their role in reaching the destination, so they know how they fit in and what success looks like.

Finally, answer the “what’s in it for me” question that employees ask. They need to know that the destination will be beneficial for them as well as the company and customers.

How to Create an Employee Engagement Plan in 6 Steps

Step 1: understand your audience and what’s important to them.

It’s really important to first start with an analysis of the current level of engagement among your employees. How excited and motivated is your team about their work today? What’s working well and not so well? What do employees say they want and need from the organization to be more excited about their work?

There are many ways to go about getting a pulse on employee sentiments. A survey of a sample of employees or a larger group (when that’s feasible) is one great way to start. If your human resources group already has an annual employee survey, the communications team should engage with them to ensure the right kinds of questions are asked, those that get at the heart of employee satisfaction and motivation. You can also use other great options as supplemental sources of information, such as focus groups with a select group of employees or leaders. It’s also critical for HR and communications to work in tandem on gauging the level of engagement and trends in engagement in recent years.

Another key source of data is the retention levels of employees. If you’re seeing a spike in turnover, that’s often a big clue that job satisfaction is declining. Consult with HR leaders for details on exit interview information. If your organization is not currently conducting formal exit interviews, be sure to begin doing so.

Once you’ve collected the feedback from leaders and employees, you’re ready to identify the key areas of opportunity for improvement.

Step 2: Determine Your Desired Outcome

We spend a good amount of time talking with our clients and leaders we work with about “desired outcomes” – the first step in planning any kind of new program or communication.

When we ask, “What’s the outcome you seek?” in regard to engagement, sometimes clients will say, “We want to produce more leader email messages on engagement, or we’re thinking about a newsletter or video.”

We always caution teams when they answer this way because those are just the tactics. What they really need to start with is the answer to this simple question: What do you want to achieve in terms of employee engagement? What are the tangible things you want your employees to know, feel, and do that would reflect a higher level of engagement?

Once you know that, you can then decide what plan and communication tactic is best suited to achieve that business goal.

Here’s the two-step process we suggest you walk through to identify your critical outcomes:

• Define Organizational Outcomes (the business need)  – When you define the business need, don’t start with what you need to do, but why you need to do it. Indicate – as best you can – a direct connection between the organization’s objectives or bottom line. Be sure to list specific and measurable desired organizational outcomes in this section. Think: What will be different in employee engagement when we’ve achieved our plans? 
• Determine Communication Outcomes / Objectives – Think about the business outcome you want to achieve through communication and what role communication can play to help achieve the business need. For example, is it to increase engagement, so you can benefit from things that come from higher engagement – like less absenteeism and better safety and quality performance? Is it to increase order fill or to create a behavior change among employees?

Consider using a template like this (below) to define what you want all employees to know, feel, and do as a result of your communication. It’s a great way to stay focused on the key audiences and outcomes you want to achieve.

You don’t need to limit yourself to one  desired outcome , but you should try to cap it at three.

Note:  All too often business and communication plans only focus on communication goals. Remember to take your plan to the next level by linking the communication goals to specific business or organizational goals.

Here’s an example of a template you might use to help describe the current state of engagement and the future state that you are working toward:

Step 3: Develop Your Engagement Plan and Messages

Based on your audiences, next outline the most important components of your plan and the messages you want to communicate to them.

Remember to keep it to about three main messages (that’s usually all that people can retain!). Then consider supporting points to reinforce those key messages.

Consider incorporating the critical facts, anecdotes, and stories that support your plan and help the audience see how you plan to transform engagement within the organization.

5 Ws and an H

Want to ensure you don’t forget a critical detail in your communications? Think  5 Ws and an H  to ensure you’re not missing an important detail, sharing the all-important context, and making it relevant for your audience.

• Why – Why is this new engagement initiative the right decision? Why now?
• What – What’s the current state of engagement, motivation, and well-being among your employees? What does it mean for the organization to have better engagement? What should all employees know? What’s in it for me? (In other words, why should an individual employee care about the company’s goals for engagement? How will the new engagement plan help improve the work experience and an employee’s daily life, etc.)?
• Where – Where is this decision and new plan coming from? Where can I get more information?
• When – When is this happening?
• How – How was the decision made? How will it be implemented? How will communication flow internally and externally? How will this new program impact my team?
• Who – Who made the decision? Who’s in charge? Who does it impact?

In communicating your messages, the order is important. Adult learners want to know the “why” first and then the “what.” The rest can follow logically.

No matter how you develop your messages, be sure to use a template to keep yourself organized, consistent, and concise. For example, we use our award-winning  messagemap methodology  to get all the most important messages organized and prioritized on one page.

Step 4: Choose or Create Channels

Once you’ve solidified the messages, look at the best ways to launch and regularly communicate with employees about the new initiative. You may use existing channels or create new ones.

Keep in mind that feedback channels about the launch and ongoing implementation can be informal – such as leaders “ managing by walking around ” or supervisors asking for input.

Alternatively, the communication can be more formal communication opportunities, where employees are invited to share ideas and questions via print, online publications, or social media. When determining which channels work best , consider employees’ time, commitment, availability, and access to technology. Be sure that employees can share feedback during and after work hours. 

Remember that no engagement plan should ever be considered final. You can’t just launch it and hope it will naturally stick. Instead, employees need regular communication about the initiative and repeated opportunities to share their feedback about what’s working well and what needs improvement.

Step 5: Populate Your Communications Calendar

Having a full view of the variety of communication channels and tactics used to implement your plan (and timing to go along with it) will be most effective when you have a project tracker to work from.

Look at the year ahead and note which communication will be happening when. That will help ensure you have a consistent cadence of communication about the new engagement plan, which will contribute to a more informed, involved workforce.

Use a template like this to map out your action plan (adding as many rows as you need):

Step 6: Act On Feedback and Regularly Measure Your Success

Once you are ready to implement and promote feedback channels throughout the organization, recognize that what you do with the team’s input speaks volumes to employees.

When leaders respond quickly to ideas and questions, employees get the message their input is valued and they become more committed and engaged. To ensure feedback gets the respect it deserves, assign someone to respond personally and promptly to all employee concerns and ideas.

Be sure that all employees know how their colleagues’ suggestions or ideas are being implemented. Regularly sharing results and requesting additional feedback creates predictable, consistent two-way communication that encourages employees to take ownership and understand their ideas are valued by the organization.

Remember – what gets measured, gets done. That’s why it’s so important to measure what success looks like for the new engagement plan. For example, will it be measured by improved employee survey scores that measure overall employee satisfaction, motivation, and enjoyment with their jobs? Increases in retention? More involvement in various discretionary programs?

You can use a combination of measurement techniques, but the main thing is to  make sure you measure . Here are some key tips for measuring your plan’s effectiveness:

• Use measurement strategies that already work for the organization.
• Use measurement strategies that can live on after the initial communication metrics are complete.
• Ensure senior management will champion employee engagement strategies.
• Encourage staff who participate in the evaluation process to feel comfortable being candid and make sure they can see the results and have the tools to apply the feedback and/or results.

Employee Engagement Action Plan Examples

Many organizations we’ve worked with have done an excellent job surveying the current state of engagement before finalizing any new plans. Sometimes that starts with a SWOT analysis. Through this process, leaders engage a strategic group of leaders to determine and then synthesize the most important strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats associated with the organization’s current state of employee engagement.

Once that feedback is generated, you can then use those insights to gather additional input from a key group of employees and other leaders. That feedback, along with a larger survey of employee engagement, begins to paint a clear picture of what the new engagement plan needs and how best to start changing the culture inside the organization.

For surveys, the questions are critical. Here’s a sample of some of the best questions some companies employ to get at the heart of the current state of employee engagement:

Sample Employee Engagement Survey Questions

Overall Engagement

• Generally, I am extremely satisfied with my company as a place to work.
• I rarely think about looking for a new job with another company.
• I am proud to work for my company.

Involvement and Belonging

• I feel that I am a part of a team.
• I am appropriately involved in decisions that affect my work.
• My immediate supervisor/manager really cares about my well-being.

Communication

• My immediate supervisor/manager is an effective listener. ​
• I receive the information and communication I need to effectively do my job.
• My ideas and suggestions count.

Growth and Development

• I have the training I need to do my job effectively.
• My immediate supervisor/manager has made a personal investment in my growth and development.
• I have opportunities for advancement in my company. ​

Recognition

• My company values my contribution. ​
• I regularly receive appropriate recognition when I do a good job. ​
• My company recognizes productive people.
• My company shows a commitment to ethical business decisions and conduct.
• I trust the senior leadership here. ​
• My immediate supervisor/manager keeps his/her commitments. ​

Shared Values

• I believe in the shared values and vision of my company. ​
• The behavior of my local leadership team is consistent with my company’s shared values.
• Supervisors/managers in my company are active role models for our shared values.

How a Winning Plan Looks

One organization we recently worked with wanted to ensure their engagement plan was clear and straightforward, but also inspiring. A few key components this company used when presenting their plan to the full team included:

• Building a purposeful roadmap for change.
• Inspiring and motivating employees at various sites within a national team.
• Demonstrating what good communication about the plan should look like, so each leader can effectively play their role.
• List of 15 leaders across divisions who were interviewed to inform the plan.
• “Today’s reality,” which summarized the challenges with engagement, particularly with frontline workers scattered across sites nationwide.
• Opportunities to solve for, including a “from/to” analysis that included what the current state is and how the desired state has been defined.
• 4 “Core Strategies” the organization is employing to achieve success.
• A short one-page “Narrative draft” that includes why engagement is so critical, what needs to be done, and how the team can work together to achieve the future vision.
• Recommendations for communication channels to be used, including Town Halls , videos, conferences, mid-year check-ins, site visits, and new channels, such as monthly newsletters and monthly calls with leaders.
• Calendar for when and how the communication about the initiative will take place throughout the year.
• Next steps for the roll out of the plan over time.

Final Thoughts

Employee engagement plans are a vital tool in helping a company build the kind of exceptional workplace culture that many employees value today. After all, a sense of purpose and motivation is one of the top things employees of all generations are looking for. Many of us spend a lot of time at work, and we’re becoming much more conscious of whether that time truly matters.

Companies that take the time to build a strategic engagement plan, tailored to the needs of their specific organization, will undoubtedly see many positive results in the future – for both employees and the organization as a whole.

When you consider employee engagement in your organization, what one or two changes, if made today, would have the biggest impact on engagement and business performance?

—David Grossman

Take leaders and employees from skeptical bystanders to inspired catalysts of your organization’s new strategy, vision, and path forward with the help of this leader guide, Maximizing Strategy Development & Rollout with Top Leaders . Get the methodology today!

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The Employee Communication Platform

Employee Engagement: How To Develop Your Action Plan (+Free Template)

• January 31, 2023

Table of Contents

Employee engagement is the rocket fuel that powers every successful business. According to Gallup, engaged employees are more productive, have lower absenteeism rates , and are more invested in the company’s success. Plus, low engagement rates are estimated to cost US businesses up to $550 billion annually. 

However, despite the evidence, only 40% of organizations have an employee engagement program. 

It’s tempting to sit back and cross your fingers that your company’s engagement improves. But unfortunately, that isn’t going to work. If you want to reap the benefits of good employee engagement, you need to put in the work to get there – which is where an employee engagement plan comes in. 

To get you started, here’s all you need to know about improving employee engagement at your organization (stick around until the end for our downloadable  employee engagement survey  template).

What Is an Employee Engagement Plan?

Employee engagement describes how invested your employees are in their jobs. A highly engaged employee will be enthusiastic, dedicated, and emotionally committed to their position, work, and company values and goals. They can do great things for your company – and as you’ve probably already guessed, an employee engagement plan is how you get there.

An employee engagement plan is a strategic playbook outlining a series of prioritized tasks that your organization believes will increase engagement and  improve company culture . This plan includes short-term actions that your team can implement immediately, as well as long-term ideas for improved employee engagement.

These plans are great vehicles for kickstarting employee engagement in your organization: They help you turn strategy into action. Another reason this kind of plan is so helpful is that it’s highly customized to your workers, focusing on what will incentivize them to be more engaged at work.

Your plan evaluates your company’s current state of employee engagement and outlines goals you hope to reach. From there, you can pull actionable insights to develop specific action plans to help you accomplish those engagement goals.

Examples of Employee Engagement

What does employee engagement look like in real life? Here are a few characteristics that can help identify an engaged employee:

• Shows up to work on time and with a positive attitude
• Happily collaborates with other team members, working together toward team goals without complaint
• Accepts feedback gracefully and offers constructive feedback to others

If you don’t see as many of these traits among your staff as you’d like to, you may seek to improve engagement by:

• Recognizing and rewarding examples of good employee leadership or engagement
• Offering a competitive salary and benefits package 
• Improving internal communications  so everyone can easily access what they need.

Why It’s Important To Use an Employee Engagement Plan

Because employee engagement is so important, it’s not something you want to leave up to chance. A solid plan will make it easy to measure and maintain engagement. 

When you develop a written plan, you’re more likely to achieve that goal. You have your sights on something clear, measurable, and achievable. This way, employee engagement won’t feel like such a puzzle: you’ll know exactly what you need to do and how you need to do it to improve engagement across the board.

4 Steps for Developing an Employee Engagement Strategy

As you prepare to develop your employee engagement strategy, we recommend following four main steps. Addressing each step in order will result in a strong plan to increase engagement in your organization. 

1) Set the Overall Objectives For Your Plan

The first step is to set an overall vision for your plan. This is important because it will serve as a foundation for the rest of your strategy. You have to know where you’re going to get there efficiently – and that’s what this first step does.

To find your objectives, answer the question: what do you want the employee engagement plan to achieve? Each business is different, but possible goals include the following:

• Lower staff absenteeism
• Higher employee retention rates (and reduced turnover)
• Greater productivity
• More employee motivation and happiness
• Better customer satisfaction
• Improved organizational culture.

Identify no more than one or two main objectives. This will help you maximize your chances of success. An overall purpose will provide a focus for the plan’s detailed action points.

2) Evaluate the Current State of Employee Engagement

The next step is to involve staff in determining where you are at with employee engagement. By figuring out where things stand right now, you’ll have a better idea of where you’re starting from and the primary areas that need to improve.

Use employee pulse surveys , focus groups, and team meetings to determine your performance. Ask workers for their views on what needs to improve via an employee engagement survey, and work with staff to explore their key drivers for being engaged at work.

According to Achievers , top drivers of employee engagement include:

• Recognition
• Empowerment
• Development
• Work-life balance
• Expectations
• Manager support
• Leadership and strategy 

It’s important to gather employee feedback to fully understand the current state of health and key drivers for employee engagement in your business. This vital step will help you identify the detailed priorities for your plan.

3) Identify Targets and Actions That Will Make Your Plan a Success

Step one shows where you’re going. Step two shows where you started from. Step three shows how you’ll get there.

Now that you know your priority areas, it’s time to work up the plan’s detailed actions and targets. These are the solutions that will help you achieve the overall objective.

The targets in your plan should be clear and well-defined. In this context, the SMART framework is a useful tool. SMART is an acronym that stands for the following:

• S = Specific: Try to set clearly defined targets, so there’s no room for misunderstanding.
• M = Measurable: Be clear about how you will measure success.
• A = Attainable: Stick to targets that you know you have a reasonable chance of achieving.
• R = Relevant: Make sure targets are consistent with team and company objectives.
• T = Timebound: Set a timeline for completion. It’s also a good idea to assign ownership, so it’s clear who is responsible for delivery.

Try to include a mix of short and long-term goals. If this is your first employee engagement plan, the workforce will expect fast results. And a few quick wins is a great way to get staff on board with the plan. Plus, it signals to employees just how serious you are about employee engagement.

4) Incorporate Review Mechanisms for Your Plan

All the best plans (employee engagement or not) include regular opportunities to review your progress. Things can (and do) change – so you want to make sure you’re staying on track.

Get the senior management team involved in reviewing performance. This should happen at least quarterly. Review what’s gone well and what aspects could be improved, and be sure to share any lessons learned throughout the entire organization.

Most importantly, find ways to report progress to staff. Use all  internal communications  channels to update employees, including employee communication platforms and internal social media, plus newsletters and team briefings.

The company’s credibility is on the line with employees, so don’t compromise on this crucial step.

Essential Components for an Employee Engagement Plan

Now you know how to create your own employee engagement plan from the ground up. Below, we’ll highlight some of the most essential components that every engagement plan should include.

(If you’re ready to dive in headfirst, you can jump over to our full template here .)

Action Item

Your action item asks: What is the action that has to be taken to improve employee engagement?

This action item gets down into the nitty-gritty, looking at areas of improvement to figure out what exactly needs to happen to reach your goals.

Maybe you’re having trouble with employee retention. You’re noticing that team members aren’t staying at their jobs with your company for very long. In this case, the action item might be a more competitive salary package or offering different benefits. 

Action Description

Your action description is simply a description of the action that has to be taken. Be as detailed as possible in this section.

For instance, you might write, “We will research our competitors to see what kind of salary packages they’re offering. We will also survey our employees with a questionnaire to see what kind of benefits they’d like. Then we will put together a new sample package for review and approval.”

The owner is the name or position of the person or people championing this initiative. When you assign a project to one specific person (or team) and give them a deadline, it’s much more likely to actually get done. In this case, it might be your human resources team.

Timeframe and Deadline

The final component you should include is a timeline. Pick a specific date by which this action needs to be implemented. If there are any review periods, you’ll want to add those, too.

The exact timeframe will vary depending on the scope of your action item. Your implementation team could complete some tasks in a week, while others might need several months. 

Benefits of an Engaged Workforce

The benefits your organization will see by cultivating a more engaged workforce are virtually endless. Here are a few of the top advantages you’ll enjoy.

Increased Employee Retention

Engaged employees are more likely to stick with your company for the long haul. Data from Workday reveals that an employee’s engagement can show warning signs nine months before the person leaves the organization. And this statistic only makes sense: If someone is committed to your company, treated well, and cares about their work, why would they want to leave?

Heightened Productivity in the Workplace

An engaged employee is a productive employee. Companies that have strong employee engagement are more profitable by 21%. This is because employees who are engaged at work get more done in less time, helping employee performance increase. 

Improved Team Collaboration and Communication

A group of employees with high job satisfaction will find it easier to work together than a group of clock-watchers. Engagement produces better communication – and communication results in better engagement.

Positive Workplace Culture

Culture can sometimes be amorphous and difficult to pin down or create. Engagement is key. Engaged employees will naturally exemplify your values, helping foster that sense of culture in the work environment (even with remote work). 

Use the Free Employee Engagement Template From Workvivo To Elevate Your Workforce

An employee engagement plan certainly takes commitment and effort on your part. But don’t write it off as being too hard. With the steps we’ve identified here and our free template, it’s easier than ever to create an effective employee engagement strategy to get your employees in the game.

Want to learn more about how our employee communication platform at Workvivo can increase engagement levels and improve the employee experience? Get started with our template , or book a free demo today .

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It’s time to reimagine your company engagement and culture.

Quicklinks ‍

• 💪 What is employee engagement ?
• 🎬 What is an employee engagement action plan ?

❗️ Why should you create an employee engagement plan?

📝 employee engagement action plan template, 🔍 employee engagement action plan examples, ✍️ how to write your engagement action plan.

• 📈 Best practices for employee engagement action plans

➡️ Boost employee engagement with Zavvy

Employee engagement plan (how to + free template).

Employee engagement isn't some fairy dust, but it sure brings some magic and happiness to your organization.

So, are your employees engaged at work? If you scratched your head and couldn't come up with a resounding "Yes!" it may be time to build or revise your  employee engagement plan .

Engaging your employees is an important business strategy.

After all,  engaged employees  are highly invested in their jobs, care about the success of their teams, and  happily contribute to a company's growth . 

According to  Gallup , engaged employees are more productive, focused on their goals, overcome obstacles, and perform with excellence. Yet, surprisingly,  only 40% of organizations have an employee engagement program .

A lot of companies run employee engagement surveys. They collect results.

And that's it.

But identifying your employee's challenges is only the first step. You'll also need to create a strategy to address them.

Your engagement action plan should address the feedback you collected from your surveys and follow up with a timeline to convert the actionable information into positive change.

Read on for a thorough guide and downloadable template you can customize to fit your organization's needs.

💪 What is employee engagement?

Employee engagement  measures the level of dedication and enthusiasm an employee has towards achieving company success.

A truly engaged employee doesn't just go through the motions of work and count down the time to receive their paychecks.

Instead, they  care about their jobs and focus on making a meaningful contribution to the organization they work for , thanks to the outstanding  employee engagement experiences  the company provides in return.

The people  make up an organization and determine the organization's quality and its future. This is why many corporate leaders have come to realize that engaging employees goes beyond talent acquisition and recruitment.

Today's employees want to work with companies that understand and implement policies throughout the  entire  employee cycle .

"Employees who believe that management is concerned about them  as a whole person  – not just an employee – are more productive, more satisfied, more fulfilled. Satisfied employees mean satisfied customers, which leads to profitability." Anne Mulcahy, former CEO of Xerox.

Anne's insights are a great reminder that while employees spend most of their time at work, it is essential to see them beyond their working hours.

They are humans first, before becoming employees.  

Employees flourish when corporate leadership recognizes them as human and acknowledges all the influences in their lives. Not just what happens at work.

Lower  employee engagement  means: 

• lower  productivity
• reduced team spirit and  performance
• increased workplace  stress  and burnout.

All of which can reduce a company's profit margin.

It's a downturn that stems from the inability to truly manage human capital, or more specifically,  the inability to grasp employee engagement fully .

🎬 What is an employee engagement action plan?

A  Zenefits research  showed that 63.3% of companies found it easier to hire their employees than retain them.

While employee engagement is important, this statistic shows that achieving a high employee engagement rate is no easy feat.

This is where an employee engagement action plan enters the equation.

An  employee engagement action plan  comprehensively explains or outlines the strategies for keeping your employees fully engaged. Remember, a survey alone doesnot create positive change.

An employee engagement plan identifies the major factors that influence employee engagement by uncovering  employees' pain points  and creating personalized initiatives to address them.

Depending on the employees' identified pain points, these initiatives can be quick and easy changes or long-term ones.

What should your engagement plan include?

Your employee engagement plan should provide an outline of the following:

• 📏 Method(s) for measuring employee engagement – whether you'll use tools such as employee engagement surveys or variables such as productivity, turnover, and absenteeism.
• 🥅 Specific goals for improving the metrics above.
• 💰 Your budget for implementing  employee engagement activities.
• 📝 Clearly-defined actions for improving employee engagement.

Examples for goals and actions to include in your engagement action plan

• increasing employee autonomy;
• providing clear communication of company and team-wide goals;
• getting to know and spending time with your employees;
• trusting them to get their jobs done;
• developing clear career progression plans and mentorship opportunities;
• creating an inclusive environment that goes beyond basic DEI initiatives ;
• providing a transparent work environment;
• creating a psychologically safe workplace for your employees to prosper;
• offering  learning and development  opportunities;
• fostering a sense of community and team building , etc.

According to  Gallup , simply measuring employees' satisfaction doesn't improve business outcomes.

Instead, approaching employee engagement as a business strategy yields better organic results. 

1. Enhanced customer satisfaction

According to Gallup's  State of the American Workforce Report 2017 , engaged employees are more likely to consistently show up to work and commit to providing the best customer experience.

This same report also emphasized that  engaged teams  have: 

• 10% higher customer ratings;
• 21% greater profitability;
• 17% higher productivity;
• 28% less  shrinkage;
• 70% fewer safety incidents; 
• 41% less absenteeism.

2. Improved employee experience

"Talent branding is the fulfillment of a promise of the  employee experience . It is informed with every interaction by employees in the organization, from pre-employment vetting to post-employment separations. It is the dialogue of that experience, owned by every past, present, or potential employee, and visible everywhere." Jody Ordioni ( The Talent Brand ).

Employees are a business's first customers. Therefore, an organization needs to treat its employees well and make them feel valued, as would be done to customers.

When this doesn't happen, The Engagement Institute reports that disengaged employees cost organizations  an estimated $450 billion to $550 billion every year in the United States . The report also noted that about 95% of workers claimed to know when they're becoming disengaged. 

Therefore, now more than ever, organizations must provide and maintain a  positive employee experience  to increase employee retention rate and lower turnover, enhance employee motivation and happiness, and ultimately increase the company's revenue.

3. Improved employer brand ratings

86% of employees and job seekers research company reviews and ratings to  decide where to apply for a job . 

68% of Millennials, 54% of Gen-Xers, and 48% of Baby Boomers acknowledged visiting a potential employer's social media channels specifically to  assess their employer brand .

These statistics show that positive employer branding can make you stand out from the sea of competitors.

It is why companies like HubSpot, Google, and Salesforce  "do not pick talents, as talents pick them."  

Creating a unique employee engagement plan is the first step toward building a strong  employer brand  and enjoying benefits such as attracting top talents, streamlining the hiring process, and reducing recruitment costs.  

4. A rewards and recognition culture

Your employee engagement plan contributes to strengthening relationships with employees by publicly recognizing them for their contributions to the company's success.

An Achievers Solutions Inc.  Engagement and Retention report  showed that  approximately 92% of employees claimed to repeat specific tasks in the future when they're recognized for it .

Recognition makes employees feel valued and motivates them to give their all.

➡️ Are you short of employee recognition ideas? Check out our 42 meaningful employee recognition ideas to boost engagement.

Keeping employees engaged means making them feel valued as a member of the company and as part of a community. The more your employees feel engaged, the more they will go the extra mile in their jobs.

➡️ Take the shortcut and build your own engagement action plan with our template .

We created 3 distinctive employee action plan examples addressing 3 engagement challenges.

• Employees do not feel they have opportunities to participate in decisions that affect their work.

• Employees do not understand how their individual contributions impact their department's success.

• Employees do not feel that recognition is fair or consistent.

1. Identify your organization's employee value proposition (EVP)

Why should you identify your company's  employer value proposition ?

The war for talent is increasingly fierce, and today's candidates won't settle for less. Identifying your EVP helps sharpen your company's identity and culture, bolster your employer brand ratings, and improve your recruitment process.

Your EVP should strike the perfect balance between attractive and realistic to attract top talents. 

Tip #1:  While buzzwords might sound pleasing to your ears, today's candidates want simple and easy-to-understand words that clearly communicate what you want from them (via job ads) and what they stand to gain in return.

Your EVP should contain:

• What the competition is already offering.
• What your organization can offer.
• The experience a new hire should and will encounter on their first day of work.

Tip #2: Since engaged employees are known to feel closely connected to an organization's values, mission, vision, etc., it only makes sense to create an EVP that your employees can passionately explain even in their sleep.

2. Find out what works and what doesn't

"If you define the problem correctly, you almost have the solution." - Steve Jobs

Constructing a house doesn't begin from the roof — you start by building the foundation at the bottom.

The same principle applies to writing your employee engagement plan: You use pulse surveys to ask employees about the company's weaknesses, strengths, and areas of improvement.

‍ Armed with this feedback, analyze the data to determine what drives employee engagement (or lack thereof) and what can be done to boost employee engagement.

A good rule of thumb is to consider the following variables as they're known to influence employee engagement rates highly:

• Parental leave policy;
• Work flexibility;
• Learning and growth opportunities;
• Preboarding  and  onboarding  experiences;
• Promotion formula(s);
• Communication methods and practices;
• Meaningful and challenging work;
• Employee enablement;
• Type and frequency of employee rewards and recognition;
• Positive culture and supportive work environment;
• Psychological safety at work.
• Focus on  honest employee feedback  rather than on the scores.
• Identify recurring themes or trends  and coordinate with managers to discuss the findings with their teams.
• Remember that the goal of the  employee engagement surveys  is to help the company improve employee engagement and  not make the organization feel or look good.

3. Decide on the changes you want to implement

Review the data and identify the areas of improvement.

Arrange the solutions according to the order of importance and identify two to three focus points.

Consider the following:

• What themes or trends from the survey have the biggest impact on employee engagement?
• What areas had the lowest scores ?
• What areas can you quickly allocate existing resources to fix?
• What areas would you be able to improve with just a few changes ?

4. Identify solutions

You've identified your employees' pain points and recognized areas of improvement.

Now is the time to breathe life into them. Alongside your team, discuss the feedback from the data and build focus groups for each of the themes identified.

Brainstorm ways to improve each focus area by creating a list of as many ideas as possible, and then prune it down to the ones your team prefers.

🎯 Employee engagement action items examples

For example: 

• Are people unhappy with remote situations ? →  Launch a coffee roulette .
• Are your employees unhappy with career opportunities ? → Set up a  career pathway framework .
• Do people lack structure and or excitement? → Improve preboarding and onboarding process.
• Low motivation ? →  Check out these tips for improving employee motivation .
• Are employees tired of the rigid learning schedules ? → Customize a one-size-fits-one  L&D  schedule that allows them to choose when and how to learn. Plus, ensure your employees can learn in the flow of work .
• Are employees dobtful that the last employee engagement survey led to positive results? Over-communicate the changes that have occurred from the last survey. Use during organizational meetings, newsletters , staff meetings, and on the organization’s knowledge base to share key results.

And as a bonus tip, make sure that your engagement report is accessible to employees at all times.

📈 5 Best practices for your employee engagement plan

1. communicate your employee engagement plan.

The success of your employee engagement plan largely depends on how well all of your employees understand it. 

This is your chance to make them feel heard.

Imagine the irony of an unclear plan alienating colleagues and ultimately even lowering engagement.

The following components should be part of your transparent communication:

• What were the  survey results ?
• What is the  plan , and what does the organization hope to  gain  from it?
• How can it convey the organization's  employer value proposition (EVP) ? How does this fit into the bigger picture?
• What will be the  metrics for success ?  Net promoter score  (eNPS), customer satisfaction and engagement, employee retention rate, employee turnover rate, productivity?

2. Identify SMART goals

S.M.A.R.T. goals help concretize your goals and be more accountable in the long run.

Zig Ziglar, American author, salesman, and motivational speaker, once said, "A goal properly set is halfway reached."

And if your goals aren't SMART, well, they're superficial.

Think of goal setting as a compass that guides your company to achieve its goals and steers it in the right direction, should it (want to) veer off the course. 

Keep in mind that the goals you set must be: 

• M easurable
• A chievable

In other words, SMART.

➡️ Are you having a hard time setting SMART goals? Zavvy has you covered. Our learning science experts have created a ready-to-use training journey .

3. Identify action areas

Without identifying areas to measure and improve upon, it's almost impossible to create a great employee engagement plan, much less implement strategic employee engagement-related programs. 

Rather than focusing on all facets of employee engagement, identify the critical variables of employee engagement (in your company).

Tip #1: We recommend to keep in mind 3 guiding principles when action planning for engagement: make sure you understand your data, involve staff for fully understanding any underlying issues, start small. Tip #2: It would be unrealistic to believe that you can fix all your employees' issues in one go. Look out for the most pressing issues, those that would make the biggest difference for the employee experience. Tip #3: Consider which action items you could easily and quickly implement with existing resources. Resource planning can either make or break a good employee engagement plan.

4. Put action plans in place

Once your goals are in place, preparing your action plan is the next step.

You'll want to allocate resources and define your KPIs to measure progress at this stage. Remember that your action plan's success rests on the  buy-in of your employees' direct supervisors .

Employee engagement rates  are known to increase when managers fully understand the role and purpose of your employee engagement plan.

It enables them to effectively distribute positive results across all departments and even propose future initiatives that can be incorporated.

5. Ensure continuity

A good employee engagement action plan should also contain strategies for sustaining engagement rates within the company as it continues to scale. Strategies for ensuring sustainable development include:

• Involving both  company leadership and employees  to meet midway and achieve better collaboration.
• Building a  long-term  employee engagement plan that goes beyond using only surveys.
• Consistently  measuring  and  optimizing  until you reach the desired numbers.
• Aligning your employee engagement plan with the  business goals  to ensure overall consistency.
• Sharing regular updates on progress. Your goal is to ensure that your people know their feedback counts, and that youare taking steps to address their challenges.

Tip:  The results of an effective employee engagement plan don't come in after a day. It takes commitment and consistency to achieve remarkable results.

No one likes employee disengagement or dissatisfaction. It's bad for business.

And while achieving 100% employee engagement in an organization seems impossible, it actually isn't — if you're ready to put in the work and listen to your employees.

Employee enablement  is our approach to following survey results with actual measures.

At Zavvy, we know how important it is for your company and teams to focus on developing your people.

That's why we created an enablement solution where you can easily run engagement surveys, analyze the data, communicate the results, and create action plans for continuous improvement, all in one convenient location.

• Identify where you stand with your people with regular engagement surveys.
• Identify your employee's pain points with our advanced people analytics .
• Take relevant actions beyond measuring results: employee development plans, training for managers, recurring check-ins and so many more.

Are you ready to improve employee engagement and enable your employees to be the best version of themselves?  See with your own eyes how Zavvy can help in a free 30 minutes demo .

Alex is a marketer at Zavvy. On this blog, he mainly shares insights gained from discussions with selected experts and from helping our customers set up and improve their onboarding or learning programs.

Als Nächstes lesen

How to Develop an Employee Engagement Plan

Learn how to build your employee engagement action plan.

Properly motivated and engaged employees can bring many benefits to your organization. If you are looking for information and tips concerning improving employee engagement in your company, you’ve come to the right place. We will show you how to do this and prepare an effective employee engagement action plan template. Ready? Great! Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy reading.

What Is an Employee Engagement Plan?

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” I like that quote by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry from the Little Prince. It’s true in literature, but also human resources. If you think seriously about employee engagement objectives, you have to get a strategy to put them into practice.

An employee engagement plan is a set of activities undertaken by an organization to improve staff participation. It requires an in-depth identification of the initial state (by collecting relevant feedback with Pulse Surveys or other types of surveys), development of initiatives aimed at improving the situation, and preparation of appropriate conditions in the company for implementing the strategy.

An effective employee engagement strategic plan makes employees identify with the organization. They are connected with it not only professionally but also emotionally. It translates into beneficial and measurable results for the business. In this article, I’ll show you how you can do that.

Listen to the voice of your employees. It always matters.

What Employee Engagement Is Not

Before we go into constructing a plan, it is worth defining employee engagement. There are many similar concepts, equally significant from the perspective of HR, the organization, and the employee himself, but they have a different meanings. So let’s see what employee engagement is not.

Employee satisfaction can tell us a lot about workers’ opinions about their work. But satisfied doesn’t necessarily mean engaged. Job satisfaction is information about employees’ attitude towards the employee, not about their effort.

Quite similar is the case with employee happiness or employee wellbeing. Those are very broad concepts. People feel well when they are in good mental health, emotional, economic, and health conditions. It’s great that HR leaders now take holistic care of workers, as happiness and wellbeing may have a great impact on their engagement. 

As it was already mentioned, high employee engagement is foremost about emotional commitment. It’s wise to highlight, that more engagement is not about longer working hours, but emotional connection. People who are really engaged at work don’t pay attention only to their responsibilities. Organization’s goals and success it what drive them. They are willing to walk the extra mile for you.

It’s crucial to highlight the outcomes of employee engagement. According to the Gallup study , engaged workers (or entire team) are 17% more productive than others, less often quit the job, bring bigger profits by 21%, and their performance is ranked 10% higher by customers.   

Why Create and Implement an Action Plan?

How about one more popular quote? “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” Benjamin Franklin, as Google suggests, who said that first, was right. It is necessary to focus on the goal and find the optimal path to success. In case of any doubts, here’s why you can create and implement an employee engagement plan in your organization.

Better Employee Experience

Building employee engagement affects the positive experience of your staff. It is a demanding but very beneficial process. Often requires a change in the organizational culture – from the board of directors to lower-level management. When the commitment is top-down, the employee will see that engagement is more than just an empty slogan. When the commitment is top-down, the employee will see that engagement is more than just an empty slogan. Companies usually use task management platforms to increase employee engagement in the working process. And working in an environment in which everyone takes care of each other success strengthens the employee experience.  Everyone wants to feel valued, right?

Enhancing Customer Satisfaction

Greater employee involvement translates into all aspects of the organization’s operation. It also applies to customer service. I have already mentioned that customer experience increases when employees are engaged in their performance. Remember that satisfied customers have a significant positive impact on our brand. They will be loyal to us (guarantee long-term success), they will tell their friends about good experiences, and above all – they will spend more with us.

Low Employee Turnover

One Gallup research shows that the cost of replacing a single employee may range from 1,5 to 2 times the employee’s annual earnings. Sounds costly, right? It is painful when we lose a specialist who is difficult to replace. Specific HR initiatives for employee engagement can reduce this undesirable phenomenon. A committed employee, motivated not only by salary but also by working conditions, does not compulsively browse through job offers. Positive company culture plus common and achievable goals are crucial elements of staff engagement. Thanks to this, the most talented people stay in the organization longer.

Gather feedback regularly to keep the best specialists onboard.

Sense of Accountability

Here’s yet another reason to create and implement an employee engagement program in your organization. As presented by Forbes , highly engaged employees outperform their competitors who just do their job by 147%. You perfectly understand what that figure means for every business growth. Take care of your staff. Encourage employees to be more accountable for the company’s success, and they will reward you with extraordinary performance.  

How Do You Create an Employee Engagement Plan Template

Time to figure out how employee engagement strategy works in practice. Below you will find practical tips for the HR department that will help you improve the engagement of your staff.

Setting the Objectives

Every great idea needs a specific goal. Specifying the company’s objectives is the starting point for a business change. What do we want to achieve?  How will it affect organizational culture? Will it change the company’s core values? It is the moment to ask questions and look for answers about the purpose of the planned activity. From an employee management plan perspective, such goals can be: lower employee turnover, enhanced employee motivation, increased customer satisfaction, and much more.

Already have your goal? Great! Let’s move on.

What Is the Starting Point

Each strategy kicks off with understanding your starting point. Collect employee feedback, gain insight to measure their engagement and job satisfaction. With professional tools like Startquestion, you can quickly create and email an employee engagement survey. Collect the results, analyze them, and prepare a tailor-made employee engagement plan.

Try one of the best employee survey tools for free!

Start trial period without any credit card or subscription and easily gather employee feedback via link, social media, email, and more.

Create first survey

No credit card required · Cancel any time · GDRP Compilant

Develop Measurable Objectives

Many businesses use the SMART methodology to establish their goals. We can use it as well for establishing employee engagement strategy objectives. No matter what they are, they need to follow some of the principles of the mentioned method. Such goals must be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bounded.

What does it mean when it comes to more engaged workforce purposes?

• Specific – no company likes spending money aimlessly. Precise your goal, explain why it matters, who will be responsible for it, what resources are needed, and what limitations you can expect.
• Measurable – take care of the tools for analysis. Measure progress, ask focus groups for feedback. Treat your employees’ voices as development opportunities.
• Achievable – no business likes unrealistic goals. Be ambitious, but measure your intentions. Otherwise, you can achieve the opposite of the intended effect, i.e., employee disengagement.
• Relevant – is the chosen goal meaningful from the perspective of the employee engagement strategy? What does it mean for a single employee and company core values? What should its implementation lead to? This is a good time to ask about the meaning and timing of the planned steps.
• Time-bound – effective employee engagement strategies need deadlines and schedules. Set them and stick to the dates you set. It helps to prioritize tasks and allows to put aside tasks that may be distracting.

You may use online surveys to gather and analyze honest feedback from your staff.

Review and Analyze

An employee engagement action plan is a venture not only for the human resources department. It is a task for the entire organization. To be effective it requires meticulous control and analysis of the progress.

It is worth studying the progress of implemented solutions. Keep your finger on the pulse, leave nothing to chance. Draw conclusions analyze feedback and implement corrections if necessary. You can use professional online survey software to analyze the progress and gather information on the process. It will work perfectly.

Employee Engagement Strategy – Key Takeaways:

It is difficult to find arguments against improving employee engagement. With optimal strategy and a well-executed plan, it can bring numerous benefits to your organization. But for that to happen, you need to approach the task wisely.

• How employees feel matters. Listen to their voice
• Talk with HR manager about career paths and career goals
• Establish an employee recognition program
• Create an achievable plan to increase employee engagement
• Fully invest in company culture based on trust and co-working
• Execute your plan, don’t hesitate to make necessary changes
• Talk to disengaged employees. Their feedback may be useful

Ready to create and execute your employee engagement plan? Good luck!

Try Startquestion for free and collect employee feedback right away!

Author: Dariusz Jaroń

Updated: 06 April 2023

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Employee Engagement Strategy [Examples Included]

   Minute Read     Employee Engagement

Table of Contents

Disengaged employees can cause real damage to a company's productivity and success. We understand that it can be difficult to keep your employees engaged when you don't know where to start. However, after reading this guide you’ll be able to improve employee engagement in your organization for both general and remote workers. 

In this guide you’ll discover: 

• What is employee engagement?
• What is an employee engagement strategy?
• Why is an employee engagement strategy important? 
• What impacts employee engagement?
• Starting your employee engagement strategy
• Examples of employee engagement strategies
• Things to consider with employee engagement strategies

What Is Employee Engagement?

Employee engagement is the emotional commitment the employee has to the organisation and its goals. 

This emotional commitment means engaged employees actually care about their work and their company. They don't work just for the pay, but work on behalf of the organization's goals, ultimately creating more success for the company.

It’s important to note that employee engagement is different from employee satisfaction . A satisfied employee will not necessarily put in extra time and effort into their company’s success, they are more likely to just get the job done with no extra effort.

Recommended Reading 📖: Why Is Employee Engagement Important? [Key Benefits]

What Is an Employee Engagement Strategy?

Employee engagement strategies are about creating an environment in which engagement is more likely to flourish. Essentially ‘employee engagement strategy’ means increasing the likelihood that employees will establish a positive emotional connection with your organization.

What actions you decide to take will depend on the size and budget of your company. Depending on the results of your employee engagement survey , there will be certain areas in which your organization will want to focus on. Selecting two or three which are the most urgent is a good place to start.

Why Is an Employee Engagement Strategy Important?

Before we ask ourselves why employee engagement strategies are important, we first need to understand why employee engagement is such a crucial component to a company’s success. Research from Gallup indicates that companies with a highly engaged workforce are 23% more profitable . Not only does engagement make employees more productive, but they feel more inclined to recreate the value they are given.

Furthermore, employees that aren’t engaged are more likely to look elsewhere for work and feel dissatisfied in their day-to-day job. Glassdoor shed further light on the issue when they outlined that 53% of employees would be confident in their ability to find another job if they left their current employment. So, if your staff don’t have a good reason to stay at their current place of work, don’t expect them to hang around.

The implementation of an effective employee engagement strategy will:

• Heighten productivity
• Improve employee wellbeing
• Improve job satisfaction
• Make employees happier
• Heighten business connectivity
• Improve employee retention

Companies that fail to take action on low employee engagement will be left ebbing in the wake of those that do.

What Impacts Employee Engagement?

There are 7 main areas that have the most impact on employee engagement. If a company falls behind on any of these areas it could have a negative impact across the company.

1. Communication and Goal Setting

According to statistics, 57% of employees report not being given clear directions and 69% of managers are not comfortable communicating with their employees in general. Effective communication in the workplace is central to all business goals as it:

• Avoids confusion
• Provides a purpose
• Builds a positive company culture
• Creates accountability

Recommended Reading 📖: 25 Employee Engagement Statistics You Wouldn't Believe

2. Work-Life Balance

Work-life balance is an important aspect of a healthy work environment. Maintaining work-life balance helps reduce stress and helps prevent burnout in the workplace. If you're not providing flexibility in your workplace, it can lead to disengagement and a higher employee turnover. 

In fact, according to the State Of The Global Workplace report, actively engaged employees see a 18% decrease in staff turnover.

3. Employee Recognition

Employee recognition in the workplace has to be a vital part of a company's culture. In today’s work environment, the companies with the most satisfied and engaged employees are the ones that have the best training programmes and well-skilled staff.

Most of an employee's motivation comes from getting recognised by their leadership. This means that acknowledging the link between employee recognition and effective management is key when it comes to success. 

4. Company Transparency

When transparency is added to the company culture, employees will be more engaged and committed to the vision of the company. According to a 2014 American Psychological Association Survey, 25% of employees do not trust their employer and half of them believe their employer is not upfront with them.

5. Training and Development

Providing training and development to employees allows employers to pinpoint the knowledge and skills they want their employees to have. Without a good onboarding and training strategy, workforces can become disengaged and unproductive.

6. Work Benefits

By adding employee benefits to an organisation, it can increase loyalty, focus and productivity, attendance and optimise recruiting efforts.

60% of employees said having a benefits package is important to their employer loyalty.

7. Autonomy and Challenges

More autonomy correlates to greater job satisfaction . The more control we have, the more motivated we become to succeed. When employees feel their managers trust them with this control, they are confident, loyal and performing.

Starting Your Employee Engagement Strategy

It’s important to bear in mind that every business is different, and that no two companies will have the same requirements. Employee engagement strategies will only ever work if they are designed around the people they are intended to affect. 

As you begin to implement your employee engagement strategy, it's important to recognise and figure out the issues within your company. To do this, you must ask your employees what they think needs improving within the workplace.

You should put together an anonymous, coherent and relevant employee engagement survey that's going to provide you with data and answers to help you plan your engagement strategy. 

Here at Oak , we understand how important it is to keep on top of job satisfaction and employee engagement, which is why our platform enables you to create Pulse Surveys to gather valuable data from your employees with ease. A Pulse Survey can be created in minutes and enables your employees to give their honest feedback, either named or anonymously.

Want to take your employee engagement to the next step?

Check out our blog post Employee Engagement Action Plan Guide [FREE Template]

Examples of Employee Engagement Strategies

We know that there’s no one size fits all employee engagement strategy. It’s subjective and depends entirely on the needs of your people. Employee engagement strategy and productivity go hand in hand, so it’s crucial to have an effective staff engagement strategy that’s right for your people and your business as a whole. 

Whilst we know that any employee engagement plan is dependent on the specific needs of a company, the list of possibilities are virtually endless. So we’ve put together 6 examples of some employee engagement strategies to get you started. These ideas will help you to construct your action plan and effectively implement it across your organization.

1. Recognise Achievement Often 

If an employee feels that their work is not properly recognised, they will quickly lose engagement. After all, what is the point of working hard if no one cares?

Even a simple announcement on your company intranet or on your weekly meetings can be enough to energize an employee and make them feel valued. Management should focus on recognising employees' achievements regularly. 

2. Encourage Feedback

One of the best ways to learn is by making mistakes. Failures force us to address our shortcomings and evaluate how we can make an improvement in any future endeavours. 

When it comes to employee engagement and an effective staff engagement strategy it’s no different. Encourage employee feedback to see what changes they feel need to be made. Is there something that’s preventing your team from engaging?

By Identifying where hurdles are occurring at the root cause, you’ll be better placed to address them. If they feel like there are areas that need improvement, encourage them to highlight and provide feedback.

3. Show Employees that you Listen

If you want your employees truly engaged your company has to make the action a priority. If there are concerns or complaints, there should be solutions proposed immediately and acted upon by management.

If your employees feel like they're not being heard and their concerns are being addressed, they will quickly become disengaged, hindering their productivity .

4. Share Ideas

Every department’s skill set is different, but sometimes a successful strategy can be universal. The same applies for a staff engagement strategy. Sharing departmental successes allows you to gauge what’s working and what isn’t on a company-wide level. If something is working well for one team, it’s entirely plausible that it could work well for another. It could be an efficient work process or a way in which information is shared. Peer to peer learning is a great way of not only encouraging inter-departmental engagement but an effective way of strengthening productivity and overall efficiency. 

5. Emphasise Respect

This approach is all about the value that each employee brings to the company. You want your workforce to feel that both their opinion and work is respected.

It’s little observations like these that will not only help your employees be more productive but more satisfied in the work that they produce. Engagement is all subjective. This is why it’s important to make sure that your employee engagement strategies are too. Play to your employee’s strengths and support their weaknesses. This way your company can benefit from your employee’s full potential whilst allowing them to develop their skill set at the same time.

6. Increase Transparency

It’s no use working behind the scenes to increase employee engagement, employees should be updated often on what their leadership is doing and distribute general company updates regularly. 

According to Trade Press Services , 85% of employees said they’re most motivated when management offers regular updates on company news. 

The benefits of workplace transparency are:

• Everyone is on the same page
• Better performance management
• Improves company performance and goal setting
• Strengthened workplace culture
• Improved communication
• Increased employee engagement

The importance of transparency in the workplace cannot be overstated. With so many powerful benefits, achieving a culture of honesty and openness between leadership, managers, and employees should be every leader’s top priority.

Recommended Reading 📖: 21 Employee Engagement Ideas That WORK

Things to Consider With Employee Engagement Strategies

Now that you’ve figured out what's working for your organization and what you need to improve, it’s time to develop your employee engagement strategy and put it into action. However, there are things to consider when implementing an effective employee engagement strategy.

Take a look at our top tips for success:

Tip 1: Be Realistic

It's important to understand that creating great employee engagement is a process and you may miss the mark on a few strategies every now and then. You should set realistic standards for your employees and outline any specific goals you want to achieve when possible. For example, if communication is an issue, you should strive to implement more one-to-one meetings with your workforce.

Tip 2: Be Flexible

You won't find the perfect strategy for your company straight away, so always be open minded when it comes to new ideas. Make sure you're regularly monitoring employee engagement and analyzing the data alongside it to find out what works for your employees and what doesn't. 

Tips 3: Be Clear About Responsibilities

Make sure you know who’s responsible for what before you get started. You won’t get anywhere in the way of improving employee engagement if you don’t clearly delegate responsibilities to the right individuals and keep track of their progress. In order to successfully get your strategy off the ground, you need to involve the key people from the start. 

Deciding to improve your employee engagement strategy will impact your employee engagement levels massively. If you need proof, check out our 25 Employee Engagement Statistics You Wouldn't Believe

How to create the best employee engagement plan in 2023?

Are you ready to embark on a journey toward building an extraordinary workplace culture that fosters genuine employee engagement? Look no further because we've got you covered. In this blog post, we will delve into the art of crafting the best employee engagement plan of 2023!

Remember that unforgettable office party where laughter filled the air and colleagues bonded over hilarious trivia games? That's the power of employee engagement. It goes beyond fancy perks or superficial activities; it's about creating an environment where employees feel valued, motivated, and excited to contribute their best.

As Walt Disney once said, “You can dream, create, design, and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it requires people to make the dream a reality.” With that wisdom in mind, we'll explore innovative strategies to unleash your team's potential, leverage cutting-edge technology to streamline communication, and champion a culture of continuous growth and recognition .

So get ready to transform your workplace into a thriving hub of engaged employees. Let's dive into the secrets of crafting an exceptional employee engagement plan in 2023! Let’s begin with the basics.

Table of contents:-

What is employee engagement?

What is successful employee engagement, what is an employee engagement plan, what is the purpose of creating and implementing an employee engagement plan, objective of employee engagement activities, what are the positive impacts of employee engagement in an organization, what are the 5 goals of engagement, how to identify a goal of an employee involvement team, how to set smart goals for employee engagement, things to consider while creating your employee engagement plan, how to create a perfect employee engagement plan template, what is employee key engagement strategy, here are a few examples of employee engagement plans that work, why is measuring employee engagement and taking necessary steps to improve it important, employee engagement hr goals, employee engagement plans quotes, what is the difference between an employee engagement plan and employee engagement action plan.

Think of it this way: Remember the time you watched a magician? When the magician pulled that rabbit out of a hat, your eyes lit up, right? You were engaged, captivated by the magic trick. Employee engagement is a bit like that magic show. Your employees are the audience, and your workplace is the stage. When they're engaged, they're excited and captivated by their work.

Engaged employees are the ones who give their best, come up with cool ideas, and make your company shine. They're not just there for the paycheck; they're there because they believe in what they're doing.

So, in simple terms, employee engagement is like the magic trick that turns your employees into enthusiastic, passionate, and committed members of your team. And just like a magician can't pull off a great trick without practice and skill, you need a thoughtful plan and a bit of effort to make employee engagement work its magic in your workplace.

What exactly is successful employee engagement? Well, it's more than just having a pool table in the break room or offering free coffee.

Successful employee engagement is about creating an environment where your team is not just present but passionately involved in their work. It's that feeling when employees wake up excited to come to work, not just for the paycheck but for the purpose and passion that drives them .

Here's the secret sauce to successful employee engagement:

• A sense of purpose: Engaged employees understand the purpose of their work. They see how their roles contribute to the bigger picture, and they're motivated by a sense of meaning and impact.
• Two-way communication: It's not just about management talking to employees; it's about fostering open, two-way communication. Listening to your team's ideas, concerns, and feedback is a crucial part of engagement.
• Recognition and appreciation: Successful engagement includes recognizing and appreciating your employees. Acknowledging their hard work and accomplishments fosters a sense of value and motivation.
• Growth opportunities: Engaged employees have room to grow. They're given opportunities for professional development, training, and career advancement. They know their organization is invested in their future.
• Work-life balance: Encouraging a healthy work-life balance is essential. Engaged employees aren't burned out; they have time to recharge, which makes them more productive and satisfied.
• Inclusivity and diversity: A diverse and inclusive workplace is a hallmark of engagement. When employees feel welcome and their unique perspectives are celebrated, they're more engaged and innovative.
• Measuring and adapting: Finally, successful employee engagement includes measuring its effectiveness. Use key performance indicators to track progress and be ready to adapt your strategy as needed.

A well-executed employee engagement roadmap fosters a motivated and productive workforce, leading to improved company performance and profitability. It enhances employee retention , reducing turnover costs and retaining valuable talent. But what is employee engagement plan?

An employee engagement plan is like a roadmap that guides organizations on their quest to create a workplace where employees thrive and feel connected to their work and the company's mission.

It's a comprehensive strategy that focuses on nurturing a positive work culture , fostering strong relationships, and empowering individuals to reach their full potential.

Think of it as a series of intentional actions, programs, and initiatives designed to boost employee satisfaction , productivity, and loyalty. An effective employee engagement plan goes beyond traditional perks and benefits, recognizing that true engagement stems from intrinsic motivation and a sense of belonging.

Imagine a workplace where employees are encouraged to voice their opinions and ideas, and where their contributions are recognized and celebrated. Such a plan might include regular feedback channels , opportunities for skill development and growth , team-building activities, wellness initiatives, and meaningful recognition programs .

Ultimately, an employee engagement plan aims to create an environment where employees are not just satisfied with their jobs, but truly engaged and passionate about their work. It's about creating a win-win situation where employees thrive, and the organization benefits from their dedication and commitment.

Let's explore the reasons why investing time and effort into such a plan is a game-changer for any organization.

First and foremost, an employee engagement plan fosters a sense of belonging and purpose . When employees feel connected to their work and the organization's mission, they become more invested in their tasks, leading to increased productivity and quality of work. Engaged employees are more likely to go the extra mile, willingly putting in the effort to achieve outstanding results.

Furthermore, an effective engagement plan boosts employee satisfaction and reduces turnover . Imagine a workplace where individuals feel valued, supported, and heard.

They are less likely to seek opportunities elsewhere, leading to higher employee retention rates and cost savings associated with recruiting and training new talent.

But the benefits don't stop there! A well-executed, successful employee engagement strategy enhances collaboration and teamwork, breaking down silos and creating a supportive atmosphere where innovation and creativity thrive.

Engaged employees are more willing to share ideas, collaborate on projects, and support their colleagues, resulting in improved problem-solving, decision-making, and overall organizational success.

Moreover, an engagement plan contributes to a positive organizational culture. When employees are engaged, they become ambassadors for the company, spreading positivity and attracting top talent. A strong employer brand is built, positioning the organization as an employer of choice in the industry.

Ultimately, investing in an employee engagement plan is an investment in the success and sustainability of the organization. It cultivates a workforce of motivated, loyal, and high-performing individuals who are instrumental in driving innovation, customer satisfaction, and organizational growth.

Are your employees showing up to work with a skip in their step, or are they dragging their feet through the office door? In the fast-paced world of modern business, it's easy to overlook the incredible impact of employee engagement activities. These aren't just a fun way to spend your company's budget; they're a strategic investment in your most valuable asset: your people.

So, what's the objective of these engagement activities, you ask? Well, it's not just about filling up the social calendar with corporate shindigs. The primary aim is to create a workplace where employees feel not just appreciated but genuinely valued. It's about creating an environment where people look forward to coming to work, not just for the paycheck but for the sense of belonging and fulfillment they derive from it.

When employees are engaged, they become emotionally invested in their roles. They're more productive, innovative, and they're enthusiastic about going that extra mile to help the company achieve its goals. Engagement activities can range from team-building exercises to wellness programs and skill development workshops, tailored to suit your company culture and employee needs.

By nurturing a sense of camaraderie, providing opportunities for growth, and acknowledging achievements, you're not only boosting morale but also increasing employee retention rates. Happy employees tend to stick around longer, reducing turnover costs and maintaining a high level of institutional knowledge.

In a nutshell, employee engagement activities aim to transform the workplace into a vibrant, fulfilling space, where everyone feels motivated, appreciated, and eager to contribute their best to your organization's success. Don't underestimate the power of a content and motivated workforce; it's your secret weapon for achieving new heights in your business.

Employee engagement has a multitude of positive impacts that reverberate throughout an organization, creating a ripple effect of success.

The primary goal is to battle employee disengagement , which is a state that occurs when employees lack motivation, commitment, and enthusiasm toward their work. It's like having a "meh" attitude, resulting in low productivity and a sense of detachment. Watch for signs of disengagement like absenteeism, decreased performance, and a negative vibe.

Remember, happy employees lead to a thriving organization! So let's break free from disengagement and create a workplace where everyone feels motivated, valued, and excited to contribute.

Now, let's explore a few of the remarkable benefits of trying to boost employee engagement :

Enhanced productivity

A happy employee is motivated, focused, and committed to achieving their best. They take ownership of their work, consistently going above and beyond expectations. This heightened productivity not only leads to improved individual performance but also contributes to the overall success of the organization.

Increased employee retention

When employees feel engaged and satisfied, they are more likely to stay with the company for the long haul. Reduced turnover means fewer recruitment and training costs, as well as the retention of valuable institutional knowledge and expertise. Keeping an employee engaged translates into them becoming loyal advocates who attract and retain top talent.

Improved employee satisfaction

An engaged workforce translates into higher levels of job satisfaction. Employees who feel valued, supported, and challenged in their roles are happier and more fulfilled. This positive sentiment spills over into their interactions with colleagues, customers, and stakeholders, contributing to a harmonious work environment.

Boosted innovation and creativity

Engagement creates an environment conducive to innovation and creativity. An engaged employee feels empowered to share their ideas, take calculated risks, and collaborate with their peers. This fosters a culture of continuous improvement and fuels innovation, leading to new ideas, processes, and solutions that drive organizational growth.

Heightened customer satisfaction

Engaged employees are more likely to deliver exceptional customer service. When employees are passionate about their work and dedicated to the organization's goals, they go the extra mile to meet customer needs and exceed expectations.

Satisfied customers are more loyal and contribute to the company's long-term success.

Strengthened organizational culture

A culture of engagement becomes the bedrock of an organization's identity. It shapes how employees interact, collaborate, and align with the company's values. A strong culture of engagement fosters trust, open communication , and teamwork, creating a positive work environment where everyone can thrive.

Enhanced teamwork and collaboration

Employee engagement also leads to improved teamwork and collaboration. Engaged employees are more likely to share their knowledge, support their colleagues, and work cohesively towards common goals. This strengthens the overall team dynamics and enhances the organization's ability to tackle complex challenges effectively.

Higher profitability and growth

Engaged employees have a direct impact on an organization's profitability. Their heightened productivity, innovation, and commitment translate into increased revenue and growth. By consistently delivering excellent results and driving customer satisfaction, engaged employees contribute to the company's financial success.

Reduced absenteeism and tardiness

Employee engagement reduces absenteeism and tardiness. Engaged employees are less likely to call in sick or arrive late to work. Their enthusiasm and dedication make them more inclined to show up consistently, contributing to a more stable and productive work environment.

Enhanced reputation and brand image

Engaged employees often serve as brand ambassadors. Their enthusiasm for their work and the organization can positively impact the company's reputation. When employees speak highly of their workplace, it attracts not only potential customers but also top talent in the job market. A strong employer brand can give your organization a competitive edge.

Remember, these are just a few of the many positive impacts that stem from employee engagement. By nurturing engagement within your organization, you're building a solid foundation for long-term success, employee satisfaction, and sustainable growth.

Employee engagement isn't just a buzzword; it's a critical factor in building a thriving and successful workplace. To make the magic of engagement happen, it's essential to set clear goals. Let's explore the five key goals of employee engagement that every organization should strive to achieve.

1. Boost employee morale

One of the primary goals of engagement is to boost employee morale. Happy employees are productive employees. When your team is motivated and content, they are more likely to bring their best selves to work every day. Employee morale isn't just about having a ping-pong table in the break room; it's about creating a work environment where people feel valued, respected, and appreciated.

2. Foster innovation

Engagement should encourage and foster innovation. When employees feel engaged, they are more likely to share their creative ideas and suggestions. An engaged workforce is a hotbed of innovation. It's a place where employees feel comfortable speaking up, knowing their ideas will be heard and, where applicable, implemented.

3. Improve productivity

Increased productivity is a natural outcome of engaged employees . When your team is excited about their work, they put in more effort and energy. They're more focused and committed to achieving company goals. The result? Higher productivity levels, better work output, and ultimately, more success for your organization.

4. Enhance employee well-being

Employee engagement also aims to enhance employee well-being. It's about creating an environment where employees aren't just cogs in the corporate machine but whole individuals with physical and emotional needs. Promoting work-life balance, offering wellness programs , and providing support for mental health are all part of this goal.

5. Boost employee retention

High turnover rates can be a significant drain on resources. Engaged employees are more likely to stick around. They have a sense of loyalty to the organization and are invested in its success. Reducing turnover not only saves on recruitment costs but also maintains a stable workforce with valuable institutional knowledge.

Picture this: a group of employees coming together, passionate about making a difference in their workplace. They've formed an Employee Involvement Team (EIT), but they're not entirely sure what their goals should be. Does this scenario sound familiar? Identifying the objectives of an EIT is a crucial step, and we're here to help you unravel the secrets to make it happen.

• Start with the "Why": The very first step in identifying EIT goals is to understand why the team exists. What's the purpose? Is it to enhance employee morale, foster innovation, boost productivity, or address specific workplace issues? Defining the "why" sets the foundation for your goals.
• Survey the troops: Your EIT should be a reflection of your workforce's needs and aspirations. Conduct surveys, hold focus group sessions, or simply talk to your colleagues. What are the pain points, ideas, or improvements they're looking for? These insights will shape your goals.
• SMART goals: Remember the SMART acronym - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Your EIT goals should embody these qualities. For example, if your "why" is to enhance employee morale, a SMART goal could be to organize monthly team-building events that increase participation by 20% within the next quarter.
• Alignment with company objectives: It's crucial that your EIT goals align with your company's overall mission and values. If your organization aims to become a leader in sustainability, your EIT goals should tie into this objective, such as reducing waste or promoting eco-friendly practices.
• Prioritize and sequence: It's tempting to have a laundry list of goals, but it's wiser to prioritize and sequence them. What's the most pressing issue? What can you realistically tackle first? Maybe it's addressing employee burnout before moving on to diversity and inclusion initiatives.
• Regular review and adaptation: Your EIT's goals aren't set in stone. Review and adapt them as needed. If a goal has been met, celebrate it, and then set a new one. If circumstances change, be ready to pivot.
• Measuring success: It's essential to have metrics in place to measure your EIT's success. This could be in the form of feedback surveys, participation rates, or tangible outcomes like reduced absenteeism or increased employee satisfaction scores.
• Communication is key: Share your goals with the entire organization. Transparency is critical. Let everyone know what the EIT is working towards, and encourage their involvement and feedback.
• Celebrate milestones: When your EIT achieves a goal, celebrate it! Acknowledging the team's hard work and success not only boosts morale but also motivates others to get involved.

Engaging your employees isn't just about handing out free snacks or organizing the occasional team-building event. It's about setting clear and effective goals that lead to a more motivated, productive, and satisfied workforce. SMART goals are the key to achieving this. So, let's dive into the recipe for success when it comes to setting SMART goals for employee engagement.

S - Specific

The first ingredient in our SMART goal recipe is "Specific." Employee engagement goals should be crystal clear and well-defined. Vague objectives won't get you far. For instance, instead of setting a goal like "Improve employee morale," aim for something more specific: "Increase the monthly employee recognition program participation by 25% within the next quarter." This clear objective leaves no room for ambiguity.

M - Measurable

The "M" stands for "Measurable." Your goals should be quantifiable, so you can track progress and determine when they've been achieved. In the example above, "Increase the monthly employee recognition program participation by 25%" is a measurable goal. You can easily track participation rates and determine if you've hit the mark.

A - Achievable

"Achievable" is the third ingredient. Goals should be realistic and attainable. Setting unattainable objectives can lead to frustration and demotivation. It's crucial to assess your resources, constraints, and the current state of your organization before setting these goals. If your employee recognition program is currently suffering from low participation, a 25% increase in one quarter might be challenging but still achievable with the right strategies.

R - Relevant

The "R" in SMART goals stands for "Relevant." Your goals should be relevant to your organization's broader mission and employee engagement efforts. They need to align with your company's culture, values, and overall objectives. For instance, if your company is committed to sustainability, setting an employee engagement goal to reduce office waste aligns perfectly with your values.

T - Time-bound

The final ingredient is "Time-bound." Your goals should have a clearly defined timeframe for completion. Without a deadline, goals can linger indefinitely. In our example, the goal is to increase employee recognition program participation by 25% within the next quarter. This timeframe creates a sense of urgency and accountability.

When crafting your employee engagement plan, there are several key factors to consider. By paying attention to these aspects, you can ensure that your plan is effective, tailored to your organization's unique needs, and sets the stage for a thriving workforce. Here are a few important considerations:

Understand your employees:

Take the time to truly understand your employees—their preferences, needs, and aspirations. Conduct employee surveys , hold focus groups, or conduct one-on-one conversations to gather valuable insights. This information will guide you in designing initiatives and activities that resonate with your workforce. During these interactions, practice active listening.

Pay attention to not only what is being said but also the emotions and underlying motivations behind their responses. Encourage open and honest communication , ensuring that employees feel heard and valued. This will foster trust and create an environment where employees are more likely to share their thoughts and ideas.

Make sure that you seek employee feedback continuously and create open communication channels. Understanding your employees will help you design initiatives that resonate with them, foster a sense of belonging, and increase their motivation and engagement .

Align with organizational values:

Your engagement plan should align with your organization's values, mission, and culture. When employees feel that their work is in harmony with the company's broader objectives, they experience a greater sense of purpose and are more motivated to contribute to its success.

Provide growth and development opportunities:

Employees value opportunities for growth and development . Offer training programs, mentorship opportunities, and clear career paths to help employees advance and expand their skills. This not only enhances their engagement but also contributes to their long-term career satisfaction.

Foster open communication:

Establish channels for open communication, both top-down and peer-to-peer. Encourage feedback, suggestions, and ideas from employees, and ensure that their voices are heard and respected . Transparent and inclusive communication cultivates trust and a sense of belonging.

Recognize and reward achievements:

Implement a robust recognition and reward system that acknowledges and celebrates employee achievements. Recognition can take various forms, including verbal appreciation, formal awards, or even small tokens of gratitude. Recognizing and rewarding employees for their hard work and contributions boosts morale and reinforces a culture of appreciation.

Promote work-life balance:

Encourage work-life balance by offering flexible work arrangements, promoting wellness initiatives, and ensuring reasonable workloads. When employees feel supported in achieving a healthy balance between work and personal life, they are more engaged and motivated.

Continuously measure and adapt:

Regularly measure and assess employee engagement levels to identify improvement areas and track your initiatives' effectiveness. Use surveys, feedback sessions, or data analytics tools to gather insights and make data-driven decisions.

Provide opportunities for skill development:

Offer employees opportunities for skill development and continuous learning. Support them in acquiring new skills or improving existing ones. When employees see that their organization is invested in their professional growth, it enhances their engagement and loyalty.

Emphasize diversity and inclusion:

Create a workplace culture that values diversity and inclusion. Embrace differences in perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences. An inclusive environment fosters a sense of belonging, empowering employees to be their authentic selves and contribute to the organization's success.

Enhance employee well-being:

Prioritize employee well-being by offering wellness programs and mental health support. A healthy and happy workforce is more engaged, productive, and likely to stay with your organization for the long term. Well-being initiatives show employees that you care about their holistic health and not just their work contributions.

Creating a perfect employee engagement plan template involves careful consideration and thoughtful planning. Here are the essential steps to guide you in developing an effective template for your organization:

Set clear objectives:

Setting clear objectives is crucial for developing an effective employee engagement plan. Clear objectives ensure alignment with organizational goals, focus your efforts, provide a benchmark for measuring progress, and motivate employees.

Make objectives specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). For example, instead of a general objective like "improve employee morale," a SMART objective would be "increase employee morale by 15% within six months through recognition and wellness initiatives."

Communicate objectives to stakeholders and regularly review and adjust them. Clear objectives provide a roadmap, measure success, and hold individuals and teams accountable.

Assess current engagement levels:

Before you go about making the best employee engagement plan, it's important to assess present engagement levels. Conduct surveys, focus groups, or use engagement measurement tools to collect both quantitative and qualitative data .

An employee engagement survey can include questions related to job satisfaction, work-life balance, communication, recognition, and career growth.

Focus groups allow for in-depth discussions to gain insights into employees' perceptions and experiences. Ensure that every employee engagement survey is taken seriously with its insights.

By combining both types of data, you can gain a comprehensive understanding of engagement levels within your organization. Identify areas of strength to build upon and leverage for further engagement efforts.

Also, pinpoint improvement areas based on feedback and concerns raised by employees. Prioritize action by focusing on areas with the most significant impact and feasibility.

Involve employees in the assessment process to gain valuable insights and foster a sense of ownership. Regularly reassess engagement levels to track progress and make data-driven adjustments.

This assessment process will guide the development of targeted strategies and initiatives in your employee engagement plan, ultimately creating a positive and thriving work environment.

Identify key focus areas:

Based on the assessment, identify the key focus areas for your engagement plan. These areas could include communication, leadership development , employee recognition, work-life balance, or professional growth. Select areas that align with your organization's needs and employee feedback .

Design engaging initiatives:

Develop initiatives and activities that address the identified focus areas. For example, if communication is a focus area, consider implementing regular town hall meetings, feedback sessions, or internal communication platforms. Be creative and think outside the box to design initiatives that resonate with your workforce.

Set measurable goals:

Establish measurable goals for each initiative. These goals could be related to employee satisfaction scores, participation rates, or specific performance metrics . Clear and measurable goals will help you track progress and make data-driven adjustments along the way.

Create an implementation timeline:

Develop a timeline that outlines the rollout of each initiative. Consider the sequencing, dependencies, and resource allocation required for successful implementation. A well-planned timeline ensures a smooth execution and keeps stakeholders informed.

Allocate resources:

Determine the resources needed to implement the plan effectively. This includes budget allocation, personnel support, and technology requirements. Adequate resources will ensure that your engagement plan is implemented successfully and sustained over time.

Communicate and train:

Communicate the engagement plan to all stakeholders, including managers , employees, and leadership. Clearly articulate the objectives, initiatives, and expected outcomes. Provide training and guidance to managers on their role in supporting and fostering employee engagement.

Monitor and evaluate:

Continuously monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of your engagement plan. Gather feedback from employees , analyze data, and make adjustments as necessary. Regularly review progress against the established goals to ensure that your plan remains relevant and impactful.

Celebrate success and iterate:

Celebrate the achievements and successes of your engagement initiatives. Recognize and reward employees and teams who have contributed to the plan's success. Use the insights gained from evaluation to iterate and improve your engagement plan in subsequent iterations.

By customizing these steps to your organization's unique needs, you can create a comprehensive employee engagement plan template that sets the stage for a highly engaged and thriving workforce.

Bear in mind that employee engagement is an ongoing process, so be prepared to adapt and evolve your plan as your organization grows and changes.

At its core, an employee key engagement strategy is a well-thought-out plan designed to create an environment where employees are not just content but passionate about their work. It's about igniting that spark in your team, turning them into enthusiastic champions of your organization's mission.

Here are the key elements of an effective employee engagement strategy:

• Communication: Open, transparent, and frequent communication is vital. Employees should be in the loop about company goals, changes, and even challenges. Their input should be valued, and they should know that their voices matter.
• Recognition and rewards: Acknowledging and rewarding employees' hard work is a cornerstone of engagement. It can be as simple as a "thank you" or more structured programs like Employee of the Month. Recognizing achievements motivates employees to excel.
• Professional development: Provide opportunities for growth. Employees want to learn, grow, and advance in their careers. Support their development with training, mentorship, and a clear career path.
• Work-life balance: Striking a balance between work and personal life is crucial for well-being. Encourage breaks, vacations, and flexible work arrangements to reduce burnout.
• Inclusivity and diversity: Promote a workplace that celebrates differences and welcomes diverse perspectives . An inclusive environment fosters engagement and innovation.
• Health and wellness programs: Offer wellness initiatives to support physical and mental health . Healthy employees are happier and more productive.
• Feedback and surveys: Regularly seek feedback from employees through surveys or one-on-one discussions. This helps you understand their concerns and make improvements.
• Leadership and management: Ensure that your leadership team is engaged and sets an example. Effective management practices play a crucial role in employee engagement.
• Social connection: Create opportunities for employees to connect and build relationships. Social events, team-building activities, and collaborative projects can help foster a sense of belonging.
• Measuring and adjusting: Set key performance indicators to measure the effectiveness of your strategy. If certain aspects aren't working, be ready to adjust and evolve your approach.

Company-wide mentorship programs

Implementing mentorship programs where experienced employees guide and support newer employees can foster a sense of connection and professional growth. For example, a technology company pairs senior developers with junior developers to provide guidance and career development opportunities.

Employee recognition and rewards

A comprehensive employee recognition program can significantly boost engagement. For instance, a retail company establishes a peer-to-peer recognition platform where employees can publicly acknowledge their colleagues' contributions. This encourages a culture of appreciation and motivates employees to excel.

Wellness initiatives:

Prioritizing employee well-being is key to engagement. An insurance company offers wellness programs such as yoga classes, meditation sessions, and health challenges to promote physical and mental well-being. These initiatives improve employee health and foster a positive work environment.

Continuous learning opportunities:

Providing opportunities for continuous learning and skill development can enhance engagement. A consulting firm offers a learning platform with many courses and encourages employees to pursue professional certifications.

This investment in employee growth benefits individuals and drives innovation and adaptability within the organization.

Flexible work arrangements:

Recognizing the importance of work-life balance, a marketing agency offers flexible work arrangements such as remote work options, compressed workweeks, or flexible hours. This flexibility allows employees to better manage their personal commitments while maintaining productivity and engagement.

Employee resource groups (ERGs):

Establishing employee resource groups can foster a sense of belonging and inclusion. For example, a multinational corporation creates ERGs focused on promoting diversity and inclusion, such as groups for women in leadership, LGBTQ+ employees, or multicultural networking. These groups provide support, networking opportunities, and a platform for sharing experiences.

Employee development and training programs:

Implementing ongoing development and training initiatives demonstrates a commitment to employee growth . An educational institution offers its faculty and staff access to courses, workshops, and certifications to continually enhance their knowledge and skills. This not only benefits employees in their professional development but also elevates the institution's reputation for expertise.

Innovative team-building activities:

Organizing unique team-building activities can inject energy and creativity into the workplace. A technology startup arranges "innovation challenges" where employees work in cross-functional teams to solve real company challenges. This not only fosters teamwork but also generates fresh ideas and solutions.

Community involvement and volunteering:

Encouraging employees to get involved in community service and volunteer work can instill a sense of purpose. An accounting firm organizes quarterly volunteer events, allowing employees to give back to the community. This not only strengthens the company's social responsibility but also boosts employee morale and engagement.

Remember, these examples serve as inspiration, and it's important to tailor your employee engagement plan to your organization's specific needs and culture. Analyze the successes of these examples and adapt them to align with your organization's values, goals , and employee preferences.

Measuring employee engagement is crucial for any organization that wants to ensure a motivated and productive, engaged workforce. It is a means to measure how connected employees are to their job, colleagues, and the organization as a whole.

As mentioned above, the bottom line is that engaged employees tend to be more productive, committed, and loyal, ultimately leading to better business outcomes.

Listed below are some other important reasons to measure employee engagement.

To identify areas of improvement

Measuring employee engagement provides insight into what's working well in the organization and what's not. By understanding the drivers employee engagement , organizations can identify areas that need improvement and take action to address them. This can increase employee satisfaction and improve employee retention too, which can ultimately lead to better business performance.

Enhanced employee satisfaction

Measuring employee engagement allows organizations to better understand how employees feel about their job, colleagues, and the organization as a whole. This information can be used to enhance employee satisfaction by addressing areas of dissatisfaction and improving employee morale .

Increased productivity

Employees that feel engaged with the org tend to be more productive than disengaged employees. They are more committed to their job, take pride in their work, and are likelier to go the extra mile to get things done.

Collating employee and engagement data can help organizations identify factors contributing to engagement and leverage them to increase productivity.

To reduce turnover and the attrition rate

High employee turnover can be costly and disruptive to an organization's success. Assessing employee engagement can help organizations identify factors that contribute to employee retention and take action to address them.

By improving employee engagement, organizations can reduce turnover and retain top talent , which can ultimately lead to better business outcomes.

To improve customer satisfaction

Engaged employees tend to provide better customer service than disengaged employees. They are more likely to go above and beyond to meet customer needs and are more effective at building customer relationships.

Measuring employee engagement can help organizations identify factors that contribute to employee engagement and leverage them to improve customer satisfaction.

When it comes to employee engagement, Human Resources (HR) plays a crucial role in crafting the perfect recipe for a happy and productive workplace. HR goals for employee engagement are like the secret ingredients that make it all come together.

Let's dive into these goals in a conversational tone.

• Attract and retain talent: The first HR goal is all about attracting the best talent and keeping them happy. When you bring in the right people and create a work environment that they love, you're well on your way to building a strong, engaged team.
• Onboarding and orientation: HR should ensure that the onboarding process is smooth and welcoming. New hires should feel like they're joining a big, supportive family, not just another company.
• Training and development: To keep your employees engaged, they need opportunities to grow. HR goals include setting up training and development programs that empower your team to acquire new skills and advance in their careers.
• Performance feedback and appraisals: Regular performance feedback and appraisals help employees understand how they're doing and where they can improve. HR should set goals to ensure this process is constructive and fair.
• Feedback mechanisms: HR should establish effective feedback mechanisms. Regular surveys and open channels for employee feedback are essential. Listening to your team is key to understanding their needs.
• Recognition and rewards: Recognizing and rewarding hard work is a big part of engagement. HR sets the stage for employee recognition programs, bonuses, and other ways to say, "Hey, great job!"
• Succession planning: Ensuring there's a plan in place for the future is another HR goal. Who's going to take over key roles when someone retires or moves up the ladder? HR works on identifying and preparing the next generation of leaders.
• "The only way to do great work is to love what you do." – Steve Jobs
• "The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership." – Harvey S. Firestone
• "Employees who believe that management is concerned about them as a whole person – not just an employee – are more productive, more satisfied, more fulfilled." – Anne M. Mulcahy
• "To win in the marketplace, you must first win in the workplace." – Doug Conant
• "The simple act of paying positive attention to people has a great deal to do with productivity." – Tom Peters
• "When people are financially invested, they want a return. When people are emotionally invested, they want to contribute." – Simon Sinek
• "Your employees come first. And if you treat your employees right, guess what? Your customers come back, and that makes your shareholders happy. Start with employees and the rest follows from that." – Herb Kelleher
• "Satisfied employees mean satisfied customers, which leads to profitability." – Anne M. Mulcahy

While the terms "employee engagement plan" and "employee engagement action plan" are often used interchangeably, there can be a subtle difference in their focus and scope.

An employee engagement plan typically refers to a broader, strategic roadmap that outlines the overall approach and initiatives aimed at fostering employee engagement within an organization. It encompasses the high-level goals, objectives, and strategies that guide the organization's efforts to create a culture of engagement.

The plan may include a range of initiatives, such as training and development programs, communication strategies, recognition programs, and wellness initiatives, among others.

On the other hand, an employee engagement action plan is more specific and tactical. It is a detailed document that breaks down the initiatives outlined in the overall engagement plan into actionable steps, timelines, responsibilities, and resources.

An employee engagement action plan provides a structured framework for executing the specific activities and initiatives designed to improve employee engagement. It includes the specific actions, milestones, and measures of success for each initiative.

In summary, while an employee engagement plan sets the strategic direction and overarching goals for improving engagement, the employee engagement action plan provides a detailed roadmap and implementation steps to bring the plan to life.

It's important to note that the terminology may vary across organizations, and some may use these terms interchangeably or have different interpretations. The key is to ensure clarity and alignment within your organization regarding the purpose and scope of the plans to effectively drive employee engagement efforts.

Developing a comprehensive employee engagement plan and action plan is a pivotal step toward cultivating a thriving and motivated workforce. By considering your organization's unique needs, aligning with company values, and implementing targeted initiatives, you can create an environment where employees feel valued, connected, and empowered.

Remember, employee engagement is a constant journey that requires continuous effort and evaluation. Regularly assess the effectiveness of your initiatives, gather feedback , and make necessary adjustments to ensure sustained high employee engagement and positive results.

Unsure of where to begin on your organization’s employee engagement journey? Unlock the full potential of your workplace culture with CultureMonkey, the comprehensive employee engagement platform.

From measuring employee engagement to improving workplace culture, CultureMonke y offers a range of tools and features to empower your organization. Allow us to enable you to increase employee engagement today!

Kailash Ganesh

Kailash is a Product Marketer with 5+ years of experience. He loves story-telling in the simplest way possible and he is an avid reader, movie buff, and likes to travel new places to meet new people.

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How to Create an Employee Engagement Action Plan [Template + Examples]

With the right employee engagement strategy, you can take your culture to the next level. Use our tips and free template to build your employee engagement action plan.

Employee engagement is a key part of creating a healthy workplace culture and a thriving workforce. Engaged employees are more proactive, better at serving your customers, and they’re more likely to stick with your company over time.

However, employee engagement isn’t just about sending out the occasional employee engagement survey or planning a yearly team outing. As your team grows and changes, you must carefully consider your employee experience and offer a compelling employee value proposition to your people.

An effective employee engagement strategy is designed to help you sustain culture over time. In this article, we’ll cover where to get started with employee engagement and how a strategic action plan can help your business succeed. After reading, use our free engagement action plan template below to start brainstorming your employee engagement strategy.

Download the Engagement Action Plan Template by entering your work email below!

What is Employee Engagement?

Before we dive in, let's start by defining what employee engagement really means. Employee engagement is the extent to which employees are motivated and committed to their work and the organization, as well as how they perceive their relationship with the employer.

Employee engagement has been shown to have a direct impact on performance and productivity. In fact, according to research by Towers Watson , companies with engaged workforces boast an average of 19% higher operating income and 28% higher growth in earnings per share (EPS) than the average employer.

The Importance of Employee Experience

With that in mind, it's clear that employee experience is a key component of an organization's success — but how does that translate into actionable steps for business leaders and human resources? The answer lies in understanding how employees feel about their experiences at work — and making those experiences more positive and human through strategic planning and implementation of new technologies.

Step One: Defining Your Goals for Employee Engagement

The first step in creating an effective employee engagement action plan is setting the right goals. Your engagement strategy goals should align with your overall business goals. For example, if reducing turnover is a key business goal for your company, your engagement goal could be to increase employee retention by improving company culture.

Creating an objective or mission statement for employee experience can also help guide your engagement goals. For example, your objective might be to create an organization where employee wellbeing is top priority, and employees feel supported to do their best work. Or to be nationally recognized a great place to work, where employees are fully engaged and committed to staying.

From there, you can plan an engagement roadmap with this objective in mind. There are three key engagement drivers to consider when mapping out your culture goals:

• Community : What actions are you taking to help employees feel connected to other team members? How are you helping employees to feel supported, seen, and understood by their managers and peers?
• Appreciation: How do you ensure that employees feel valued and recognized for their contributions at work? What systems do you have in place to celebrate team members for their accomplishments?
• Purpose: How are you communicating your organization’s purpose, mission, and values to your team members ? Do your team members have a solid understanding of your core values and why they are important ?

It’s also important to decide how you plan to measure employee engagement within your organization. Whether it’s through employee feedback , employee turnover rates, or other metrics, measuring employee engagement is essential.

Cooleaf helps companies to define engagement goals and create action plans to help you meet those goals. Along with pulse surveys, Cooleaf’s engagement metrics and quarterly business reviews make it easy to track your culture goals over time.

Step Two: Collecting Employee Feedback and Analyzing Current Engagement Levels

Collecting employee feedback is a critical step in any employee action plan. Employee surveys can help you understand where your organizational culture is succeeding and identify possible areas of improvement.

When used effectively, employee feedback surveys can help you get the right feedback at the right time. With a platform like Cooleaf, you can select a template to find the best survey questions for your team and schedule incentivized surveys to be sent as often as you’d like. Our engagement experts will also help you analyze survey results and determine the best culture tactics for your business.

After your survey is complete, it’s time to analyze your survey results . Consider your organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and possible threats when it comes to employee engagement. During your analysis, remember to focus on the three key engagement drivers mentioned above (community, appreciation, purpose).

In addition to survey results data, you can also include other metrics, such as employee turnover data or participation metrics from your employee experience platform. This analysis will help you create action items for your engagement roadmap.

Step Three: Selecting the Right Engagement Tools

Once you’ve analyzed your current employee engagement levels, the next step is to make sure you have the right tools in place to help you drive engagement and measure the success of your goals.

Cooleaf Tip: 💡Keep in mind that a budget for employee engagement is an important part of your strategy. Without allocating funds to employee engagement, driving adoption for your engagement initiatives will be a challenge, and your HR team may end up shouldering the burden of planning and executing your engagement strategy. To get a high ROI on employee engagement, setting aside a budget for engagement — even if it’s just a small amount to start — will make a huge difference. Once you can prove out results from your engagement program, you can increase your budget from there.

Here are some tools that can help you implement your engagement initiatives:

Cooleaf - Cooleaf allows you to consolidate all of your engagement efforts into one platform. From team recognition to pulse surveys, interactive challenges, and engagement scores, Cooleaf has everything you need to empower and celebrate your people. The platform includes assistance from a Customer Success Manager to drive your engagement strategy, help you review survey results, and provide suggestions to improve.

Plus, Cooleaf integrates with thousands of other apps to enhance collaboration and incentivize day-to-day work activities.

Lattice - With Lattice, you can streamline your company’s performance review process by setting and tracking goals, performing check-ins, and conducting reviews. With built-in pulse surveys and performance management analytics, Lattice is a helpful tool for connecting feedback and career growth.

Greenhouse Software -Greenhouse is a hiring platform to help you find the right candidates for your team. If attracting more diverse candidates is one of your goals, Greenhouse offers a range of diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) tools to help you mitigate bias and create a fairer hiring process. Greenhouse also features automated workflows, recruitment analytics, CRM, and employee onboarding.

Slack - Slack makes it easy to collaborate with team members through instant chats and channels focused on specific topics. While Slack doesn’t include engagement initiatives or pulse surveys, you can improve your experience with Slack by integrating other apps, like Donut or Cooleaf , which bring recognition and team connection directly into Slack.

Step Four: Planning Engagement Initiatives

Engagement isn’t a one-time activity — you need an effective strategy to keep your team engaged over time. The best way to do that is with ongoing engagement programming designed to support your culture goals. From quick virtual activities to year-long initiatives, offering a variety of engagement activities can keep your workforce energized and excited.

Here are some key areas to consider when developing your employee engagement strategy:

1. Employee Recognition

Frequent employee recognition keeps employees feeling valued for the work they do, which is key to building engagement. This can be done in many ways: by praising them in front of their peers, giving them public recognition for a job well done, or just saying thank you when they do something out of the ordinary.

An employee recognition program helps make it easier to sustain employee appreciation ever time. Cooleaf’s recognition and rewards software includes built-in challenges and fun events to inspire team members to celebrate wins with their peers.

2. Team Connection

One of the most powerful engagement drivers is a strong sense of team connection. Without a strong connection to their company culture and the people they work with, employees will be less inclined to put in their best effort at work. In fact, a best friend at work is one of the best ways to ensure engagement. Gallup research found that “Those who [have a best friend at work] are seven times as likely to be engaged in their jobs.”

Consider what your company could do to foster stronger connections between your employees, like creating an employee mentorship program or scheduling remote team activities .

3. Manager Empowerment

Your team leaders and managers are a critical part of your employee experience, and empowering them to lead successfully is a critical component of any successful culture strategy. From enabling managers to communicate your company’s core values to empowering them to reward team members for great work, a manager engagement strategy is sure to benefit your overall engagement.

4. Learning and Development

Creating a company culture that prioritizes learning and growth is a key ingredient in employee engagement and retention. In fact, employees who see opportunities for growth at their organization are almost 3 times more likely to stay with their company for 2 years .

Consider ways to foster learning and development within your organization, whether by implementing a LMS or incentivizing training.

5. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

75% of U.S. workers think their workplace needs more diversity. A diverse, inclusive work environment is more attractive to top talent , and it also drives a more productive work place, benefiting your organization’s bottom line. Your engagement strategy should support and empower your diverse team members, through employee resource groups , diverse hiring strategies, and DEI training initiatives.

Examples of Successful Engagement Initiatives

1. georgia’s own, manager engagement resources.

Georgia’s Own Credit Union , one of Georgia's largest Credit Unions, empowered their managers to communicate organizational core competencies through training materials and Cooleaf challenges. Their core values huddle guide was instrumental in helping eaders and managers continue to instill your organization's mission and updates with their people. By making an effort to train managers effectively, they highlighted their organization's values and drove a stronger, more unified team.

Watch the Webinar →   Bringing Core Values to Life (Featuring Georgia's Own)

2. Navvis Healthcare

Career development incentives.

Navvis Healthcare , a healthcare company, partnered with Cooleaf to encourage professional development through their LMS. In a series of career development challenges, employees were able to earn reward points for taking LMS courses and sharing what they learned.

With learning and development being a top priority for today's employees, offering creative ways to encourage professional development is a powerful engagement strategy. Navvis' employees were inspired, engaged, and excited to learn.

Virtual Team Connection

Shipt , an online grocery delivery service, used online challenges and events to keep their organization excited and engaged while working remotely. To prompt employees to get to know one another one-on-one, Shipt used the Donut and Cooleaf to meet someone new in their regular Monthly Donut Pairing Challenge. Employees earned points for having a video call with a new team member and sharing a screenshot on Cooleaf. The challenge helped to improve company morale and develop stronger relationships between distributed team members.

Watch the Webinar → Employee Retention Strategies for the New Workplace (Featuring Shipt)

What to Expect After Your Engagement Action Plan Goes Live

After your engagement strategy launches, give yourself a pat on the back — taking action on employee experience is an important step in the right direction! Keep in mind that employee engagement doesn’t happen overnight, and it will likely take time and effort to build a company culture that reflects your goals. But if you prioritize employee engagement, gather employee feedback, and follow up with actionable steps to improve your workplace, your business will be stronger than ever before!

Need more help creating an effective employee engagement action plan for your team? Let’s chat !

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Resources Guides Employee Engagement Strategy

Employee Engagement Strategy Guide

Everything you need to know about the planning and strategies behind employee engagement programs

Table of Contents

• Employee Engagement Goals
• Employee Engagement Budget
• Employee Engagement Strategy
• Implementing an Employee Engagement Plan

Strategies for Engaging Millennials at Work

• Employee Engagement Strategies for Warehouse Workers

Employee Engagement Program Goals

A crucial first step to any strategy or higher-level plan is to articulate your engagement goals. Clear, achievable, and measurable goals are a necessity because they give direction to your plan.

Not sure what your goals are?

Another way this can be articulated is: What are your biggest HR challenges?

It might be employee disengagement . Or low morale and productivity. Think about your most important issues and let that kick off your strategy document.

Common employee engagement goals

Having these concrete goals in place will allow you to measure the success of your efforts later. 

Here are six (6) of the most common goals when it comes to employee engagement:

• Lower absenteeism rate 
• Increase retention/lower turnover 
• Increase productivity 
• Increase employee happiness 
• Increase customer satisfaction 
• Improve organizational culture

We suggest you pick two-three high-level corporate objectives that your company wants to reach this year. Break them down by a quarter to make it easier to gauge and manage results. 

All these goals are quantifiable; in short, they can be measured against a goal or desired outcome, albeit some with more difficulty than others.

For example, measuring something more abstract like “ employee happiness ” will occupy more time and resources, with the administering of surveys. However, tracking employee turnover, for example, is much easier and requires no involvement from your employees.

Identify employee pain points

Let's say you kicked-off the year with a personal well-being and lifestyle goal to build your overall muscle strength. The objective you selected will have a direct influence on which actions you take to achieve that goal. In this case, you will invest in strength training instead of a calorie-restrictive diet if your goal is to build muscle strength as opposed to weight loss, for example.  

That said, all of the engagement goals mentioned above are important to building a fully engaged workforce; however, some may need to be addressed more urgently than others.

For example, is your organization's turnover rate higher than usual for your industry? If yes, reducing turnover should take priority over other goals.

To pick the right goals for your business, you will need to answer these questions and also conduct a thorough audit and measure engagement in your organization. Measuring engagement is an important step that will help get a deeper understanding of which goals should have priority over others.

Employee Engagement Program Budget

Launching a strategic employee engagement program requires a certain level of investment of time and resources.

As a result, when tinkering with the idea of employee engagement, many managers and executives wonder just how much budget they should dedicate to developing an engagement program.

Many executives don’t make it past this point, as it’s (wrongly) believed that the ROI of such a “touchy-feely” initiative cannot be measured. 

Think about it like this: if you were to join a fitness studio to improve your health, you probably wouldn't lock yourself into a year-long membership right away. Fitness studios and gyms assume this. That's why they provide flexible options such as day or month passes; for those commitment-shy people who prefer testing services before investing a large sum of money. They know people want to gauge the "worth" of the service before making a maximum investment. 

Similarly — when it comes to investing in an engagement program — it's reasonable to establish the potential ROI before committing the maximum amount of time and money.

Pro Tip: Check out our ROI Calculator to calculate the ROI of employee engagement for your business !

How much should you spend on employee engagement

The first step to drawing up a budget is to do some research and look at what other businesses are dedicating to programs. In short, let’s determine a benchmark.

The results of this survey show that a “sweet spot” for values-based rewards and recognition investment is 1% or more of payroll.

When companies make this level of investment (1% of payroll) they are nearly three times as likely to rate their rewards program as excellent, compared to companies that invest less.

Remember this budget is for a reward and recognition program only. Not all your engagement initiatives will be related to rewards and recognition as we will see later in this guide.

Building An Employee Engagement Strategy

Strategic planning: why it's critical for lasting engagement.

If you search the internet for employee engagement strategies, you will find long lists of seemingly random ideas. 

You'll find solutions like "throw team parties" and "let employees bring their dogs to work."  

These ideas might be good, but they are not strategies. 

Too often, companies spend time and resources on HR initiatives without thinking strategically about them.

For example:

• Implementing a trendy HR initiative without considering the problem you're trying to solve or if employees will benefit from it. 
• Spending money on a program and not questioning whether your employee want to participate in it.
• Offering benefits that employees don't care for.

On the other hand, being strategic about employee engagement means every initiative you invest in addresses a real problem in your company. 

This means: 

• Understanding the core drivers of employee engagement (more on this later).
• Identifying your employee pain points and crafting tailored initiatives accordingly.
• Speaking with or surveying employees to gain insight into what they want from their workplace.

Now, It's time to  move forward to the next step: how you will reach your engagement goals. In short, the meat of your strategy.

Starting your employee engagement strategy

Now, you should have the most urgent people's issues at the top of your mind. And you are armed with an understanding of what it means to be strategic about employee engagement.

Now, it's time to move forward to the next step: how you will build a well-rounded employee engagement strategy.

At Applauz, we've developed a practical framework to help guide you through building your engagement strategy.

Let's explore this framework…

Step 1 — zoom out on the key drivers of employee engagement

Think about the essence of a great employee experience. 

You're probably thinking of things like great leaders, good work-life balance, a place where you feel stimulated to learn and grow.

These are what we call the "driver of employee engagement." In short they are the pillars of an employee engagement strategy.

This framework helps identify the most critical areas of the employee experience so that you can start systematically building your action plan around it.

Career Growth

Diversity & belonging, wellness & balance.

• Recognition & Rewards

Mission & Purpose

Goals & alignment, autonomy & empowerment, benefits & compensation.

• Team & Communication
• Safety & Security 
• Work & Performance

When building a long-term, strategic engagement plan, start by selecting a driver of engagement (like Rewards & Recognition, for example)  and asking yourself the following questions: 

• What specific initiatives do we have in place to support this driver of engagement? (For example, how is our company supporting rewards and recognition at a systemic level?)
• Will investing in a new initiative in this area address our most urgent people problems?
• What could we do better in this area? 

Repeat the exercise until you have systematically tackled the entire pie. 

Building an employee engagement strategy means choosing the drivers of engagement that respond to your most urgent HR problems.

Not sure which area of the employee experience needs the most attention? Go to your employees to find out!

Pro Tip: Many companies use a Pulse Survey Tool to conduct surveys and collect employee feedback. Doing this allows managers to make informed, data-driven decisions on which tactics to prioritize.

Step 2 — zoom in and identify actionable initiatives

Now you know about each driver of employee engagement. You should also have a good idea of which drivers need the most attention in your business. 

The next step is to come up with actionable ideas to support each driver of employee engagement.

For example, Wellness & Balance is a key driver of employee engagement. But, this idea can be expressed in many ways.

In short, Wellness & Balance must be brought to life with specific initiatives — for example, half-day Fridays, work-from-home policies, on-site yoga classes, etc.

To help you get started, we will look at some common examples of initiatives from each driver of employee engagement.

Employee engagement initiatives examples

Here are a few common examples of initiatives for each driver of employee engagement:

• Institutionalize monthly 1:1 meetings between employees and direct managers .
• Implement performance and goal tracking software.
• Institutionalize formal communications training for all new managers.
• Establish an internal job board and support promotion from within the company.
• Dedicate a budget to subsidize courses and knowledge development for employees.
• Make managers accountable by establishing "coaching and employee development" as an official goal for their performance evaluations.
• Launch a monthly company newsletter (for internal staff only).
• Establish and document your official company values and mission. Include this in the presentation and documents for new hires.
• Implement a recurring all-hands executive presentation and lunch.
• Institutionalize empathy training for managers.
• Launch yearly manager evaluations (employees anonymously evaluate their direct manager).
• Re-imagine managers performance grid to include evaluation on their coaching and leadership efforts.
• Launch unconscious bias training for recruiters and managers.
• Evaluate your executive team – do they portray diversity and inclusion.
• Create inclusive policies and practices that honor multiple religious or cultural practices or holidays.
• Offer a flex-time policy.
• Build a work from home structure and policy.
• Offer employees credit for gym memberships or other wellness activities.
• Launch on-site mindfulness and yoga practice.
• Institutionalize “passion project” time each quarter.
• Launch a quarterly "think tank" session on the organizational or department level. 
• Implement a suggestion system. Employees can send anonymous feedback to HR anytime.
• Audit your compensation and benefits package--is it competitive?
• Consider a retirement plan (if you don’t offer one already).
• Consider offering paid parental leave (if you don’t offer it already).
• Revise your PTO policy if it's not competitive.

Rewards & Recognition

• Implement a Peer-to-Peer Recognition Program .
• Implement a Employee Recognition Training for all new managers.
• Launch an employee Service Awards Program .
• Offer a budget for a lunch and celebration for employee’s birthdays.

After this exercise is complete, you should have a clear idea of the concrete initiatives you will take to reach your ultimate goal of higher employee engagement.

Implementing an Employee Engagement Program

Now that you’ve created a road map to success, and had it approved (if necessary), it’s time to roll up your sleeves and start putting these on-paper ideas into action. 

Work on the list of initiatives in order of priority that you determined earlier.

Some initiatives will be more time consuming and costly than others, so it’s important to keep that in mind when deciding which to roll out first. 

Breakdown initiatives into even smaller steps

When each action is broken down into smaller and achievable goals, the path to success will be direct, clear, and manageable. 

Taking the above examples, let's say you've decided to prioritize " Rewards & Recognition ," and your goal for the next quarter is to implement a formal recognition software and also implement a Years of Service Program.  

Implementing two programs can't be done in a single click. It's a multi-step process. 

Here is what a typical “to-do” list would look like for implementing a Years of Service Program:  

• Determine budget 
• Budget approval (if needed)
• Create a list of options that fit the budget 
• Contact companies to ‘shop’ and compare features, etc 
• Narrow down to three finalists 
• Present options to decision-maker for final approval
• Purchase and implement service chosen
• Train management to use program
• Program announcement and training for employees 

As you can see, implementing an on-paper idea and bringing it to life takes several steps and the collaboration of other people and departments. You could even break down some of these steps further!

The most important thing to remember is that breaking down the list into these small and actionable steps makes a large and daunting project look and feel more manageable and less anxiety-provoking overall.

By 2025 Millennials will represent up to 75% of the global workforce ; it’s time to discuss the reality of Millennials in the workplace. So, what do Millennials really expect from their work? How can companies properly engage and recognize them?

Millennials aren’t exactly kids anymore. It’s been about eight years since Time Magazine ran their cover story about Millennials being the entitled “me me me” generation.

In 2020, this generation are now approximately between 24 and 39 years old. In short, this generation is all grown up. We are not so different from the generations preceding us. 

However, Millennials do differ in some ways from other generations , such as their familiarity with and comfort with technology. Millennials also differ in their approach to work, as they are more likely to seek jobs and careers that fulfill identity needs. In short, jobs that feel meaningful and fulfilling on an emotional level.

With that in mind, there are some common Employee Engagement Strategies that are used to motivate Millennials in the workplace, specifically.

Company values & culture proven to engage Millennials in the workplace

The Millennials generation grew up in the 80s and 90s, a pivotal time for technology and commerce. During this time, jobs were plentiful; incomes soared, stocks quadrupled in value. These times were characterized by consumerism, comfort, and abundance.

Although Millennials still share the same basic psychological needs as all other workers — after all, we are all human — growing up during such a critical time in our social and cultural history has shaped millennial’s desires in specific ways.

Millennials are progressive and forward-thinkers. 

Characterized by an optimistic and open-minded attitude, Millennials want to engage in work that matters not only to them but to society at large. In short, they are socially conscious. 

The keyword: impact. Millennials want to find work that creates an impact on some level — whether that in the company they work for, or on an even higher cultural and societal level. As a result, keeping Millennials engaged is conditional on continuously demonstrating how their efforts make a difference. 

That said, look at some of the brands that Millennials covet, carefully observe their design, aesthetic, and deeper emotional message. This will help to understand the types of values that resonate with the millennial generation.

• Sustainability
• Authenticity
• Openness and flexibility
• Personal development

The ultimate takeaway: If organizations want to retain top millennial talent, they have to start thinking not necessarily bigger, but deeper, focusing on building a thoughtful and conscious community that brings a more significant meaning and purpose to the world, rather a place where workers simply labour towards profit.

Employee Engagement Strategies for Manufacturing Workers

Your car, a television, a cold beer, a t-shirt, a toothbrush — virtually every single consumer product used in our daily lives was brought to life thanks to millions of skilled industrial workers.

Whether they are machine operators, safety inspectors, or forklift operators, manufacturing employees work in an environment that is very different from your standard 9-5 desk job.

A different type of environment

These are highly manual, labour-intensive jobs. Long shifts are often expected. Workers are on their feet for long periods, constantly lifting, moving, and shifting around to complete their tasks.

Moreover, workers are often exposed to intense heat, cold, or dangerous machinery and potentially hazardous materials that require wearing protective safety gear like gloves, goggles, and steel toe boots.

Many of these jobs are task-driven and repetitive in nature, which creates its own set of issues for workers and concerns for managers. A recent Netflix documentary called “ American Factory ” does a great job of painting a picture of the real-life mental and physical challenges of manufacturing workers.

In short, the nature of the factory or warehouse work is unique. That’s why keeping industrial and warehouse workers engaged and satisfied takes a slightly different approach. Ultimately, ensuring that industry workers are happy and engaged will not only increase your bottom line in terms of productivity but will also reduce the incidence of accidents and injuries in the workplace.

Respect: the number one management philosophy

Respect, as a basic philosophy, should underpin all the higher-level business decisions made when managing a team of manufacturing workers.

Manufacturing work is physically and mentally taxing and demanding. As a result, if you want workers to feel happy and engaged to work efficiently, they need to genuinely feel they are treated with respect and fairness every day.

What does this mean in action?

It means paying workers fairly, giving them enough breaks, being open about listening to their ideas, and formally praising and recognizing employees for excellent work.

Inclusivity is key

Warehouse workers are generally physically secluded from the rest of the employee population given the nature of their work

If warehouse or manufacturing workers feel left out from the rest of the business, their motivation and engagement will suffer as a result.

These workers need to be reminded that their work is just as important as the people in accounting, marketing, and sales — because it truly is.

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Employee Engagement-Frequently Asked Questions

What is employee engagement.

Employee engagement refers to the emotional connection and commitment employees have towards their work, their organization, and its goals. Engaged employees are enthusiastic, motivated, and invested in their job, leading to higher productivity, improved performance, and overall better organizational outcomes.

Why is employee engagement important?

Employee engagement is crucial for several reasons. Engaged employees are more likely to stay with the organization, reducing turnover and recruitment costs. They are also more productive, innovative, and deliver better customer service. Additionally, engaged employees positively impact the overall workplace culture and can lead to increased profitability and growth.

How can I measure employee engagement?

There are various methods to measure employee engagement. Common approaches include employee surveys, pulse surveys, one-on-one feedback sessions, and assessing key performance indicators like productivity, absenteeism, and employee turnover rates.

What are the signs of low employee engagement?

Signs of low employee engagement may include decreased productivity, increased absenteeism, lack of enthusiasm or motivation and high turnover rates

How can organizations improve employee engagement?

Improving employee engagement requires a multi-faceted approach. Some effective strategies include fostering a positive and inclusive work culture, providing opportunities for skill development and growth, recognizing and rewarding employee efforts, promoting work-life balance, encouraging open communication, and involving employees in decision-making processes.

How can leaders contribute to employee engagement?

Leaders have a crucial role in driving employee engagement. They should lead by example, communicate a clear vision and goals, provide regular feedback and recognition, support employee development, and create an inclusive and positive work environment where employees feel valued and empowered.

Can technology help enhance employee engagement?

Yes, technology can play a significant role in enhancing employee engagement. Tools like internal communication platforms, collaboration software, employee recognition platforms, and learning management systems can improve communication, foster teamwork, and provide opportunities for employee development.

Can small businesses benefit from focusing on employee engagement?

Absolutely! Employee engagement is beneficial for organizations of all sizes. Small businesses, in particular, can greatly benefit from engaged employees as they often operate in close-knit teams, and the impact of each employee's efforts is more pronounced.

Is employee engagement the same as employee satisfaction?

No, employee engagement and employee satisfaction are not the same. Employee satisfaction generally refers to how content employees are with their jobs and the work environment. On the other hand, employee engagement goes beyond satisfaction; it reflects the emotional commitment and involvement employees have with their work and the organization.

How can employee engagement be sustained over time?

Sustaining employee engagement requires ongoing effort and attention. Organizations should consistently communicate their mission and values, provide growth opportunities, encourage employee feedback, recognize and reward achievements, and regularly assess and respond to employee needs and concerns.

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Home Employee Engagement

Employee Engagement Action Plans: Identifying a Plan

Employee engagement is when employees feel emotionally connected to their work, their coworkers, and the company they work for. It is a very important factor that can affect how productive, loyal, and successful a company is as a whole. Organizations can use employee engagement action plans to create a work environment that encourages engagement. These plans usually include specific actions and projects that can help give employees a sense of meaning, connection, and power. 

By putting money into employee engagement, businesses can create a positive workplace culture that is good for both the workers and the company. In this blog, we’ll talk about employee engagement action plans, the key parts of an effective action plan for employee engagement, and the best ways to implement these plans.

What are employee engagement action plans?

“Data without action is meaningless”- Unknown.

Employee engagement action plans are a process that an organization must come up with to identify and prioritize their actions and also be able to identify quick and simple changes to demonstrate to its employees that the organization is determined to set in an action plan on receiving any form of employee feedback about levels of employee engagement within the organization.

Suppose your organization is determined to bring a substantial change in terms of how employee engagement is perceived in your organization. In that case, an employee engagement action plan is the perfect tool to get started with.

We surveyed and interviewed  HR leaders across the globe, and a whopping 50% of them said they rarely, if ever, do anything meaningful with their survey results. The reasons are alarming:

• Data collected focuses on outcomes and not the drivers of employee engagement
• It’s tough for us, we have competing priorities, and we are day jobs
• It’s tough to manage internal teams toward progress on something which isn’t even a priority
• It’s data about the stuff that has already happened and lags behind any new indicator. It’s not predictive. It’s hard to turn it into knowledge about what is going to happen

We should invest in this kind of work just as we do in any other operating system in our business. We invest in our accounting systems, marketing systems, in our sales systems, in our production facilities.

If engagement (and culture) is really important, as we say it is, why don’t we want to invest here as we do in any operating system? This takes resources and investment, and this takes intention. This is not just a one-time process. This is an ongoing effort.

According to a study conducted by Gallup, more than 51%  of employees in the U.S. alone are said to be disengaged. 16% of the employees are actively disengaged. These statistics are surprising and disheartening.

Higher levels of employee engagement are good for the business as businesses with a large number of engaged employees have registered better profit percentages. It’s not just the monetary gains; this talks greatly about workplace culture.

Learn more: employee engagement survey examples

Identifying employee engagement action plans

Before you start putting the plan together, consider the following questions to gain better clarity and direction while strategizing an employee engagement action plan:

• What areas of improvement will result in strategic gains in the levels of employee engagement?
• Do any of the areas of improvement already align with the current strategic direction?
• Is the change considered reasonable?
• What is the amount of funds that the organization is looking to invest?
• Is the organization ready to deliver what it is promising?  

It is advisable to thoroughly study all the attributes related to the levels of employee engagement plan in your organization before creating an action plan. It is essential to question the strategy during the incubation period. Once the plan is in the implementation stage, it would be easier to change its implementation constantly.

LEARN ABOUT: Employee Experience Strategy

Here are some of the things you can do for quick wins to improve the levels of employee engagement:

• Arrange for employees to meet one-on-one every fortnight with their manager or supervisors to get an opportunity to say what they have.
• Set a separate budget for employee training and development to improve employee learning activities.
• Create a comprehensive employee onboarding process to improve employee engagement levels for new employees.
• Having the organization’s leadership clarifies the vision, mission, and goals so the employees know the organization’s employee expectations .

How to build employee engagement action plans

There are a few key steps to creating successful employee engagement action plans. Here’s how to make an effective employee engagement action plan:

Assess the current state

Set clear objectives, involve employees, identify key drivers, develop actionable strategies, allocate resources, establish metrics, implementation and communication, monitor and evaluate, celebrate success and sustain engagement.

Remember that increasing and sustaining employee engagement is a continuous endeavor. Review and update your action plan on a regular basis to guarantee its relevance and efficacy in keeping your employees engaged and motivated.

3 tips for creating employee engagement action plans that work

Be strategic, send out surveys at fixed time intervals, don’t stop, no matter what, benefits of employee engagement action plan.

Here are some of the crucial employee benefits of a well-crafted action plan:

Better productivity in the workplace

Increased employee satisfaction, lower attrition rate, better work-life balance, revenue growth.

Learn more: QuestionPro Pulse Review App- Goodbye Boring Performance Reviews

Examples of employee engagement action plans

Employee engagement action plans are designed to improve employee satisfaction, motivation, and productivity within an organization. Here are some examples of the employee engagement action plan:

1. Communication enhancement plan:

• Implement regular town hall meetings or all-hands meetings to keep employees informed about company updates, goals, and progress.
• Encourage open and transparent communication channels like suggestion boxes, online forums, or anonymous feedback surveys.
• Establish a mentorship program or buddy system to foster relationships and promote communication between employees.

2. Training and development plan:

• Identify skill gaps and provide relevant training programs or workshops to enhance employees’ knowledge and expertise.
• Offer opportunities for career advancement through internal promotions or professional development programs.
• Encourage employees to set individual development goals and provide resources and support to help them achieve those goals.

3. Recognition and rewards plan:

• Implement an employee recognition program to acknowledge and reward outstanding performance and achievements.
• Provide regular feedback and constructive performance reviews to recognize employees’ efforts and offer guidance for improvement.
• Establish a system for peer-to-peer recognition, where employees can nominate and appreciate their colleagues’ contributions.

LEARN ABOUT:  Employee Rewards Ideas for Employee Engagement

4. Work-life balance and well-being plan:

• Promote work-life balance initiatives, such as flexible work hours, remote work options, or compressed workweeks.
• Provide access to wellness programs, such as gym memberships, mindfulness sessions, or mental health support resources.
• Encourage regular breaks and vacations to prevent burnout and promote overall well-being.

LEARN ABOUT: Employee Wellness

5. Team building and social engagement plan:

• Organize team-building activities like offsite retreats, sports events, or volunteer initiatives.
• Foster a positive work environment by promoting social interactions and encouraging collaboration among employees.
• Create employee resource groups or interest clubs to allow employees to connect and bond over shared interests.

6. Performance recognition and incentive plan:

• Establish performance-based incentives, such as bonuses, profit sharing, or commission structures. 
• Set clear performance metrics and goals to provide employees with a sense of direction and purpose.
• Celebrate milestones and achievements publicly to boost morale and motivation.

Remember that an effective employee engagement action plan should be tailored to your organization’s specific needs and culture. Regular evaluation and employee feedback will help refine and improve the plan over time.

LEARN ABOUT: Workplace Employee Experience Examples

Employee engagement action plans are the key to making a workplace that is both positive and productive. Organizations can improve motivation, job satisfaction, and general performance by putting in place strategies and projects that meet the needs of their employees. 

Regular feedback, leadership commitment, and ongoing review must be needed for these action plans to work. Investing in employee engagement surveys leads to a more engaged and dedicated workforce, which leads to better employee engagement survey results and success for the company.

Using the power of QuestionPro can make action plans for employee engagement much more effective. QuestionPro’s features and capabilities, like taking surveys, analyzing data, and sending reports in real time, give companies valuable information about how employees think and what they need. 

Using QuestionPro’s tools, companies can get feedback, track progress, and make decisions based on data to improve employee engagement projects over time. By adding QuestionPro to employee involvement action plans, companies can create a positive and welcoming workplace, boosting productivity, satisfaction, and overall success.

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Employee Engagement

How to Create an Employee Engagement Action Plan

By Alex Cleary

Updated: Nov 30, 2023

Employees that are connected and concerned about their work are more productive than those who aren’t. Develop an effective employee engagement action plan to get the best from your employees.

There are all kinds of things you can do to engage your employees. But having a plan for these initiatives is far more effective than improvising your employee engagement efforts.

An employee engagement action plan lays out everything you need to do to connect your employees with your business and each other. We’ll show you how you can build your own action plan that works with your employees.

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What Is an Employee Engagement Action Plan?

An employee engagement action plan outlines the goals, steps, and metrics taken to improve an employees’ connection to their work and their coworkers. This plan is a road map your business will take to achieve a specific employee engagement goal.

An employee engagement action plan differs from an employee engagement strategy . Whereas an employee engagement strategy is an individual initiative you may try, an action plan consists of a collection of strategies, along with an overall goal and methods to measure success.

Why create an employee engagement plan?

Consistently engaging your employees can be a challenging task! How your employees feel can constantly shift according to numerous factors.

An employee engagement action plan creates a framework for achieving a particular engagement goal. While this plan is set on a specific goal, it includes methods for modifying your approach, like gathering employee feedback to inform your engagement initiatives.

Your action plan helps you stay on track while trying different things. Even if your approach changes, your action plan’s goal and key performance indicators (KPIs) remain the same, helping you determine whether your changes were effective.

Building an Employee Engagement Action Plan

While the specific initiatives, measurements, and strategies may differ, most employee engagement action plans adhere to a somewhat standard structure.

We’ll outline the different sections of your action plan, and give you some ideas as to what specifics you can include in each section.

Remember, every workforce is unique and requires special attention as to what motivates and engages them. Be sensitive to the needs and habits of your employees, and factor these considerations into your action plan.

Get powerful email analytics and reports.

Know exactly what internal emails your employees like.

Set realistic and specific engagement goals

Your goals can be based on areas you’d like to improve. Think about different instances where employees directly interact with your business: employee survey response rates , event attendance, employee net promoter scores (eNPS), or any other measurable aspect of employee engagement.

Your action plan goals can also be based on suggestions from your employees. If your employees report that they feel overlooked by their managers, aren’t given adequate feedback on their performance, or lack opportunities to move up in the company, then you can aim to improve these circumstances via your employee engagement action plan.

Example: You’ve received feedback indicating that numerous employees feel out-of-the-loop when it comes to your latest company updates. Employees aren’t clear on the status of ongoing projects, and don’t understand how their work contributes to the business’s overall success.

Your goal: Help your employees bridge the gap between their day-to-day work and the overall goals of your business. Increase employee recognition as to how their efforts contribute to the departmental and overall business success.

Mapping initiatives to achieve your goals

Once you’ve determined and outlined your engagement goals, you can start identifying employee engagement models , strategies, initiatives to achieve them. Sometimes your goals will have obvious solutions, other times you’ll have to brainstorm initiatives or ask your employees what they’re looking for.

Solicit engagement solutions from your employees by collecting feedback via email surveys and anonymous employee comments . A quick employee pulse survey embedded in your internal communications can give you a good idea of how your employees feel about your engagement issue…

…and even give you ideas about what initiatives or strategies you can use to address their concerns:

Ultimately, the best way to choose effective strategies for improving employee engagement will be the one that your employees identify. Listen carefully to their feedback and act on their suggestions.

If you need to gather feedback from a particular portion of your workforce, you can use custom email lists to send your survey to only relevant recipients. Using ContactMonkey’s List Management feature , you can create custom email lists—without IT—that integrate with your Human Resource Information System (HRIS) like Workday and ADP, as well as Azure Active Directory, so they’ll update automatically.

Create custom email lists without IT.

Try ContactMonkey’s List Management feature.

Create a timeline for initiatives and determine stakeholders

Once you’ve defined your goals and methods to achieve those goals, you need to figure out when you’ll implement your initiatives and when you’ll measure your success .

Create a realistic timeline for when you’ll employ your employee engagement strategies. This can look similar to an internal communications planning calendar; outline the date and duration for each of your initiatives ahead of time, so you don’t overwhelm your employees.

You should also determine who will be responsible for running your various strategies and measuring their effectiveness. Employee engagement can sometimes be split between internal communications teams and HR, so make sure you coordinate appropriately.

Implementing an Employee Engagement Action Plan

An important part of any employee engagement strategy is awareness. The more your employees know about what you have planned, the more likely they are to participate in your initiatives.

Create internal communications to promote your engagement initiatives to employees and remind them of when they’re happening. You can coordinate your initiatives with their relevant internal communications using your planning calendar.

Be sure to include feedback options on your employee engagement internal communications. Not only will their engagement with your emails give you an idea about overall participation, but you can also solicit feedback about how to accommodate employees or improve your engagement plan.

Try adding a pulse survey to your announcements. Ask about planned attendance, excitement levels, or any aspect of your plan that impacts employees:

Be sure to enable anonymous employee comments so your recipients can include suggestions or concerns about your upcoming event.

If you’re not sure what questions to include in your surveys, try using ContactMonkey’s OpenAI ChatGPT integration to generate questions based on prompts describing what kind of information you’d like to gain.

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After the Employee Engagement Action Plan: Measuring Success

After your employee engagement initiatives conclude, it’s time to see whether they had their intended effect. Determine KPIs related to your engagement goals and measure them before implementing your plan.

For example, if the goal of your engagement plan was to increase eNPS, be sure to conduct an eNPS survey after your plan has concluded. Embed such a survey into your internal emails using ContactMonkey’s eNPS survey software , then compare the results to those you collect before conducting your plan.

For companies with large remote workforces, you can use email metrics to determine how your employees engaged with your plan and initiatives:

Measure things like open rate, click-through, and read time of your internal communications before and after your plan has taken place. Use employee feedback to contextualize your email metrics to get a complete picture of any improvement to employee engagement.

If your organization has external or internal regulations around email privacy, you can still gather email metrics using ContactMonkey’s anonymous email tracking while maintaining your employees’ privacy.

What is an employee engagement action plan?

How do you write an employee engagement plan.

To write an employee engagement plan, you need to define your engagement goals and relevant KPIs, determine which engagement strategies you will employ, and outline a timeline and stakeholders for your plan.

What are employee engagement goals examples?

Your employee engagement goals can range from higher email metrics on your internal communications, better direct feedback from your employees, improved survey responses, or any other relevant metric that your engagement plan can positively influence.

Build an Amazing Employee Engagement Plan with ContactMonkey

In order to effectively manage your employee engagement plan—inform employees about your initiatives, collect employee feedback, and measure email metrics—you’ll need a comprehensive internal communications tool.

ContactMonkey is an all-in-one internal communications solution for businesses that want to save time on their internal communications, track internal emails, and prioritize employee engagement. Using ContactMonkey, you can let employees know about your initiatives, send event invites, measure employee engagement and email metrics, and much more.

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Want to see ContactMonkey in action? Book a free demo to see how ContactMonkey can help make your employee engagement plan as effective and possible: 

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