What new trends in employee engagement excite you?

EMPLOYEE connection Another important yet challenging trend in employee engagement is employee connections to each other – both social and work-related. Organizations need to invest in community-building tools (like MixR) which are different than productivity tools (like Slack). EMPLOYEE transparency Another trend in employee engagement is transparency. Employees want more insight into how and why business decisions are made AND more insight into what their coworkers are doing. Think/research "Shadow Board". The organization can define the who, what, where, when, why and how. Think Lunch n Learns. Think "Science Fairs" where multiple teams showcase their work. In townhalls, invite employees to present their work. In-person or virtually.

In today's world, "radical flexibility" isn't just a buzzword—it's a lifestyle shift that has transformed our workspaces into a blend of home and office settings. Gone are the days of the rigid 9-to-5/6 grind; we're now in an era where choosing when, where, and how to work is becoming the norm. But, flexibility isn't a one-size-fits-all cape of freedom; it's a balancing act. Organizations need to equip themselves with cutting-edge tech to address the needs of remote/hybrid work environment, create a culture of camaraderie, and set clear, achievable goals to make sure this work model is a win-win for everyone. Let's embrace the hybrid/remote work environment as it's here to stay!

The hybrid work model has gained significant importance as it offers employee empowerment. This is a management approach that grants employees a certain degree of autonomy, responsibility, and decision-making authority within their roles. It aims to enhance employees' sense of ownership, accountability, and control over their work and workplace. In essence, employee empowerment is about fostering a workplace environment that values and trusts employees, allowing them to take on greater responsibility, make decisions, and contribute to the organization's success. When done effectively, it leads to a more engaged, motivated, and satisfied workforce.

The future is woven around the ability to engage a remote workforce. How do you involve them and keep them committed to a company when they only see faces during work meetings? The remote work lifestyle is not going away. Employees have demanded that it continue. The best companies will adapt and find the best niches for their remote workers.

The evolving landscape of employee engagement is intriguing. Hybrid work models offer flexibility, while a focus on well-being and diversity fosters inclusivity. Continuous learning and data-driven insights empower growth, even for remote employees. Purpose-driven cultures are on the rise, promising a more fulfilling work experience. These trends reflect a brighter future for both employees and organizations.

The pandemic made it clear that a balanced approach to health is essential. Personally, I've come to appreciate the significance of wellbeing initiatives in my own work life. The impact of a supportive and inclusive work culture cannot be overstated. Feeling valued and respected translates to improved wellbeing and, in turn, better job satisfaction. Encouraging social interaction and fostering an enjoyable work environment has also played a crucial role in maintaining a sense of connection during challenging times. Employee wellbeing is not just a trend; it's a fundamental investment that yields long-term benefits for both individuals and organisations.

Unfortunately, I think a trend right now is to launch wellbeing 'initiatives' rather than think about developing a more coherent strategy that bakes wellbeing into a company's cultures and systems. Individual 'initiatives', training programs, presentations, perks and benefits are important, but they need to be tied together coherently and backed up by leadership behavior day-to-day to really have the impact they're intended to have.

Exciting trends in employee engagement related to well-being include mindfulness programs, mental health support, flexible schedules, and remote work options. These trends prioritize employees' physical and mental health, promoting a healthier work-life balance and creating a more positive and productive workplace.

I'm really excited to see real-time listening in the employee voice space. I have a special loathing for annual employee surveys for about a bazillion reasons, one of which is using stale data that lags by a significant amount to make strategic decisions is absolutely counterproductive. Hear your people NOW, do something about it NOW while you have a prayer of making a meaningful difference.

I've learned that getting back to employees with the things you've 'heard' but decided not to act on (along with a clear rationale for your decision) is as important in building trust and improving engagement as showing you are listening and making changes.

Allowing team members to freely express their opinions fosters an atmosphere of trust and empowerment. The connection between employee voice and innovation is undeniable. The opportunity to contribute to decisions and changes drives a sense of ownership and commitment. When employers actively encourage feedback it signals a genuine desire to hear and act upon employees' perspectives. I've seen firsthand how a responsive approach, where feedback is acknowledged and acted upon, significantly impacts morale. Feeling valued translates directly into higher engagement levels. To me, employee voice isn't just a trend; it's a pivotal aspect of a thriving workplace.

It’s time now to revisit this enigmatic concept of engagement. We need to customise engagement model for each /similar needs employees. We no longer need to execute same engagement initiatives on a mass scale for every one. Each employee or group of employees have their different priorities and goals. Going by this approach that may be time taking however would be productive.

People are suffering: Stanford Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer in his book 'Dying for a paycheck' mentions a survey where almost 61% employees said that workplace stress made them sick, costing US employers alone more than USD 300 billion a year. Another recent research agrees with anthropologist and activist David Graeber that many employee consider their jobs meaningless and adding no value to society. Hence organisations certainly need to focus on employee well-being. What modern organisations can do help employees: First and most important, educating employees on what is well-being and how it can be enhanced will be a good start. Positive psychology movements lead by Martin Seligman has done much work in this area.

In the evolving context of today's work environment, learning has emerged as a critical factor for employee engagement. Imagine your career as a thrilling road trip through an ever-changing cityscape, and learning is your top-notch GPS! No U-turns here, only endless possibilities. Employers are the mastermind city planners, adding not just main roads but exciting detours like 'Mentorship Boulevard' and 'Coaching Alley.' It's these paths that turbocharge our engagement and turn us into workplace superheroes. So, let's buckle up and make learning our daily, exhilarating commute!

I don't recognize this as a new trend, but it's certainly a major driver of employee engagement. The point about fostering a culture of learning is really important. We noticed in our organization that people only felt they were learning when they were in a classroom-based situation and we worked hard to shift the culture to help people appreciate that there are many additional opportunities to learn on-the-job by having conversations focused on feedback, personal development, etc.

Learning is cool, and should be supported, but it needs to adapt to the realities of life. People don't really have the flexibility to attend a 3-day conference, and I'm not sure how much LEARNING happens there (networking? Heck yes...). The rise of "micro" or "snackable" learning is brilliant. Give people digestible information they can immediately put into use. There's still room for longitudinal learning arcs, but please... let's meet people where they are, too!

In my current company some new trends introduced in employee engagement include personalized learning paths, microlearning modules, and gamified training. These innovations enhance skill development, engagement, and retention by tailoring learning experiences to individual needs, making training more accessible, and adding an element of fun and competition to the process, keeping employees excited and motivated to learn and grow.

Spoiler alert. There is no "One Ring to Rule Them All" when it comes to recognition, and I think companies need to move to a more individualized approach, which does mean leaders need to actually get to know their people and people need to get to know themselves and what *really* makes them feel valued. (And the uncomfortable prerequisite to this is if you've got radical pay or other inequities, you're gonna have to fix those first, or the shiny trophies won't matter anyway)

Some new and exiting emerging trends i have seen when it comes to employee recognition is to generate excitement. Some ways of doing this include real-time recognition platforms, peer-to-peer recognition, and rewards for meaningful achievements. These trends offer immediate acknowledgment, foster a culture of appreciation among colleagues, and link recognition to tangible incentives, creating a more engaging and gratifying work environment for all.

Yes and No... As humans, our brain is wired for 'instant gratification' and 'temporal discounting'. So, usually we won't be driven strongly by a longer term goal. Here in this case, Organisational vision, mission, purpose etc. is very long term. However, purpose will still matter more for say Social enterprises (because purpose and sense of contribution compensates for lesser pay & benefits). But in most other cases, employees engage better if they have better line of sight of how their role serves their personal goals (e.g. to become a great AI/ML solution designer, to excel in B2B selling or to create some cool animations or to be a good technician etc...all because they either like doing that or see a connection with career & growth).

A trend on the rise for all the right reasons is employees as the north star for designing any program and the importance being given to employee experience across all ongoing processes. Employees are the ultimate stakeholders of any people process and this is why the success or failure of the program depends on how it is tailored to solve for employees. From a business perspective, employee-friendly policies and procedures makes more time for them to be productive at work. From a process perspective, any initiative designed keeping employee experience at the centre, such as building a culture of well-being, listening (voice of employee), recognition, learning, etc. enhances employee engagement and also loyalty that translates as retention

Employees as Brand Ambassadors Using employees as brand ambassadors is a smart move because of technology and how it changed branding. When employees become brand ambassadors, it means they represent and promote the company's brand. This makes employees more motivated and productive at their jobs and senior leaders in the company responsible for creating a good workplace, not just talking about it. When employees proudly represent the brand, they want the company to live up to its promises. Having employees as brand ambassadors helps the company's image, makes employees work better, and keeps leaders accountable for making the workplace match the brand's values.

The focus on the employee engagement in recent years has had a minimal impact on actual engagement. Engagement programs have over-rotated on enforcing empty values, rolling out unfulfilling wellness programs, spending raises on fancy swag, and performing surveys and listening tours without followup action. Employees would likely give all that up to be respected, understand how to contribute value, and get a good paycheck. A great workplace also has leadership who ruthlessly ensure fairness, provide autonomy, support development and hold themselves accountable. Employee engagement should not be a uniform company pep rally. A return to basic human values and needs would allow employees engage by their own design.