Dive Brief:
- A global study of 19,000 employees by the ADP Research Institute found that 84% aren't fully engaged at work. But ADP also found that teamwork could improve engagement metrics; workers in the study were 2.3 times more likely to be fully engaged if they belonged to a team and 12 times more likely to be fully engaged if they trusted their team leader.
- The makeup of the various teams in an organization, however, is not always clear. Of those who work on a team, 64% said they work on more than one and 75% said their teams are not represented in the organizational chart.
- ADP also found that 21% of gig workers were fully engaged compared to just 15% of full-time employees. Worksite also mattered, as 29% of virtual workers were fully engaged compared to 18% of employees who work in an office. Other factors included education and position: workers with a higher level of education were more likely to be fully engaged than those without a college degree, and C-suite and VP-level executives were more likely to be fully engaged than mid-level team leaders and those at the first-level of team leadership.
Dive Insight:
Creating a positive candidate and new-hire experience is key in establishing long-term employee engagement. Speaking at a Paycor summit earlier this year, Katy Bunn, senior director, marketing communications at Paycor, told the participants that engagement starts on day one of the job. She urged HR leaders and managers to build a supportive culture for new hires that includes frequent check-ins on their progress and goal setting.
Another speaker at the Paycor summit, Kelly Charles-Collins, partner at Smoak, Chistolini & Barnett, PLLC, said that atmosphere, culture and environment (ACE) can positively impact employee experience by creating work environments that are more diverse, inclusive and mutually trusting. But diversity alone isn't enough, she added: "[Suppose] we have 10 people who are diverse...but what're you doing with those people? Are they involved in any way? Are they empowered and do they feel valued within the company?"
Other experts say that engagement starts in the recruitment process and extends throughout an employee's tenure. An Allegis Group report found that while the relationship building that's so critical to engagement begins in the recruitment stage, only 31% of employers said they were satisfied with their recruitment efforts.
Employers can do a lot to improve candidate experience, according to a report by Phenom People. Suggestions from that report included acknowledging applicants' resumes in a reasonable time frame; responding to applicant queries quickly once they become candidates; being transparent about company culture, the duties and expectations of the job; and announcing the outcome of interviews as soon as possible. Even when candidates aren't hired, keeping their names in the talent pool maintains the connection in case another position opens up or a previous hiring decision doesn't pan out.
