The HRD Employee Engagement Survey 2020

Being the most damaging and insidious corporate crisis for generations, COVID-19 has left many organizations struggling to work out which way is up. During this saga, much of the dialogue has followed the theme of the ‘new challenges’ that businesses face and how leaders can overcome them.

However, one could argue that what we are experiencing is simply an amplification of pre-existing obstacles.This logic certainly applies to the topic of employee engagement. Where understanding, measurement and execution is concerned, this is an area that has long perplexed HR leaders the world over. With the onset of the pandemic, this has only intensified.

What’s more, with the positive correlation between employee engagement and organizational performance now demonstrably clear, the importance of this cannot be underestimated.

With this is mind, we sought to gather some exclusive, actionable insight on the matter. In doing so, we surveyed a number of senior HR leaders, and compiled our findings into a brand new, free report. Here’s what to expect:

Organic data

Using a carefully-constructed questionnaire, we were able to establish a reliable gauge as to the role and perception of employee engagement in the business world at present.

For instance, with a clear trend of disengagement developing among organizations in 2020, we queried how our audience members would rate their current ability to engage their workforces effectively. With four responses to choose from, our expectation was that a varied data set would result. In reality, however, the question produced a landslide response.

Furthermore, we used our questionnaire as an opportunity to ascertain how organizations are scrutinizing and utilizing employee engagement data once it has been acquired; generally speaking one of the most nebulous areas within the topic.

In order to be thorough, we outlined seven different options to respondents. These included ‘understanding the business health as a whole’, ‘improving productivity’, ‘improving career development and training opportunities’, and ‘improving collaboration across teams’.

Ultimately, we believe that the final report offers a genuinely valuable insight as to how modern organizations approach employee engagement.

Senior contributions

Though we feel confident that our survey findings bring great value and insight, there is often nothing more appropriate than raw, qualitative insight from senior HR leaders. Based on this, we sought the views of five, hand-picked contributors in order to add some further authority to the report.

For instance, Lisa Whited, Chief Transformation Officer, Advanced Workplace Associates, offered her thoughts, stressing the importance of personalization when it comes to the employee and customer experiences alike.

She said: “These conversations help with social cohesion – the ‘glue’ that holds a team together – and also allow you to get to know people on a more human level, sharing aspects of our lives that might otherwise not be shared.”

Similarly, Mika Cross, VP, Employer Engagement, FlexJobs, gave her take, this time on the role of technology when it comes to employee engagement.

She argued that selecting one key piece of software is not necessarily the answer, and that using a matrix in tandem may be a far more valuable approach.

The key to engagement lies in “finding a variety of opportunities for work‑related and non-work-related options to connect, communicate and support one another”, she said.

Reader’s digest

Whilst the information offered in this report represents an authentic and rounded snapshot of employee engagement in 2020, it certainly is not exhaustive. So, to conclude, we’ve included a cherry-picked canon of works published on HRD Connect in recent months.

For instance, in an installment of our newly-established series, HRD Deep Dive, we delved into the topic of the workspace, and how it will be re-imagined in months and years to come. We believe this will act as a useful supplementary read to the information provided in the report.

Similarly, we’ve directed readers to a feature we published in July earlier this year, which tackled the issue of employee engagement in 2020 head-on. In this one, HRD Thought Leader Debra Corey outlines how leaders can enact care and support in order to fashion a more proactive approach to employee engagement.

For free access to all of the above and much more, click here to view and download the new HRD Employee Engagement Report.

HRD Connect Curators of the New Business Landscape. HRD Connect produces industry-recognized content for senior HR leaders. Through articles, case studies, Q&As, podcasts, events, and more, we offer truly progressive and cutting-edge insights designed to help people leaders address core HR challenges and add greater value to their business.

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