Four key steps to boosting employee engagement

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New research from Kincentric reveals the latest employee engagement trends and identifies the gaps employers need to fill in order to keep their best talent

THE LAST THREE YEARS have completely reshaped the world of work as we know it. Employees are re-evaluating their priorities, rethinking their goals and demanding more from the companies they work for. For employers, this means putting considerable resources into one of the most important pillars of any business – employee engagement. At first glance, this year’s trends in employee engagement look promising. Global engagement levels have remained relatively stable since 2019, staying close to 70% and fluctuating by only a couple of percentage points year-on-year. However, new research by Kincentric, a global HR advisory firm, has revealed the true ups and downs in employee

By applying decades of expertise across the spectrum of employee engagement, people strategy, organisational culture, leadership assessment and development and HR advisory services, Kincentric enables change from the inside, like no one else. In any business, meaningful, lasting change comes from a blend of organisational insights, motivated people and enabling technology. On their own, capabilities like leadership consulting, self-service platforms, culture and engagement initiatives and HR strategies can’t combine to ensure the speed and agility needed to address today’s mandate for rapid growth and sustainable performance. Kincentric can help you tackle all of these needs collectively.

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“COVID-19 and hybrid working have turned the world upside down, but they’ve also created an opportunity and a positive force to propel reputation and business success”

Darryl Parrant, Kincentric

engagement across Australia and New Zealand. Gathered throughout 2019–2022, Kincentric data shows engagement levels rising and dropping at various points over the last three years. The resulting picture is clear: employee expectations are changing rapidly, and to retain and attract the best talent, organisations need to keep up. “COVID-19 and hybrid working have turned the world upside down, but they've also created an opportunity and a positive force to propel reputation and business success,” says Pacific market leader Darryl Parrant. “To achieve this, organisations need a robust employee feedback and listening program, and to offer increased support for their wellbeing. A human-centric approach is needed now more than ever.” Taking a deep dive into the figures, Kincentric’s Global Trends in Employee Engagement 2022 report has identified several key areas businesses should focus on to boost engagement levels in 2023.

However, new research by Kincentric, a Global HR advisory firm, has revealed the true ups and downs in employee engagement across Australia and New Zealand. Gathered throughout 2019–2022, Kincentric data shows engagement levels rising and dropping at various points over the last three years. The resulting picture is clear: employee expectations are changing rapidly, and to retain and attract the best talent, organisations need to keep up. “COVID-19 and hybrid working has turned the world upside down, but it’s also created an opportunity and a positive force to propel reputation and business success,” says Pacific market leader Darryl Parrant. “To achieve this, organisations need a robust employee feedback and listening program, and to offer increased support for their wellbeing. A human-centric approach is needed now more than ever.” Taking a deep dive into the figures, Kincentric’ s 2022 Global Trends in Employee Engagement report has identified several key areas businesses should focus on to boost engagement levels in 2023.

Start with a clear vision and strategy at the top In a world in which fluidity has become the norm, it's more important than ever that employees know where their business is headed. Kincentric’s global report demonstrates that only 69% of senior leaders are getting their employees excited about the future of their organisations, and across Australia and New Zealand that number drops to around 60%. Having a compelling vision and strategy will not only motivate employees to act with passion, determination and purpose but also ensures that everyone is aligned with corporate aspirations and working in unison to help turn organisational vision into a reality. Be strategic yet deliberate about listening to employees Increasingly, organisations should be deliberate in their approach to listening to employees. Adopting an integrated approach to listening, with a view to understanding the organisational climate and current employee experience, is an effective strategy that can be employed to measure perceptions on important areas. This will enable employers to identify and deliver meaningful actions in support of their purpose and aspirations. These actions promote employee activism, give employees a voice, and help them feel valued and appreciated. Encouraging their input into decisions by management allows employees to feel more engaged in their jobs.

Ease the middle management squeeze Employees are constantly looking at ways to keep up with new demands, adapting to different ways of working while grappling with the need for their efforts to be acknowledged and recognised. In addition, heavier workloads and changing work hours are taking their toll on employees globally, creating the risk of burnout. This issue is further compounded by an understaffed and overloaded workforce. CHROs and their teams must advocate healthy productivity by encouraging better prioritisation of workloads among managers. By effectively prioritising workloads and demonstrating engaging leader behaviours, organisations can remove as much friction as possible to create the desired experiences employees need to be motivated, productive and engaged. Savvy organisations and leaders should capitalise on this opportunity to step up and leverage collective learnings from the ‘Talent Uprising’ to reinvigorate their talent by making meaningful changes in their workplaces.

Attract and retain the best talent It was observed in the report that almost half (45%) of employees surveyed globally do not believe that their HR practices can sufficiently create a positive work environment. Employee experience differs with every individual, and developing a comprehensive and cohesive framework to cultivate positive experiences that retain and attract top talent can be a complex challenge for many organisations. HR leaders should be bold in recognising the importance of the human experience, by designing new talent management processes and programs that are human-centric and laser-focused on the experience for their people – where putting people at the centre of talent management principles becomes crucial to engaging employees and driving business success.

Employees remain the bedrock of any company’s success, and trends indicate that workforce turnover will continue to be a challenge in the foreseeable future

Talent strategy and management is not just about retaining employees; it is also about keeping them engaged and motivated so that they want to stay. Organisations should be putting more effort into cultivating a culture in which employees are respected and feel safe to speak up, to deepen their sense of belonging and value in order to attract and retain top talent. The time to act is now Employees remain the bedrock of any company’s success, and trends indicate that workforce turnover will continue to remain a challenge in the foreseeable future. If employers don’t capitalise on the opportunities presented today to tweak their employee engagement strategies, the opportunity that comes with a highly engaged and committed workforce could be diluted for many organisations. To find out more about Kincentric’s research, click here.

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agree their organisations are retaining the people required to achieve business goals

51%

of employees in New Zealand think their organisation is promoting people with the skills needed to achieve business objectives

50%

think about leaving to work somewhere else

50%

of employees say their organisation has sufficient staffing levels

42%

Employee perspective on talent (Australia and New Zealand)

almost

less than

Middle manager engagement

of Australian employees think change initiatives are well managed

51%

of employees think their organisation adapts well to change

45%

fewer managers globally intend to stay at their company

Employees remain the bedrock of any company’s success, and trends indicate that workforce turnover will continue to be a challenge in the foreseeable future

Source: Kincentric Global Trends in Employee Engagement 2022