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Jamie Lawrence

Wagestream

Insights Director

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Fewer than half of HR professionals have employee engagement strategy

employee_engagment

These findings come from an employee engagement survey from HR software company Youforce.

While 79 percent of HR professionals say engagement is a high priority, 41 percent don’t have an employment engagement strategy in place.

Almost a third (30 percent) of those that do have a strategy say it improves employee performance, while 13 percent claim it improves employee retention.

The top two drivers of employee engagement were identified as corporate culture and recognition, followed by career progression and opportunities, learning and training.

Senior management buy-in was identified as a stumbling block around employee engagement, as well as the need for HR directors to build business case for how engagement will improve productivity.

Gaining the trust of employees in times when radical changes – such as redundancies – are necessary was also identified as difficult.

Lee Grant, VP International at Youforce, comments: “Our research shows that employee engagement is the current big challenge for HR professionals as it is linked in to so many areas of the HR function. While this is seen as the responsibility of HR, it is something that should be taken on by all employees.

“Creating the enabler for employee engagement is the hardest part of the process. Having the right HR systems and technology will provide the detailed insight into the workforce that will allow HR departments to develop an employee engagement strategy that will look after employees and help become more efficient.”

2 Responses

  1. Its the actions not the survey that makes a difference

    There is enough evidence now that engagement and productivity are linked and that employees’ engagement is impacted by the quality of their immediate manager. Often the issue is there is no real plan to ensure managers change their behaviour and even if there is that the right behaviour is changed. Neuroscience, the science of how the brain works is throwing light on this area you may find this video interesting. It summerises the neuroscience behind engagement and the implications for manager and leaders. http://www.headheartbrain.com/the-latest-engagement-2/

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Jamie Lawrence

Insights Director

Read more from Jamie Lawrence
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