Low staff engagement costs the global economy 8.9 trillion US dollars, or 9% of global GDP. Behind this staggering number lies a critical truth: engagement is not just a "nice-to-have" but a business necessity. 

Authentic engagement goes beyond free coffee and ping-pong tables—it's about creating a workplace where workers feel valued, supported, and empowered to succeed. Yet many organizations struggle to meet these needs. How clear are workers about their roles and goals? Are they receiving the right onboarding experiences, manager support, and growth opportunities? Is compensation fair, and are benefits competitive? 

Companies that fail to listen to and act on the needs of their workforce risk losing more than productivity—they risk losing their best people. 

Use data to understand the current state of engagement 

Before crafting or revising your engagement strategy, it's essential to gather data on the status quo—your workers' current levels of engagement. Focus on how workers feel about their roles, their satisfaction with their work environment and management, and their perception of growth opportunities. 

As an HR professional, you should set up recurring surveys to measure worker sentiment across key areas with Deel's Engage Surveys module. For instance, you can: 

• Launch an onboarding survey for new hires to understand their initial experiences and identify areas for improvement. 

• Deploy quarterly pulse surveys to quickly gauge morale and address issues before escalating. 

• Implement yearly engagement surveys covering job satisfaction, leadership, work environment, communication, career development, and overall well-being. 

By consistently gathering and analyzing this feedback, you can make data-driven decisions to enhance the worker experience and create a culture that people want to stay part of. 

Best practice: Segment survey responses by department, tenure, or contract type (contractor vs. full-time employee) to pinpoint specific areas needing attention and tailor interventions accordingly. 

Create clarity on role expectations and career development 

One of the top drivers of staff engagement is role clarity. Workers who understand their responsibilities, performance expectations, and potential career paths within the organization are more likely to feel motivated and aligned with company goals. 

Creating this clarity involves the initial role definition and ongoing communication around performance goals, promotion criteria, and advancement opportunities. 

With Deel Engage's career management and performance management modules, HR leaders can streamline and document role expectations and performance goals for every individual, regardless of their contract type. By managing your entire workforce in one place, Deel Engage ensures that all workers have access to a consistent set of expectations and resources. 

Best practice: Set up regular check-ins to help managers communicate career development opportunities and track progress toward performance goals. Checking in builds transparency and trust and allows managers and their teams to define the steps for growth. 

Develop and support managers as engaged leaders 

The quality of management is a critical factor in staff engagement. Workers who feel supported by their managers are likelier to be engaged, productive, and loyal to the company. 

In 2025, HR departments must focus on developing managers who are not only effective leaders but also empathetic and supportive coaches. 

Deel Engage supports this goal by providing tools and resources to help managers improve their leadership skills. Managers can receive upward feedback from team members on areas like communication, support, and feedback frequency. 

Based on this feedback, HR and L&D specialists can identify areas where managers may need additional training or coaching. Deel Engage also facilitates ongoing development with structured leadership training programs tailored to the specific needs of managers within an organization. 

Best practice: Make manager development a part of your engagement strategy by setting clear expectations for managers to conduct regular one-on-ones, provide timely feedback, and engage in continuous learning. 

Automate and personalize the onboarding experience 

First impressions matter, and a structured, thoughtful onboarding process sets the foundation for a positive worker experience. New hires who feel welcomed, informed, and integrated from day one are more likely to engage fully and contribute long-term. 

With Deel's Workflow Builder, companies can automate the onboarding process to ensure that every new hire—whether a contractor or a full-time employee—receives a consistent and comprehensive introduction to the company. Deel's onboarding automation goes beyond just paperwork. The platform can guide new hires through key processes, introduce them to colleagues, and provide them with the necessary tools and information to succeed. 

For example, you can set up onboarding workflows that cover both logistical steps (like device provisioning and policy sign-offs) and personal interactions (such as team introductions or manager one-on-ones). By taking care of the formalities and personal touches in one automated workflow, Deel enables HR specialists to deliver a seamless onboarding experience that helps new hires feel valued and integrated. 

Best practice: Send an onboarding survey after the first 30 days to understand how new hires feel about their initial experiences. Use this feedback to continually improve your onboarding process and ensure it aligns with worker expectations. 

Offer learning and development opportunities aligned with worker interests 

Learning and development opportunities are increasingly important to today's workforce, with many individuals prioritizing growth as a key factor in their job satisfaction. A strong L&D program helps workers build skills and signals the company's investment in their future. 

With Deel Engage, HR and L&D specialists can set up learning opportunities aligning with worker interests and organizational goals. Companies can offer personalized development plans that cater to each individual's career aspirations. By creating a targeted learning and development strategy, companies can boost engagement and show workers they have a future within the organization. 

Best practice: Offering development options that align with your team's interests can lead to higher engagement and retention. 

Benchmark and enhance compensation and benefits with global salary insights 

Compensation and benefits are fundamental to engagement, as they impact workers' sense of fairness and appreciation. HR leaders need to ensure their pay structures are competitive and aligned with industry standards, especially in a global context where salary expectations vary widely. 

Deel offers global salary insights, enabling HR managers to benchmark compensation across different regions and roles. This allows companies to make data-driven decisions on salaries, bonuses, and benefits, ensuring their compensation packages remain attractive to top talent. 

With Deel, companies can access real-time salary data from around the world, helping HR leaders adjust their offerings as needed. Additionally, with Deel's free HRIS, organizations can manage a diverse workforce of both contractors and full-time employees in one place, allowing them to maintain equity in compensation across different employment types. 

Best practice: Adjust compensation packages annually, ensuring your offerings stay competitive as market conditions evolve. 

Read Deel's latest The State of Global Compensation Report. 

Foster a continuous feedback culture with regular pulse surveys 

A thriving engagement strategy requires continuous feedback. Rather than relying solely on annual engagement surveys, implement a regular cadence of pulse surveys to capture staff sentiment in real time. 

Deel Engage makes it easy to run frequent pulse surveys, allowing HR leaders to gauge morale, and proactively address emerging issues. 

By making pulse surveys a regular practice, companies can stay agile, quickly respond to shifts in sentiment, and demonstrate that they value feedback. Deel Engage's automation capabilities mean setting up these surveys is simple and scalable, even for large or globally distributed teams. 

Best practice: Create a feedback loop by sharing survey results with the relevant teams or organization-wide and outlining actions the company will take based on their input. This transparency fosters trust and shows your people their opinions and needs matter. 

Drive staff engagement with Deel 

A thoughtful, data-driven staff engagement strategy is essential for any organization looking to retain and attract top talent. 

By leveraging tools like Deel, HR leaders can automate surveys, streamline onboarding, and create targeted programs that address workers' core needs. From clarifying role expectations to supporting managers and benchmarking compensation, Deel provides a comprehensive suite of solutions to help HR departments craft a high-impact engagement strategy. 

Ensure your workers feel valued, supported, and motivated to contribute to your company's success. Schedule a demo with Deel to see how the platform can transform your HR processes and help you build a thriving, engaged workforce for 2025 and beyond.