In 2022, the average employee attrition rate across Asia Pacific was 13%, compared to 13.7% in 2021. Globally, attrition rates have followed this same trend of slight decreases, according to a Statista survey. Low employee turnover is key to a healthy company. But experts suggest aiming for less than 10% attrition to maintain a stable and productive workforce. This sweet spot minimizes disruptions and talent shortages, keeping your team running smoothly.

Achieving this ideal range of attrition is attainable with the right tools and strategies. Here, we’ll review how to calculate attrition rate of employees, as well as strategies for decreasing attrition. Decreasing attrition can help minimize hiring costs, identify areas of improvement in your workforce planning, and improve your organizational culture.

What is attrition rate?

Before we learn how to calculate attrition rate of employees, let’s explore what exactly companies mean when they talk about attrition rate. In simple terms, attrition rate is a metric for the number of employees or clients that you lose over time and don’t replace, and is a percentage of the total workforce or customer base.

In this article, we’re looking at the attrition rate for employees, known as the churn rate. This rate is a metric for the permanent decrease of staff numbers in an organization. 

Whereas the turnover rate refers to the overall loss of employees, the attrition rate refers to the loss of employees that you don’t make up for with new hires over time.

Why are attrition rates important?

As an HR leader, understanding how to calculate attrition rate of employees and knowing how many employees leave your company is an important metric to help understand your employee experience, company culture, and the overall health of your organization.

This rate can help you estimate the effectiveness of your retention efforts, how loss of staff impacts organizational dynamics, and the number of vacant or removed positions. This way, you can identify development opportunities.

High attrition rates can signal a serious issue and a need for systematic changes, such as leadership changes, company culture rebrands, or adjustments to your people strategy.

Not to mention, the recruitment process and backfilling costs that come with losing employees are expensive and time consuming, making understanding and tackling attrition an essential part of HR.

Types of Employee Attrition

Aside from how to calculate attrition rate of employees, distinguishing the four main types of attrition is helpful in understanding the motivations behind employee attrition, proving HR teams the insights to tackle attrition head on.

• Voluntary: Voluntary attrition is when an employee willingly decides to leave the company, this can be due to personal reasons such as moving or health concerns, retirement purposes, or problems within the company such as poor leadership or dissatisfaction with company culture.
• Involuntary: Involuntary attrition is when an employee leaves the company involuntarily, often by termination or layoffs. This could happen for various reasons, including organizational restructures, performance issues, or economic reasons such as a loss of company funding.
• Internal: Internal attrition doesn’t necessarily mean an employee has left the company, but has moved departments or divisions, vacating their previous role. 
• Demographic-Related Attrition: If a specific group of a certain age, ethnicity, gender, or demographic leaves suddenly and unexpectedly, that’s a demographic-related attrition. This type of attrition is a major red-flag, as it indicates there’s a form of discrimination within the company, or a broader company culture that is non-inclusive or welcoming.

Common Causes of Attrition

Now that you know the types of employee attrition, it’s equally important to understand the root causes of attrition before you learn how to calculate attrition rate of employees. Understanding the common causes of attrition equip you with the information needed to address the systemic or one-off issues within your organization, helping to reduce your attrition rate.

• Personal reasons: There are countless personal reasons an employee may choose to leave their role. Ranging from life circumstances such as marriage, care-taking, health challenges, or pursuing a career change. Personal reasons are often outside of an organization’s control, and are less concerning than other causes of attrition. However, HR teams should observe and monitor for patterns. For example, if employees are leaving your organization after becoming parents, it could be an indicator that your policies and benefits are not supportive of working parents, and warrant an evaluation.
• Job dissatisfaction: Job dissatisfaction is another common reason for attrition. Employees may find their jobs unfulfilling due to negative environments, low compensation, lack of growth opportunities, misalignment with the company’s goals and their own professional goals.
• Promotions: One of the more positive reasons for attrition, if an employee is promoted to a new role, this would be considered attrition.
• Retirement: Another typically non-concerning cause of attrition is retirement, also called natural attrition.
• Poor performance or misconduct: A company might let go of an employee for disruptive or poor performance, which is a functional form of attrition.
• Economic conditions: Economic conditions (like recessions) might force you to reduce your workforce, freeze salaries, or pause recruitment and hiring efforts.
• Industry shifts: Changes in the business landscape can alter staffing requirements, such as the replacement of certain positions with automation tools.

Calculating Your Team’s Attrition Rate

Learning how to calculate attrition rate of employees is more straightforward than you may think, and understanding how employee data is determined can help you better understand the contributing factors and how these numbers can affect your organization. Let’s take a look at how you can approach calculating your company’s attrition rate.

1. Determine the time-period you’d like to calculate for, this can be done by quarter, month, year etc.
2. Add the number of employees you started the period with to the number of employees you ended the period with.
3. Divide the sum by two to get the average number of employees for that period.
4. Now divide the number of employees who left the company (you’ll calculate this by subtracting the number of employees at the end of the period from the number of employees at the beginning of the period) by the average number of employees that you calculated in step 3.
5. Multiply the number by 100 to get the rate as a percentage.

Let’s say you want to calculate attrition rate for the year 2023. If you started the year with 300 employees and ended it with 288 employees, here’s how to calculate attrition rate of employees in that case:

• 300 + 288 = 588
• 588/2 = 294 (the average number of employees for 2023)
• (300 – 288)/294 = 12/294 ≈ 0.04
• 0.04 x 100 = 4%
• Your attrition rate for 2023 was 4%

Tools and Strategies to Improve Retention

High rates of attrition are opportunities to review your organization, People strategy, and performance management processes to find areas of improvement for your company. As retention is one of the leading indicators of a positive organization, it’s understandably an important initiative for HR teams.

Let’s take a look at some of the tools your team can use to help decrease attrition rate and thus improve employee retention.

HRIS

A Human Resources Information system (HRIS) can be a powerful tool in improving retention, boosting productivity, and cultivating a strong company culture. 

Automated workflows and employee feedback systems help HR teams to stay on top of initiatives like employee training and development, acknowledging engagement opportunities such as work anniversaries through automated reminders, conducting consistent and smooth onboarding and performance review cycles, and equipping HR teams with real-time data on employee performance and engagement.

HRIS can help determine employee performance gaps, identify trends, and calculate attrition rates, so HR teams can react swiftly and effectively to get ahead of issues that may increase attrition rates.

Not to mention, HRIS are often equipped with employee self-service tools, allowing employees to manage their time and benefits, which has been shown to improve engagement and boost employee satisfaction.

Employee Feedback Tools

Employee feedback is something organizations should prioritize regardless of attrition, however in the cases where you learn how to calculate attrition rate of employees and find that it’s concerningly low, employee feedback is one of the best ways to figure out where you’re going wrong.

Feedback tools are a great way to give employees a platform (often anonymous) to voice their concerns, opinions, and experiences in a constructive and strategic way. This gives HR and CEOs a direct eye into what is and isn’t working within their organization, and can help identify pain points or potential issues before they grow.

Asking for feedback shows employees that you care about their happiness and growth, which boosts morale, improves employee satisfaction, helps you identify issues before they escalate, ultimately increasing employee retention rates. Of course, these tools only work if you take action based on the feedback you receive.

Employee Recognition Platforms

Employee recognition is an effective way to keep employees motivated and engaged, helping reduce attrition rates. In fact, a survey found 65% of employees said recognition would incentivize them to work harder. 

Employee recognition platforms are great tools to facilitate recognition programs, streamlining efforts and providing a platform to easily celebrate the wins of your team. These platforms help you recognize employee successes and milestones, such as outstanding performances, birthdays, and anniversaries.

Such platforms make that possible via reward points, gift cards, virtual clapping, digital badges, appreciation messages, and recognition certificates. Ultimately, they support employee recognition and, sometimes, peer recognition, which strengthens the culture and improves retention.

Learning and Development

Learning and development (L&D) is a process to help your employees improve their skills and provide them with opportunities for professional growth, and is an important initiative to keep employees engaged and happy in their roles. These growth-oriented programs create a value-based company culture, which helps promote loyal and committed employees. 

L&D tools can gamify and streamline development initiatives, with various tools and tactics to keep employees engaged. By automating your growth program, you can track course completion and engagement, helping you ensure employees are getting the most out of the program.

Flexible Work Arrangements

Another way to decrease your attrition rates is by providing flexible work arrangements,  a trend with growing popularity among employees due to the work-life balance they enable.

Flexible work arrangements can range from fully remote to hybrid work models, and can even exist in in-person environments that have flexible hours or time-off policies. Flexible work attracts high-performing employees, increases retention rates, inclusivity, diversity, and productivity, and can minimize overhead costs, making it a win-win for employees and their employers.

Employee Onboarding

Once you learn how to calculate attrition rate of employees, the results may surprise you. Lack of employee engagement can begin as soon as the onboarding process. As the first impression for new hires, onboarding is a crucial moment in the employee lifecycle, contributing to engagement and determining the success of employees.

Consistent, comprehensive onboarding programs help set employees up for success, immediately aligning them with the goals of your organization, setting expectations for performance, communicating benefits and feedback channels, and laying the foundation for a positive and productive work environment.

Whether in-person or remote onboarding, your program can have a significant impact on your attrition rate, and can be a great place to start when determining strategies to improve your retention.

HR software can help streamline onboarding efforts, giving your new hires an enhanced employee experience, and ensuring consistent, timely, and effective onboarding.

HR Analytics

HR analytics measure the successes and failures of how well your company is performing when it comes to its employees. Analytics is a broad term, and can measure just about anything from the demographics of your workforce to engagement rates, performance gaps, goal completions, and ROI of your employees.

Accordingly, HR analytics tools can help you with how to calculate attrition rate of employees. To increase retention, you can dig into HR analytics software to generate the data that helps you determine factors such as employee engagement, morale, and performance. These are all useful indicators for determining attrition rate, forecasting potential pain points that can contribute to attrition, and identifying where you are excelling in your People management.

How Omni Helps Modern Companies Lower Their Attrition Rate 

Real-time employee data and analytics

Keeping your finger on the pulse of your workforce helps mitigate attrition rate risks such as dips in employee engagement or performance skill gaps. Omni centralized and tracks a wide range of employee data, from attendance records to attrition rate, automatically within our platform. Real-time graphs and easily exported reports simplifies employee analytics and cuts down on calculation times and errors, arming you with the data you need to understand the trends within your organization. 

Employee attrition rate can be easily accessed for monthly, quarterly, annually, or any custom range of dates within minutes, making it easier for HR leaders and CEOs to keep track of their churn rate and address pain points at the first sign of trouble, helping to reduce your attrition rate and improve employee retention.

Automated performance management tools

Omni’s performance management tools bring consistency, organization, and accountability to your organization without the need for disjointed systems or spreadsheets. Set and track employee goals, set up automated reminders and monitor progress of performance review cycles, collect anonymous feedback from peers and managers, and create learning and development tracks all within one, centralized platform. 

Omni simplifies the performance management process, reducing the time it takes to manage employee performance and boosting engagement to help manage attrition rate. 

Customized employee experience

Customization that allows you to meet the unique needs of your business, Omni is built to personalize your employee’s experience with deepened engagement and promote a strong organizational culture.

Here’s a look into just a few of the ways Omni helps personalize your HR functions for maximum engagement:

• Automated calendar reminders so you never miss a birthday, work anniversary, or holiday. Calendars can be personalized and localized to your team’s location, helping you keep your finger on the pulse of local happenings to capitalize on opportunities to engage your employees. 

• Bespoke onboarding programs mean HR can build out unique and tailored experiences for your employees. Think templates for remote onboarding, exec onboarding, and hybrid onboarding at your fingertips to easily provide a personalized experience to new hires in a matter of minutes. Automated fields make it easy to input personalized touches such as names and position titles for large batches of employees without the hassle of manual entry.
• Employee self-service tools mean your employees are empowered to access and manage their benefits (a key driver of engagement) without the intervention of HR. Automated leave allowance calculations, time-off request workflows, profile management and more help put your employees in the driver’s seat.

Positive reinforcement has long been a best practice in managing employee engagement and productivity. 

In fact, a OnePoll survey on behalf of Bonusly found 46% of respondents have quit jobs where they felt unappreciated, and 65% claimed that recognition would incentivize them to work harder.

While one-off messages of appreciation are certainly a welcomed practice, developing a consistent and strategic employee recognition program helps managers to build and maintain strong relationships with their employees year-round.

What Are Employee Awards?

Awards, including rewards and recognition for employees, are accolades that you can give out to show appreciation for your employees. They’re a form of acknowledgement for employees’ contributions, achievements, tenure, and performance. Typically, Human Resource managers devise programs to ensure employees are being recognized for their contributions, and are remaining engaged within their organization.

Why Is Employee Recognition Important?

Understanding the value of employee recognition can illustrate the ROI on building employee recognition programs. More than an obligation to your team, recognition fosters a strong sense of community and company culture, and helps employees to understand how their individual contributions support the larger organizational goals and objectives.

Morale

82% of employees are happier when they’re recognized at work. And when a business creates a culture of recognition, appreciation and celebration, that happiness will create higher morale and greater motivation for everyone—two things all businesses need to thrive.

Engagement

How do awards (like end-of-year awards for employees) increase engagement levels? This is a direct result of earned recognition, heightened morale, and pride in one’s work. Showing your appreciation for employee contributions further incentivizes them to continue contributing, helping boost engagement and drive productivity.

Goal alignment

Employee recognition helps further align your team members with your organization’s values and goals. When setting and tracking goals, you identify KPIs to measure the success of employee’s efforts towards those goals. In publicly recognizing and applauding efforts towards achieving organizational goals, you further increase the alignment of your employee’s efforts.

When you send appreciation messages, gifts, and end-of-year awards for employees, this encourages them to repeat those behaviors. Research supports this notion, 92% of workers are found to be more likely to repeat a specific action after receiving recognition for it

Retention

Recognition is a workplace benefit. 68% of surveyed HR professionals said their organization’s recognition program positively affects retention and 56% said such programs also help with recruitment. Employees want to go where they feel appreciated and recognized for their contributions, and when this is upheld, it fosters a supportive work environment that can beat out other competing organizations vying for top talent.

5 Pillars of Employee Recognition

Not all recognition efforts are created equal. For truly impactful employee recognition, consider the following five central pillars.

Consistent

Establish a consistent and fair recognition process. Ensure that employees understand the criteria for recognition and that the program is consistently applied across the organization. Regular and fair acknowledgment helps build a positive work environment and reinforces your company’s values.

Authentic

Recognition should be genuine and sincere. It’s essential to acknowledge and appreciate specific behaviors or achievements that align with your company’s values. Avoid generic or insincere praise, as employees can often discern when recognition is not authentic.

Equitable

There should be clearly communicated standards, values, and expectations when it comes to your employee recognition program to prevent performance appraisal bias. This upholds an egalitarian approach to the implementation of your program and distribution of rewards.

Personalized

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to employee recognition, meaning that you want to consider each employee’s preference. When you try the employee recognition examples we’ll list below, personalize them. Send out end-of-year awards for employees, but add a personal appreciation email to announce them. Everyone has unique motivations and ways they prefer to be acknowledged. Some may appreciate public recognition, while others may prefer private acknowledgment. Understanding these preferences allows for a more meaningful and personalized recognition experience.

Timely

Recognition is most effective when it is timely. Acknowledge and celebrate achievements as soon as possible after they occur. This immediate feedback reinforces the connection between the action and the recognition, making it more impactful.

12 Employee Recognition Examples to Try

You’re in a brainstorming session, and the only ideas you have in mind are employee-of-the-month awards and end-of-year awards for employees. Allow us to help with more employee recognition examples, which take the abstraction out of the equation and leave you with actionable steps to engage your teams.

Employee Rewards Program

Recognition Points Program

In this program, employees earn points for their exceptional efforts, achievements, or contributions. These points can be accumulated over time and redeemed for a variety of rewards. The key is to allow employees to choose rewards that are meaningful to them, promoting a sense of personalization. Rewards could include gift cards, extra days off, company merchandise, professional development opportunities, or even special experiences like a spa day or a weekend getaway. This approach not only recognizes and rewards employees but also gives them a sense of autonomy in selecting their incentives.

Employee of the Month/Quarter Recognition

A classic but effective approach when it comes to employee recognition examples, this program involves acknowledging outstanding employees on a regular basis. The selected employee is named “Employee of the Month” or “Employee of the Quarter” and receives various rewards and recognition. Rewards can include a dedicated parking spot, a personalized trophy or plaque, a featured spot in the company newsletter, a sponsored lunch, or a monetary bonus. This program not only provides tangible rewards but also boosts morale and motivation by publicly acknowledging and celebrating employees who consistently go above and beyond in their roles.

Employee Recognition Gifts

Customized Professional Development Opportunities

Instead of traditional tangible gifts, consider providing employees with the opportunity to enhance their skills and knowledge. Offer them access to workshops, conferences, online courses, or industry certifications that align with their career goals. Of the employee recognition examples, this approach not only recognizes their contributions but also invests in their professional growth, demonstrating a commitment to their long-term success within the organization.

Flexible Work Arrangement Privileges

Recognize exceptional employees by offering them the gift of flexibility in their work arrangements. This could include options such as remote work days, flexible scheduling, or compressed workweeks. Providing employees with greater control over their work-life balance acknowledges their hard work and shows that the company values their well-being. This type of recognition gift is especially relevant in today’s evolving work landscape, where flexibility is highly valued by many employees.

Employee Recognition Awards

There are plenty of employee recognition examples when it comes to awards. Try out these two or develop your own based on your organization’s unique culture.

Innovation Champion Award

Recognize employees who consistently contribute creative and innovative ideas to enhance processes, products, or services. The Innovation Champion Award celebrates employees who demonstrate a forward-thinking mindset, problem-solving skills, and a commitment to driving positive change within the organization. This award not only acknowledges individual efforts but also reinforces a culture of continuous improvement and creativity.

Customer Excellence Award

Acknowledge employees who consistently deliver exceptional service and go above and beyond to satisfy customers. The Customer Excellence Award recognizes individuals who demonstrate outstanding customer service, client relationship management, and a commitment to exceeding customer expectations. This award emphasizes the importance of customer satisfaction and reinforces your organization’s dedication to providing high-quality products or services.

Employee Anniversary Recognition

You can celebrate any amount of tenure for your team, but significant milestones tend to be at five-year marks. Track and celebrate work anniversaries, and ensure that the celebration size reflects the size of the milestone. 

Monetary recognition

Providing a bonus at the time of an employee anniversary is a welcomed and appreciated form of recognition. Be sure to make the amount reflective of the tenure and include a personalized note or conversation to thank the employee for their contributions.

Non-monetary

If not monetary, these efforts can be anything. Think gifts, cake celebrations, congratulatory videos, handwritten cards, wellness packages, anniversary lunches, company swag gifts, and celebratory events for loyal employees.

For example, one idea among our specific employee recognition examples for anniversaries is to put together anniversary yearbooks after a fixed tenure and on employees’ work anniversaries. Personalize them with photos, notes, and more memorabilia from managers and workmates.

Other less time-consuming employee recognition examples would be to write a letter, email, or note to your employee for their work anniversary. You can use this employee recognition note example:

Hello [Name]!
Happy [Number of Year] year work anniversary. Isn’t it amazing how time flies by?! It feels like you’ve just joined [Company Name] yesterday, but it also feels like you’ve been with us forever (what with all your contributions and achievements)! [Company Name] is a changed place because of you. Thank you for your hard work and dedication to [Company Name]. We’re so glad to have you! 

Personal Recognition

Across all employee recognition examples there should be a personalized element.  Here are some employee recognition examples that double down on the personal element to give a unique edge and community aspect to your recognition efforts.

Personalized thank-you notes

Encourage managers and team members to write personalized thank-you notes expressing appreciation for specific contributions or qualities of their colleagues. These notes can be shared in team meetings, posted on a recognition board, or delivered privately. The personal touch of a handwritten or thoughtful digital thank-you note makes the appreciation more meaningful and reinforces positive behaviors and attitudes.

Employee spotlight interviews

Conduct regular employee spotlight interviews, either written or video, where team members share insights about their colleagues. Highlight individual strengths, achievements, and personal qualities that make each employee unique. This not only acknowledges the individual but also helps build a sense of connection within the team. Colleagues appreciate seeing and understanding the diverse talents and personalities within the organization, fostering a culture of mutual respect and personal appreciation. Share these insights either privately or during monthly team meetings.

Public Recognition

Last but certainly not least of the employee recognition examples is public recognition. This style of the employee recognition examples not only acknowledges individual accomplishments but also reinforces positive behaviors and fosters a sense of pride and accomplishment among your entire workforce.

Spotlight awards ceremony

Host a quarterly or annual awards ceremony where outstanding employees are publicly recognized for their contributions. This event can be conducted in-person or virtually, with the CEO or senior leaders presenting awards and praising the recipients. Share success stories, highlight achievements, and showcase the positive impact each employee has had on the organization. This public recognition reinforces a culture of appreciation and motivates others to strive for excellence.

Slack or social media shoutouts

Leverage the power of Slack and social media to publicly acknowledge and celebrate employees. Regularly post shoutouts, success stories, or employee spotlights on your company’s Slack or communication channels. Include photos, quotes, or videos that showcase the individual’s achievements and contributions. This not only provides widespread recognition within your organization but also enhances the company’s employer brand by showcasing a positive and appreciative work culture to the external audience.

How Can Omni Help Boost Employee Recognition?

Employee recognition can boost employee engagement, which affects every aspect of your organization, from culture to morale, productivity to innovation, investing in your employees is a sure fire way to improve your business functions and drive growth. 

Any of the above employee recognition examples are great ways to boost engagement and drive culture for your organization, but they require monitoring and administrative management from HR teams in order to be successful. 

Omni makes it easy to track employee performance, anniversaries, contributions, and engagement through one, automated platform for easier employee recognition management. Build employee profiles and receive automated reminders of milestones such as work anniversaries, goal achievements, engagement metrics and other useful information that helps drive recognition programs.

With Omni, HR professionals can leverage automation and expert created templates to build seamless processes to support each stage of the employee lifecycle, and manage each function in a centralized, easy-to-use platform. Omni’s data analysis and smart-reports allow you to derive real-time, actionable insights on your employee experience so you can build an award winning culture of growth, innovation, and engagement.

Keeping employees engaged remains a top priority for companies. While we know that an engaged workforce leads to higher productivity, greater innovation, and overall happier employees, it’s also an economic benefit for organizations. Studies have found replacing talent costs an average 33% of the departing employee’s salary. In addition to sourcing and hiring the right talent for your organization, it’s also imperative to maintain a company culture and environment in which employees want to stay.

That’s exactly why measuring employee satisfaction is no longer a ‘nice to have’—it’s essential for the success of any organization. Yet, measuring it doesn’t mean sending out a generic survey and hoping your employees will pour their hearts out. In fact, if you’re asking the wrong questions, you won’t get any useful data that can help in improving employee satisfaction. 

Instead, your employee satisfaction survey questions need to get to the root of what truly matters so that your employees feel safe enough to give honest feedback. That way, the insights you gain can help create meaningful solutions to any underlying issues, empowering you to improve workplace culture and productivity. 

With countless employee satisfaction survey questions to choose from, these  15 employee satisfaction survey questions target the heart of employee perception, helping you unlock impactful insights to shape your employee experience…

15 Employee Satisfaction Survey Questions That Cover Your Bases

By covering your bases, we mean these employee satisfaction survey questions will address all the categories you need to gain insights into: overall job satisfaction, work environment, communication, work-life balance, professional development, compensation and benefits, recognition and rewards, team collaboration, leadership and management, and finally, employee well-being.

Overall Job Satisfaction

1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how satisfied are you with your current job?

This question allows you to get a general idea of how your employees are feeling in their roles. If you find an employee’s answer is low, it could be indicative of other issues that need to be addressed, whereas a higher rating could tell you that they’re in the right position.

Work Environment

2. Do you feel comfortable and supported in your workspace?

Job responsibilities aren’t the only factor that can affect an employee’s well-being. How comfortable they feel in their workspace is a major factor too. Whether it be the physical environment, or how supported they feel by their colleagues, this is among the top employee satisfaction survey questions that helps you understand what aspects of your workplace culture could be improved.

3. Do you believe your workplace promotes diversity and inclusion?

Diversity and inclusion in the workplace are essential for creating an equitable and productive work culture. This question will help you gain insights into how your employees feel about diversity in the workplace, and whether any additional measures should be taken to support it.

Communication

4. Do you feel adequately informed about company updates and decisions?

Internal communication is key to keeping all members of the team up to date on important company news. Knowing whether your employees feel adequately informed or not can help you assess what changes need to be made in order for everyone to be kept in the loop.

5. Are your opinions and feedback valued by your supervisors and managers?

Open communication is often promoted in companies, but it’s not always welcomed in practice. Putting this question among your employee satisfaction survey questions allows you to gauge how your employees feel about being able to share their ideas and input, and whether or not their opinions are taken seriously. This is one of the most important questions to ask to ensure your employees feel heard and respected because, without it, employee morale is sure to suffer. 

Work-Life Balance

6. Do you feel that you can maintain a healthy work-life balance?

Ever since COVID-19, work-life balance has become a top priority for many employees. Knowing whether or not your employees feel that they have the time and energy to enjoy their personal lives without feeling overwhelmed by work-related tasks is a great way to get honest feedback about how working life at your company impacts them, not to mention an effective tactic to fight against signs of employee burnout.

Professional Development

7. Are you satisfied with the opportunities for professional growth within the company?

Corporate ladders often seem hard to climb, and employees get demotivated when they don’t see any room for progress. This question helps you assess the level of satisfaction your employees have with their current career paths, and whether additional measures should be taken to provide them with further opportunities for personal development.

8. Do you receive sufficient training to excel in your current role?

Wouldn’t it be great to assess the quality of your training programs while simultaneously gaining insight into your employees’ experience and expectations? This question allows you to do just that. As a result, you can decide which areas need improvement to ensure top performance from all team members.

Compensation and Benefits

9. Do you believe your compensation is fair for the work you do?

Fair compensation is essential for keeping morale high. Asking this question allows you to gauge whether employees feel they’re being rewarded fairly for their efforts and can help you determine if your employees compensation is an adequate motivator.

10. Are you satisfied with the benefits package offered by the company?

You may perceive that the benefits package you offer is the best in the industry, but this question helps you confirm what your employees think. It can also give you an idea of which employee benefits are more important to them so that you can make sure those needs are met.

Recognition and Rewards

11. Do you feel recognized and appreciated for your contributions?

According to a Gallup survey, companies that keep employee recognition among their priorities are 56% less likely to have employees who are looking for a new job. By including this among your employee satisfaction survey questions, you can gauge the level at which employees feel recognized and valued for their work. In turn, this can give you signals to inspire opportunities for recognition programs, for instance, to help boost engagement.

12. Are the performance-based rewards and incentives motivating to you?

Employees who feel motivated are more productive and engaged in their work. By pinpointing what rewards and incentives motivate your employees, you can ensure that your reward system is effective and encourages positive performance.

Team Collaboration

13. Do you believe your team works well together and supports each other?

Teamwork is essential for achieving success, so it’s important to get feedback from your employees about how well they think their team works together. This can help you identify any issues that are preventing effective collaboration and provide a better understanding of the team dynamics.

Leadership and Management

14. Do you have confidence in the leadership and management of the company?

Shared trust and respect between the leadership team and employees is vital for a successful organization. This is among the most important employee satisfaction survey questions because it helps you determine how your employees perceive their leaders so that you can take action to build a stronger relationship if necessary.

Employee Well-being

15. Do you feel that the company cares about your well-being?

Well-being directly correlates with performance, so it’s important to make sure that your employees are taken care of. Asking this question directly gauges the employees’ perception of the company’s commitment to their well-being, which can give you an idea of whether the organization needs to prioritize initiatives that foster a healthier work environment. These could range from flexible work arrangements and workload management to employee assistance programs and wellness programs.

Boost Employee Satisfaction With Data-Supported Insights

Each of these employee satisfaction survey questions taps into a specific aspect of the employee experience, providing a well-rounded view into your employee experience. From work-life balance and employee well-being to work environment and leadership and management, these employee satisfaction survey questions  leave very few gaps in the feedback you can gather from your employees. The key to successful employee satisfaction survey questions is to tailor the surveys to your organization’s context—making them relevant, insightful, and actionable.

It’s worth mentioning that impactful employee satisfaction survey questions are most effective when you commit to regular and routine employee surveys, and actively address the feedback received and take action based on your results.

Omni’s comprehensive performance management modules make creating, administering, and analyzing employee surveys easier than ever. With customizable templates and automated reminders, you can build employee satisfaction survey questions and programs to gather consistent and confidential feedback from your teams. With intuitive data analysis features, managers and HR teams can quickly and easily assess the results from employee feedback, enacting change swiftly to maximize your survey’s impact.

Book a demo with our team today to learn more about how Omni can aid your company culture, and help uncover the insights you need to build a highly engaged workforce.

It’s one thing to “feel” that your employees are engaged, but it’s another thing entirely to be able to measure and quantify it. With employee engagement directly affecting productivity (it has the power to boost it by 23%!), the risk of playing it by ear is too great to ignore. 

Knowing precisely how engaged your employees are can empower you to make decisions and launch engagement initiatives that keep them motivated, productive, and most importantly, happy. One way to do that is to use employee engagement surveys, which are becoming increasingly important for measuring the pulse of a team and getting to the heart of the matter—how satisfied and fulfilled are your people?

To get you started on crafting your employee engagement survey questions, we’ve put together this list of 20 strategic employee engagement survey questions that can help you gain valuable insights into your employees’ feelings and perspectives. 

Understanding Employee Engagement Surveys

An employee engagement survey is a type of questionnaire that uses specific questions to measure how engaged employees are at work. By employee engagement, we mean the extent to which employees feel passionate about their work and have a strong connection to your organization. 

When done right, an employee engagement survey can also arm you with data to create strategies that will help build a successful, productive, and engaged workforce. 

That’s why it’s essential to be strategic when crafting your employee engagement survey questions. Each one should be carefully chosen to uncover the true feelings of employees and spark meaningful discussions about how to improve their experience. 

20 Strategic Employee Engagement Survey Questions

With that said, below are 20 sample open ended employee engagement survey questions that will delve deep into the satisfaction, motivation, commitment, and well-being of your team. 

Overall Job Satisfaction

1. Do you see yourself working at [organization] in five years?

The purpose of this question is to get a sense of employee loyalty and commitment to your company. 

Generally speaking, employees know if they want to stay with their current employer for the long term or not. If you find that most of your team doesn’t expect to stay with your company for the next five years, you’ll know that there’s a retention issue that needs to be addressed.

2. Are you considering exploring opportunities with a different company?

While the first question aims to measure long-term commitment, this one explores an employee’s near-term commitment to the company. 

Employees who are engaged at work typically don’t consider looking for a job elsewhere. In fact, it probably doesn’t even cross their minds. 

On the other hand, those who are less engaged will most likely answer “yes” to this question. As such, you may want to add a text field for more details about their thoughts on the matter. 

Work Environment

1. Would you recommend this organization as a great place to work?

Think of this one as the employee engagement version of the Net Promoter Score (NPS). 

Employees only recommend a company to others if they like the culture and the work environment. If you get many negative responses to this question, it’s a sign that your employees don’t view your organization in a positive light.

2. Does the company cultivate a nurturing and supportive work environment?

It’s important to get a sense of whether or not your employees feel like they have the support they need to do their jobs well. 

Do they feel like there are enough resources available? Is there an open-door policy with senior management? These are all key elements in creating a positive work environment. 

Communication and Feedback

1. Do you feel that your ideas and opinions are valued at the workplace?

Valuing employee input is a crucial part of creating an engaged team. Employees should be able to share their thoughts without fear of retribution. 

A “yes” answer indicates that employees feel comfortable speaking up, while a “no” could mean that there’s an issue with leadership not listening to what their employees have to say.

2. Do you comprehend the reasons behind any organizational changes that occur?

Change is a necessary part of any organization, but it can be difficult for employees to understand why certain changes are being made. Asking this question will help you better understand how well your team can keep up with the changing landscape. 

Do they feel like they’re kept in the loop or do they often feel confused and uncertain? This could be an indicator that the organization needs to step up its communication efforts.

Leadership and Management

1. Does your immediate manager genuinely show concern for you as an individual?

Great managers can help create an environment where employees feel supported and valued. They should be able to provide feedback that’s constructive and aims to improve performance rather than criticize. 

The more concern a manager has for their direct reports, the better they’ll be able to foster an atmosphere of trust and collaboration. This question will help you determine which managers need additional training and support.

2. Does your immediate manager show genuine concern for your professional growth and development?

While this employee engagement survey question may seem similar to the last question, it’s slightly different. Here, we’re looking at whether or not managers are actively advocating for their direct reports’ future success. 

Are they helping employees build the skills and knowledge needed to progress in their careers? Are they providing them with challenging opportunities and connecting them with potential mentors? This is an important factor in ensuring that high-potential employees don’t get overlooked and can reach their full potential.

Team Collaboration

1. Do you find satisfaction in collaborating with your team?

Teamwork makes the dream work! It’s important that employees feel fulfilled working together and have an understanding of how each individual contributes to overall success. 

This question can uncover how your team is faring in terms of collaboration, problem-solving, and interpersonal relationships.

2. Do you feel that you can rely on your teammates?

No one likes to bear the weight of a project alone. If employees can’t depend on their teammates, then the entire team could be in danger of underperforming. 

Knowing who you can count on is an important factor in driving success and fostering a feeling of trust within the team. This question will help you identify any potential issues that may be causing divisions in your workforce.

Work-Life Balance

1. Does your job provide you with the flexibility to accommodate the demands of your personal life?

Many employees feel like they’re robots, stuck in a seemingly endless cycle of working more and never taking the time to invest in their well-being, a tell-tale sign of employee burnout.

The goal of this question is to gauge not only how well you’re supporting employees to maintain a healthy work-life balance but also how satisfied they are with the amount of flexibility and autonomy that their job offers them.

2. Do you believe that you maintain a healthy work-life balance?

Work-life balance has grown to become a key focus point in many organizations, so it’s important to measure how well you’re doing. 

This question can help uncover any stressors that could be preventing employees from reaching a healthy balance between their personal life and their career. 

Training and Development

1. Does your current job provide you with opportunities for continuous learning and skill development?

Research has shown that 74% of employees aren’t reaching their full potential due to a lack of employee development opportunities. The result is an unmotivated workforce that feels stuck in their current position, unable to reach the next level of their career. 

This question will help you understand whether your employees are getting the training and development they need to stay motivated and continue growing.

2. Do you have opportunities for advancement or promotion at this organization?

The paths to advancement and promotion can be hard to come by in some organizations. In other cases, they exist, but employees may not be aware of them or don’t have access to the resources needed to take advantage of those opportunities. 

This question will help you understand if employees are feeling stuck in their current roles and unable to reach new heights within your organization.

Recognition and Rewards

1. Do you regularly receive recognition for your work?

According to a Gallup survey, companies that prioritize employee recognition are 56% less likely to have employees who are looking for a new job. Recognition and rewards programs can help employees feel valued and appreciated, which in turn can lead to higher engagement levels and improved performance. 

This question will help you understand if your recognition efforts are effective or if there’s more work to be done in this area.

2. Are you receiving sufficient feedback regarding your job performance?

1 in 5 employees are dissatisfied with the feedback they’re getting at work, according to research. When employees feel that they’re working in a vacuum with no real direction or guidance from their supervisors, it can lead to low morale and disengagement.

This question will help you understand if your feedback process is sufficient and effective.

Employee Well-Being and Support

1. Do you find the work you do at the organization meaningful?

When employees derive a sense of meaning from their work, it has a profound impact on their performance. McKinsey research revealed that when employees find a sense of meaning in their work, their productivity increases by 33%, commitment to the organization rises by 75%, and talent is significantly less likely to consider leaving, with a decrease of 49% in attrition rates. 

As a result, this question is of paramount importance, as it will help you understand if your employees are satisfied with the nature of their work.

2. Do you feel like you belong here?

Well-being feeds directly into engagement and job satisfaction. When employees feel like they belong to an organization, it can lead to increased motivation levels, improved job performance, and higher commitment levels. In contrast, when employees feel isolated and disconnected, it can lead to a disengaged workforce.

Asking this question will help you understand how your employees perceive the workplace culture and how well they’re doing on the belonging front.

Organizational Culture and Values

1. Do the vision, mission, and values of the organization align with your own and serve as a source of inspiration for your work?

Employees want to work for an organization that aligns with their own values and provides a sense of purpose. The question here is whether or not employees feel inspired by your organization’s vision, mission, and values. 

This can help you identify if there’s a disconnect between what your organization stands for and how it behaves in practice. Better yet, it can help you pick up on whether employees are actually aware of the organization’s guiding principles.

2. Do you understand your role in showcasing your organization’s values?

In many scenarios, employees are the public face of an organization and thus need to be aware of the company’s values. 

This question can provide valuable insights into whether employees understand their role in reinforcing the organization’s core beliefs and how they can use them as a guide for behavior. It can also help you identify areas where more education is needed, or if there may be confusion surrounding organizational values.

Deepen Your Employee Engagement with Omni

By now, it’s visible how important employee engagement is for any business. From boosting morale and trust to increasing productivity and loyalty, it’s a key factor in driving an organization forward. By putting these 20 open ended employee engagement survey questions into action, you won’t leave your employees’ level of engagement up to chance.

But from there, you’ll have a new challenge: how to leverage the data you’ve collected to create meaningful change.

At Omni, we understand that empowering employees through the right support and resources is essential for their engagement. That’s why our platform offers a comprehensive suite of tools that make it easy to manage the end-to-end employee lifecycle. Whatever the stage of your engagement initiatives, Omni can help you build a tailored solution that takes your employee experience to the next level.

Book a demo today and see how our full suite functions in action!

The field of HR is constantly evolving, presenting HR professionals with ever-changing industry trends and dynamic workplace challenges. HR leaders need to adapt and learn continuously to navigate industry changes and meet their organization’s diverse needs. While articles provide valuable insights, books offer a unique opportunity for deep dives that can truly transform HR practices, and the best books for HR professionals offer in depth guidance that HR podcasts and articles lack.

The best books for HR professionals provide a comprehensive understanding of crucial HR topics such as talent management, organizational culture, employee engagement, diversity and inclusion, and leadership development. They act as catalysts for change, inspiring HR professionals to enhance their People practices and adopt fresh perspectives.

Here we have handpicked the 15 best books for HR professionals. Each book on our list holds the power to ignite new ideas, challenge conventional thinking, and empower people leaders to elevate their skills and approaches.

1. Leaders Eat Last

Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek delves into the concept of creating an exceptional workplace where employees are motivated, engaged, and driven to achieve outstanding results. Sinek explores the crucial distinction between organizations that struggle to reach success, despite offering attractive incentives and those that thrive due to a culture of trust and collaboration.

Inspired by a conversation with a Marine Corps general, Sinek introduces the idea that “officers eat last” and emphasizes the importance of leaders prioritizing the interests of their team members. Through fascinating real-life examples from the military, large corporations, and government agencies, the book illustrates why leaders should put their people first, fostering an environment of trust and cooperation.

2. Dare To Lead

Dare to Lead by Brene Brown challenges the traditional beliefs that leadership revolves around status and power. Coming in second on the list of best HR books to read, it emphasizes sharing power, recognizing potential, and having difficult conversations rather than avoiding them.

Drawing from seven years of collaboration with transformative leaders, Brown shares real-life stories, examples, and research-backed insights to address the questions that often arise for people in leadership positions. Dare to Lead will be your trusted companion to learn how to choose courage over comfort and become a better leader.

3. Work Rules

If you’ve ever wondered how Google remains one of the most highly-rated companies for its work culture, Work Rules by Laszlo Block is one of the best HR books to read. It reveals many valuable lessons you can learn from Google’s creative people to build a talented and successful workforce.

Covering how to learn from both the best and worst employees, hiring smarter people than ourselves, and using data for better predictions instead of relying on instincts, Work Rules dives into the industries most coveted secrets to building a lasting culture.

4. No Rules Rules

No Rules Rules by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer takes readers on an exciting journey of the transformation of Netflix from a DVD rental service to the entertainment giant we know today. Netflix co-founder, Hastings, introduced groundbreaking management principles that made their company’s pivot possible in the face of an evolving market.

Hastings’ unique management approach fostering an environment centered around freedom and responsibility puts No Rules Rules on the list of best books for HR professionals as readers explore nuanced management principles, such as providing employees context rather than strict control. It’s a must-read that will not only entertain you but also serve as a refreshing alternative to binge-watching Netflix during your free time (though we don’t mind that either).

5. Fixed: How to Perfect the Fine Art of Problem-Solving

Fixed by Amy Herman is a captivating story that combines the beauty of art with valuable tools for solving complex challenges. Through a novel approach, Herman invites readers to see, ask, and think in new ways about the world around them. This step-by-step guide is not limited to personal or professional challenges but extends to the broader issues we face as a community, including those amplified by the pandemic, making it one of the best books for HR professionals.

If you’re seeking fresh perspectives and strategies to approach problems from a different angle, Fixed is a must-read. It will inspire you to embrace uncertainty, enhance your problem-solving abilities, and navigate the ever-changing complexities of our world.

6. Start with Why

Over a decade ago Start with Why by Simon Sinek ignited a movement prompting organizations to question their greater purpose. Despite the passage of time, Sinek’s ideas remain relevant and robust catalysts for change. In this book, you’ll discover why certain organizations outperform others, create loyal customers and employees, and consistently achieve success.

Sinek introduces the concept of the ‘golden circle’ and provides a framework for building your organization around its core purpose. By focusing on your “why,” you can empower your people and foster a culture of success.

7. The Introverted Leader

The Introverted Leader by Jennifer Kahnweiler tackles a vital question often overlooked: How can introverts excel as leaders? This book reveals that some of the most successful leaders, such as Mark Zuckerberg and Ariana Huffington, are introverts. Drawing insights from thousands of such introverted leaders, The Introverted Leader provides valuable guidance to create an environment that embraces introversion in the workplace.

One of the best books for HR professionals, it presents a four-step strategy called the 4Ps process that shows how you can succeed in the workplace by building on your strengths. After reading The Introverted Leader you will have a well-defined plan for getting through anxiety-inducing situations and knowing how to tackle tough conversations. Whether you are an introverted leader or manage introverted employees, it will help you cultivate a thriving work environment.

8. The First-Time Manager

For nearly four decades, The First-Time Manager by Jim McCormick has been a go-to resource for new managers, providing them with the tools to tackle any challenge confidently. Recognizing the stress of being a new manager, it offers valuable guidance on stress management, becoming a better listener, and motivating employees.

The updated edition is packed with essential skills and knowledge to navigate the unique demands of managing remote employees, bridging generation gaps, and utilizing online tools for increased efficiency, earning its spot on the best HR books to read list. Whether you’re a new manager seeking guidance or a seasoned professional looking for a refresher, this book is a must-have companion on your managerial journey.

9. HBRs 10 Must Reads on Communication

Must Reads On Communication by the Harvard Business Review is a valuable resource for leaders seeking to enhance their communication skills beyond basic advice from generic Google searches. This book compiles 10 of the best articles from Harvard Business Review, offering actionable steps, insights from experienced leaders, and real-life stories.

With insights from renowned experts such as Deborah Tannen, Jay Conger, and Nick Morgan, these articles cover various topics, including building credibility, why small businesses need HR software, and inspiring others to embrace your vision. Whether you want to establish effective communication or elevate your existing skills, Must Reads On Communication provides practical guidance to help you become a more impactful communicator.

10. Ask Powerful Questions

Ask Powerful Questions by Will Wise and Chad Littlefield is a book that teaches leaders and employees how to escape small talk and have conversations that genuinely connect with others. Wise and Littlefield explain how asking the right questions can make a big difference in productivity, building trust, and creating a safe environment, whether at work or in your personal life. Ask Powerful Questions breaks the process down into six practical steps that you can easily follow for success.

The guide makes its way onto the best books for HR professionals as these questions aren’t just for the workplace — they can be used anywhere, from boardrooms to grocery stores. This book will help you initiate and continue conversations that build strong connections and positively impact every part of your life.

11. More Than a Boss

More Than a Boss by Nick Brzozowski emphasizes the crucial idea that people leave managers, not companies. As one of the best books for HR professionals, More Than a Boss offers six valuable practices that can guide you in leading your department toward success. With these practices, you can become more than just a boss to your team. It’s a perfect guide for those looking for deeper clarity between different leadership styles such as transactional leadership and transformational leadership.

More Than a Boss covers essential aspects such as understanding your team, self-management techniques, effective motivational tools, and making informed hiring and firing decisions. While it doesn’t promise shortcuts to becoming a CEO, it equips you with the necessary skills to become the ideal boss that creates a thriving work environment.

12. Leadership for the New Female Manager

Leadership for the New Female Manager by Karina G. Sanchez addresses the unique challenges millennial managers face stepping into leadership roles. As a young leader overseeing a team that may include older employees, feelings of inadequacy can be overwhelming.

Sanchez offers a guide to embracing leadership and unleashing your full potential as a female manager. As one of the best HR books to read, it offers practical advice to overcome imposter syndrome and lead with confidence. You’ll learn valuable lessons on navigating emotions while making effective leadership decisions, and encouraging open communication. If you’re ready to excel in your new leadership role, this book contains insights, hacks, templates, and tools you must take advantage of!

13. You Are The Team

You Are the Team is a valuable guide by Michael G. Rogers that teaches us how to cultivate a highly dedicated and results-oriented team. It emphasizes the importance of setting aside ego and working collaboratively without distractions. With his extensive expertise, Rogers provides insights and practical exercises to help develop effective teams.

Being one of the best books for HR professionals, it goes beyond theory, offering relatable stories and actionable strategies for team development. You Are the Team is not limited to leaders alone, the entire team can benefit from its teachings. Team members can unlock their full potential by taking actions such as prioritizing the needs of the team over individual interests, engaging in honest conversations, and taking personal accountability.

14. A New Kind of Diversity

In today’s workplace, companies need to address the challenges that arise when people from different generations work together. A New Kind of Diversity by Tim Elmore examines the complexities of up to five generations collaborating in many companies, where tensions can occur that affect team communication, morale, and a sense of belonging.

Each generation brings its own unique perspectives, beliefs, and ways of communicating. Sometimes, they feel like they speak different languages and struggle to understand one another. A New Kind of Diversity provides strategies to improve communication and collaboration while bridging the generation divide. With the tools for addressing these challenges, A New Kind of Diversity is among the best HR books to read to ensure you create a productive work environment for all employees.

15. The Eight Paradoxes of Great Leadership

The Eight Paradoxes of Great Leadership by Tim Elmore prepares you for the challenges of becoming a successful leader and provides strategies to navigate the demands of a multigenerational workforce. Through these paradoxes, you’ll learn how to connect with your team members meaningfully and inspire them beyond just financial incentives.

Elmore, an experienced trainer of young professionals, shares valuable insights on the qualities that today’s team members seek in their leaders. He also showcases real-life examples of modern leaders who have embraced these challenges and achieved remarkable results. Whether you’re a new leader or aspiring to become one, this book offers practical advice to help you become an effective leader.

Deepen Your Leadership Skills

HR books allow you to take a closer look at the many facets of dynamic leadership. From theory to real-life examples from top companies and leaders, this round up of the best books for HR professionals is sure to help you navigate your leadership journey and build lasting cultures to organizational success.

For more tools for effective leadership, download Omni’s free Employee Handbook Template for easy to use templates and effective tips for building a lasting culture.

Job-hopping — when employees change jobs frequently — has become increasingly popular with younger generations. Rather than staying within the same organization for the better part of their career, employees are more apt to switch jobs when they feel bored, stuck, or demotivated, often on the lookout for the next best opportunity. This is a challenge for companies that want a stable workforce, especially if many of their employees are millennials, “the job-hopping generation,” according to a Gallup study.

Employee engagement is an effective way to curb attrition within your organization, as companies seek to hold on to their top performers and create a culture that attracts qualified talent. 

To master employee engagement, you’ll need to grasp exactly what makes an engaged workforce, how to maintain one, and draw inspiration through employee engagement ideas to successfully build your own. 

This article explores the best employee engagement ideas to create a workplace that inspires employees to stay and thrive. From fostering a sense of purpose and providing growth opportunities to nurturing a culture of appreciation, learn to engage your employee on a deeper level. 

The 5 C’s of Employee Engagement

The 5 C’s of employee engagement are key elements that play a vital role in creating a positive and motivating workplace where employees feel connected to their organization, valued for their contributions, and empowered to communicate effectively. 

By prioritizing these aspects, HR leaders and managers can cultivate a culture of engagement that boosts productivity and enhances employee satisfaction. Incorporate these 5 C’s into your employee engagement ideas to lead to long-term success for both individuals and your organization as a whole. 

Care

Take the time to let your employees know you care about their well-being and goals at work and in their personal lives. Have regular 1-on-1 meetings, offer support when needed, and provide resources to help them grow and develop professionally and personally. Holding space for your employees personal lives, which can be as simple as asking how their weekend was or wishing them a happy birthday, can add a level of care to your organizational culture that helps drive engagement.

Connect

This refers to the extent to which employees feel connected to their organization, their colleagues, and their immediate team. It includes factors such as relationships with supervisors, teamwork, and a sense of belonging.

Building strong connections between employees and their peers, managers, and the organization as a whole creates a company culture that remains crucial for building a great workplace. Work to strike a balance between connecting over work business initiatives as well as informal, team building activities to strengthen company culture.

Coach

While transactional leadership has its upsides, these days employees benefit from managers who serve as mentors, providing guidance and feedback and helping employees reach their full potential. Organizations that invest in training and development programs to help employees gain the necessary skills and knowledge to thrive in their job roles exhibit employee engagement ideas that center the coach approach.

Contribute

Employees need to feel that their work and efforts are valued and make a meaningful contribution to the organization’s goals. When employees understand how their work aligns with the overall objectives, they are more likely to feel engaged. This aspect of engagement is best demonstrated through employee engagement ideas that utilize goal setting structures such as OKRs and SMART goals. 

Congratulate

Recognizing and celebrating employee accomplishments and contributions, whether significant milestones or small wins, shows employees that you value and appreciate the efforts they put into your organization’s success. A recent study found that when companies recognize their employee’s contributions, their employee’s are 73% less likely to “always” or “very often” feel burned out, and 5x as likely to see a path to grow in the organization.

15 Impactful Employee Engagement Ideas 

Incorporating the 5 C’s of engagement into your employee engagement ideas is a sure way to boost productivity and foster a sense of connection for your teams. Let’s take a look at 15 impactful employee engagement ideas to help you get started.

Care-focused employee engagement ideas

Workplace wellness programs 

Your employees spend a significant portion of their lives at work, which makes improving their well-being an impactful initiative for driving engagement. Workplace wellness programs focusing on physical, mental, and emotional health boost productivity and make employees feel good both in and out of the office and are an impactful way to live out your company values, which in turn shape your culture.

Wellness programs can range from the full scale employee engagement ideas such as Chesapeake Energy’s employee fitness center — an onsite facility which offers employees an Olympic-size swimming pool, personal trainers, and other fitness and wellness focused services such as an onsite dietician, medication courses, and Teladoc services for their off-site staff — to the more attainable, such as employee discounts at local gyms, weekly or monthly employer sponsored yoga classes, or something as simple as offering healthy snacks at the office.

Flexible work hours 

Implementing flexible work arrangements, such as flexible work hours, remote options, and hybrid work models, can significantly contribute to company culture and increase employee engagement while boosting productivity. Flexible work gives employees more control over when and where they work, which helps them achieve a work-life balance that lends itself to higher engagement and happier teams.

You can turn to tech giant Apple, for employee engagement ideas that center flexibility. The company implemented a fixed hybrid model in August 2022, in which employees are required to visit the office three days a week, with Tuesdays and Thursdays designated as set days. Individual teams have the autonomy to decide the third day of working. Apple allows select employees to work remotely for four weeks annually to support further flexibility. As an HR professional, considering customized options within your hybrid model can cater to diverse employee needs and enhance job satisfaction.

Employees assistance programs (EAPs) 

EAPs are great inspiration for employee engagement ideas as they improve employee engagement by offering employer-sponsored, confidential counseling, support, and resources for personal challenges. 

EAPs provide a lifeline to employees that help companies support their teams by providing the resources to address personal issues, which not only contribute to employee wellness, but help reduce distractions and increase productivity. 

Connection-focused employee engagement ideas 

Cross-department collaboration 

When people from different departments work together, they get a better understanding of what their colleagues are responsible for and what their workload looks like. This helps them both gain a greater appreciation for their colleague expertise, as well as develop empathy for their team. Cross-department collaboration employee engagement ideas can look like assigning projects that require cross-department communication and problem-solving, team bonding experiences, and fostering an environment in which employees from across the organization spend time together through team lunches and coffee breaks..

Collaborative workspaces 

Collaborative workspaces are environments where people come together to share ideas, solve problems, and exchange helpful information. Whether you’re managing a remote workforce, in-office teams, or a hybrid, setting a collaborative workspace can help foster a strong sense of connection that keeps employees engaged.

These spaces are even more critical post-pandemic as we all have different work setups. Collaborative workspaces can look like open office plans, digital tools that allow collaboration and real-time communication, or a variety of community meeting spaces for group work.

Employee social intranet platform

Social intranets or communication platforms are like private social media for companies. With features like direct messaging and discussion boards, employees can easily and regularly get in touch with one another to ask questions, share ideas, and check-in on projects. Intranets are ripe with employee engagement ideas as they often have news feeds and activity streams, which make it easy to have group discussions, shout out employee wins, celebrate milestones, and plan activities that drive engagement and foster a sense of community within your organization.

Coaching-focused employee engagement ideas

Workspace leadership development programs

Workspace leadership development programs provide mentorship opportunities to employees aspiring to grow into leadership roles. Employee engagement ideas that utilize development programs can offer workshops, seminars, or coaching sessions to enhance employee leadership skills. 

Cigna’s leadership programs are a great example of coaching-focused engagement. The program is designed to help employees grow by rotating new talent through different roles. They hire entry-level employees for various areas such as marketing, HR, tech, sales, and more and provide mentors to guide their development. This program allows employees to gain knowledge and skills by working in various positions. And we love how the program emphasizes the importance of diverse skill sets in leaders. 

Career path planning program

A career path planning program helps employees receive guidance from experienced mentors for their career progression. These career assessments help employees identify their strengths, interests, and potential future paths. Such initiatives depict your company values, show your employees that you genuinely care, and shape your corporate culture.

Additional employee engagement ideas for career development are workshops covering resume building, interviewing skills, and networking strategies. With the clarity from such a comprehensive program, employees are empowered to pursue their career goals, leading to overall organizational growth. 

Skill-based training 

Skill-based training is crucial to help your employees grow in their specific job roles and increase productivity. Learning and development opportunities are a huge driver for employee engagement. According to research done by Lorman Training, 74% of surveyed employees feel they aren’t reaching their full potential at work due to lack of development opportunities. Helping your team feel they’re reaching their full potential will be a major step towards motivation, as well as help your organizational culture standout.

Offering skill-based training not only helps employees receive opportunities to advance in their careers, but leads to a higher skilled workforce, which promotes greater productivity and business outcomes.

Contribution-focused employee engagement ideas

Employee-led innovation programs 

An employee-led innovation program is one of the more structured approaches to employee engagement ideas. These programs encourage and support employees in generating innovative ideas and solutions to address business challenges or improve existing processes. Recognizing that your employees are a valuable source of creative thinking and seeking to tap into their knowledge, expertise, and unique perspectives shows an investment and value of your workforce.

In an employee-led innovation program, employees are empowered to contribute their ideas, insights, and suggestions for improvement. The program provides a platform or framework for employees to share their innovative concepts and collaborate with others. Your organization would typically set up a dedicated system or process to collect, evaluate, and implement your employee’s ideas.

Knowledge-sharing sessions 

Knowledge-sharing sessions drive employee engagement by allowing employees to share their expertise, ideas, and insights. You can think of them as less structured employee-led innovation programs. Employee engagement ideas that utilize knowledge sharing sessions include activities such as “lunch and learns”, where team members take turns presenting and training their colleagues on a particular topic or project. This promotes cross-functional collaboration and communication, as well as helps tie your employees to the success of your organization by giving them ownership over projects.

Volunteer challenges among departments

Volunteer challenges resemble friendly competitions that motivate employees to actively participate and contribute their valuable skills. Encourage teams to set goals for the number of volunteer hours they can contribute. For example, the marketing department may aim for 100 monthly volunteer hours, while the sales department targets 75 hours.

Recognize and reward individuals or teams contributing the most hours, creating friendly competition. For example, HP has implemented a program where all US employees who contribute at least 10 hours of volunteer work each quarter are rewarded with a $50 gift card, discounts, and paid vacations.

This approach not only promotes teamwork but also allows employees to make a positive impact in their communities, leading to a more fulfilling work environment.

Congratulatory-focused employee engagement ideas

Rewards programs

Employee rewards programs are essential for appreciating employees’ efforts and contributions. These programs can offer various benefits like discounts or special events to recognize and motivate top-performing employees. 

One of our favorite employee engagement ideas is an example set by Cisco’s Connected Recognition Program, which allows employees to take a paid day off on their birthday, nominate co-workers for cash rewards, and enjoy special discounts. These programs create a sense of connection and boost morale, leading to happier and more motivated employees.

Recognition programs

Social recognition can play a crucial role in enhancing employee engagement. When employees receive public recognition from their peers or managers it makes them feel valued and lets them know their hard work is noticed. Recognition acts as a motivator, boosting morale and job satisfaction, and motivating employees to continue to strive in their roles.

Among many other employee engagement ideas involving recognition, is dedicating a portion of your team meetings to recognizing and celebrating individual and team accomplishments on a weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis.

Employee of the month programs 

An employee of the month program can significantly boost employee engagement by recognizing and rewarding outstanding performance within your organization. Employees seeing their colleagues acknowledged for their achievements creates a sense of motivation and a healthy competitive spirit, as well as allows your employees to celebrate one another.

Employee of the month programs also enhance a positive work culture, as employees feel valued and appreciated for their contributions. This recognition boosts morale and strengthens the bond between employees and their organization, increasing job satisfaction. 

Leverage Engagement Tools to Boost Your Culture

Now that we have some great employee engagement ideas, it’s time to implement them into your company culture. Executing employee engagement initiatives manually can pose challenges to already busy HR teams. 

Employee engagement tools can liberate HR and management from the time-consuming tasks of employee benefit spreadsheets and manual schedule tracking that play an integral role in employee engagement strategies such as wellness programs and recognition campaigns.

With Omni, you gain access to data-driven insights that empower informed decision-making, as well as seamless integrations that effortlessly connect with your existing employee favored systems, making your entire engagement process more efficient. Book a demo today and learn how Omni can optimize your employee engagement initiatives.

Not ready to automate your employee management system? Try out one of our free tools to help boost engagement and build company culture with easy to use, customizable guides and templates. 

Download the Ultimate Employee Handbook Template or Onboarding Kit for Company Culture to get started on employee engagement ideas that will be sure to have a lasting impact on your organization.