BARRIERS OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT: Why Are Employees Feeling Fenced Out Of The Ultimate Workplace Experience?

A quote I came across the other day really caught my eye. The following, quoted from the words of Ian Hutchinson made an incredibly striking statement- “Employee Engagement is the investment we make for the privilege of staying in business.’’ Unfortunately, while there is no lack of posts on my profile as to why employee engagement and experience is as important as customer experience, there are also no shortage of articles on the internet that have studies to show the lack of employee engagement. Employee engagement is considered important because it proves that the employees of a company are truly involved and passionate about their work, are committed, good communicators and collaborative and are open to receiving and giving feedback.

A study conducted by Leena AI, found that 23 percent of employees in India are not actively engaged in the workplace. The onset of the pandemic made employee engagement a concern as it's importance surged due to the changing needs of the employees and employers. Yet, there are still several challenges that organizations face regarding the same. Here are a few explored reasons as to the challenges faced by organizations in terms of employee engagement.

1. Lack of Recognition and Communication.

A lack of recognition in the workplace is a killer of employee engagement. No one likes being unappreciated, and unfortunately, with the hybrid work model, the remote working base have reported a severe lack of recognition. In India and in workplaces around the world, there is a dire need within organizations for the active listening model. In the hybrid work model where employees are dispersed, a model of continuous listening is paramount. Organizations have actively used annual employee surveys, but around 50 % of the respondents have suggested that this be a more frequent practice. Only 25% of the organizations reported stated that they implemented quarterly employee engagement surveys, while just 8% conducted these surveys frequently.

2. Lack of a Work-life Balance.

A poor or lack of work life balance is a predecessor to poor engagement levels. Many of the employees who work in the remote working model complained that their company or managers had no regard for their personal time. It’s still common for managers, co-workers, and higher management to call employees post their work hours and sometimes even ask them to go back to their work device to complete some work.

Research published in Forbes suggested that a full week of virtual meetings leaves 38% of employees feeling exhausted and 30% feeling stressed. According to research conducted by buffer, 22% of employees say that they struggle to unplug after work. Employees are often faced with a huge workload post a vacation and are often given so much of work to do that they have no choice but to work beyond their hours to complete the work. Unfortunately, being paid for overtime is not a norm in India which basically makes the employee feel that there is really no advantage or benefit from working beyond their hours which causes resentment.

3. Lack of Effective Leadership.

Effective Leadership is crucial for any organization. A report from Perceptyx suggests that only 42% of employees strongly agree that effective leadership is getting their organization through a crisis. Unfortunately, this means that many employees do not believe that they have a capable leader leading them. This lack of faith in effective leadership is a significant concern to employee engagement. Good leadership communication is a must for any organization. Similarly, employees too must feel free to speak up and be heard. A good leader knows this, and hence will go out of their way to ensure that every employee has a voice and a safe platform to share their concern and be acknowledged for the same. Good leadership will help enhance an employee’s respect, psychological safety and engagement.

4. Lack of Advanced Tools and Technology.

More than 50 % of the AI research respondents admitted to the use of simple surveys and feedback forms to gauge employee engagement while 25% claimed to rely solely on manual methods. A significant 30% of the organizations acknowledged the need for technological tools to discern employee’s wants and needs in the possible areas of improvement, in their respective organizations, which in turn would help promote DEI and employee well-being. 25 % of organizations also expressed an interest in wanting to understand the trend of engagement scores over a specific period. As seen by the statistics mentioned above, while many organizations do wish to know what their employees feel, a lack of advance tools and technology can be blamed for that. However, even simple methods like digital feedback forms, employee reviews and other creative methods can be used by organizations for the same. Companies and leaders must invest in technology for the sake of their employee wellbeing and engagement.

Most Companies understand what employee engagement can do for them in termsof gaining talent and retaining them. More than 10% of organizations said that the attrition rate in their organization has gone down because of their employee engagement efforts, whereas close to 10% of them said that employee absenteeism has decreased. While the pandemic has shifted the focus of employees and businesses, it has also thankfully brought attention to fields that were previously given lesser importance. Employee Engagement is one of the most important aspects of business, and its high time businesses paid it its due importance.