Dive Brief:
- Nearly half (45%) of the more than 1,300 U.S. workers surveyed in January by Eagle Hill Consulting don’t believe their employers are investing in employee connection, despite its importance to job satisfaction, performance and retention, especially in hybrid and remote work environments, the firm reported April 12.
- To improve employee connection, employers should follow five steps, Eagle Hill said: Re-imagine employee connection by looking at programs already in place and pinpointing what’s working, the gaps and the impact of change; ask employees what they need and listen; identify organic and inorganic opportunities to connect by creating the space and opportunity for connections; create a sense of purpose with a strong vision for the future; and build a business case for employee connection by emphasizing talent retention, quality outcomes, improved morale and customer service.
- “What we are seeing is that organizations are looking too narrowly at employee connection, defining it only in terms of employee relationships,” Eagle Hill president and CEO Melissa Jezior said in a release announcing the survey results. Instead, employee connection “is about fostering a workplace where employees feel connection not just to people, but also to their work, organization and culture.”
Dive Insight:
The pandemic-triggered shift in the way we work, particularly in today’s tight labor market, has changed the role of employee connection, Eagle Hill said. Once viewed as something that happens automatically by sharing values, such as by holding happy hours and other team-building events, employee connection is now a key component of thriving and competitive organizations, the report pointed out.
Connection at work can be the differentiating factor that keeps workers from jumping ship, a leader in McKinsey’s people and organizational performance practice told HR Dive in 2022. Employees with a strong feeling of social capital — friendship, sponsorship, mentorship and trust — were 1.5 times more likely to feel a sense of belonging, 1.5 times more likely to feel engaged and two times more likely to have sponsorship at work compared to those who felt disconnected, the expert said.
In other words, workers with social capital felt looked out for and listened to, and perhaps most importantly to their employers, were able to do their best work, according to the research.
Four in 10 of the employees who responded to the Eagle Hill survey said feeling connected to people at work has the greatest impact on their job satisfaction. But it’s their connection to the work itself that seems to play the biggest role in why employees decide to stay or leave an organization, the survey found.
Almost half (48%) of the respondents said their connection to the job is what most affects whether they’re satisfied with what they do and don’t move on; 60% said it improves their ability to do the job, and 55% said it motivates them to go above and beyond the job.
The degree to which employees feel their personal values align with their organization’s culture, mission, values and norms is another facet of employee connection, Eagle Hill explained. Forty percent of those who responded to the survey said their decision to stay with an organization depends mainly on whether they feel connected to its culture and norms.
Employers can stand out in the job market by showing they’re purpose-driven, so long as that purpose is consistent with workers’ values, especially for the youngest generation, respondents told consulting firm Alight in a 2022 survey.
But just stating their purpose isn’t enough; employers also have to ensure they’re accountable for following through on this purpose, according to a Deloitte report. Accountability measures can include tying executive compensation to purpose priorities and tapping a leader with credibility to drive action, Deloitte said.
