Employee engagement isn't just a luxury anymore—it's a necessity, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic changed how we work. As businesses faced big challenges, keeping employees motivated, connected, and committed became more important than ever. Remote work, higher stress levels, and the need for flexibility highlighted how crucial engagement is for keeping productivity and morale high. Companies that focused on their employees' well-being and built a strong sense of community got through the crisis better, showing that engaged employees are key to staying strong and successful in the long run.

Why Employee Engagement matters?

Source by Gallup

Employee engagement makes a huge difference, as Gallup's statistics show. When employees are engaged, absenteeism drops by 80%, and patient safety incidents are cut by 58%, making workplaces safer and more reliable. Turnover rates decrease by 18-43%, and shrinkage is reduced by 28%, meaning happier employees stay longer and there's less loss. Safety incidents go down by 64%, and work defects drop by 41%, leading to better quality and safer environments. Plus, engaged employees help boost customer loyalty by 10%, increase sales productivity by 18%, and improve profitability by 23%. These numbers highlight how crucial it is to keep employees motivated and connected, benefiting everyone from staff to customers to the company's bottom line.

Employee Engagement and Shared Values

The data above may convince everyone about the interesting outcomes of employee engagement. But before moving to the solution, I want to show you the X Model of Engagement (which I personally like 👍) since it's great to see things from both the employee and organization perspectives.

Source: GP Strategies (BlessingWhite)

The X Model of Engagement is like a map that shows how employees and organizations connect. Picture it as an "X" with two lines: one shows how much support and alignment the organization gives, and the other shows how engaged and connected employees feel. When these lines cross, that's where engagement happens! It's all about finding the sweet spot where employees feel supported and valued by their organization, leading to happier, more motivated teams and better results overall.

In the X Model of Engagement, we can observe four distinct employee profiles based on their alignment with organizational values, goals, and strategies, impacting their satisfaction and contribution levels differently.

These profiles underscore the importance of aligning employee values and goals with organizational objectives to foster satisfaction and meaningful contribution in the workplace.

How to measure Employee Engagement

As you can see in the figure above, it demonstrates the importance of employee engagement. You may be convinced of its benefits and realize that there are two perspectives to consider. But before we dive into the proposed solution, let me propose a way to measure it first.

I personally enjoy how Gallup views Employee Engagement, so let's talk about Gallup's Q12.

Gallup's Q12 is like a toolkit for understanding how engaged employees are in their work. It's all about asking 12 simple questions that get to the heart of what makes employees tick. From feeling recognized for their efforts to having opportunities to grow, these questions cover the key factors that drive employee engagement. By tapping into these insights, companies can uncover areas for improvement and create a workplace where employees feel valued, motivated, and eager to contribute their best.

As you can see, when we delve into the concept behind the questions, six out of the twelve focus on aspects like reward and recognition, while the rest related to shared values, and social engagement. These questions explore how employees feel valued, connected to the company's mission, and engaged with their colleagues. Surprisingly, only two questions touch upon basic needs, highlighting the emphasis Gallup places on factors beyond just the essentials. This insight suggests that fostering a sense of purpose and belonging plays a significant role in driving employee engagement, beyond fulfilling basic requirements.

Purposed Solutions

Proposed solutions tailored to the Employee Journey, spanning from Onboarding, Engage, Develop, to Progress, can be instrumental in enhancing employee satisfaction and productivity. By focusing on these critical stages, organizations can create a seamless experience for employees, from their initial integration into the company to their ongoing growth and advancement.

The proposed solution, informed by research from Netsuite, Indeed, and Altrum articles, introduces a strategic approach to enhancing employee engagement through three key perspectives: Reward & Recognition, Shared Values, and Social Engagement. This includes developing robust reward and recognition programs that celebrate employee achievements, fostering a strong sense of shared values through aligning organizational goals with individual aspirations, and promoting social engagement initiatives to facilitate meaningful connections among team members.

Overview

In summary, I propose a comprehensive solution that addresses key elements crucial for enhancing employee engagement. "Rewards" aims to provide employees with tangible rewards across all aspects of their work-life, fostering motivation and satisfaction. "Fit Everyday" promotes productivity and engagement by advocating for easy fitness practices, which also contribute to reduced healthcare costs. "Social Engage" focuses on recognizing important milestones like work anniversaries and birthdays, fostering appreciation and connection among colleagues to boost engagement. Lastly, "Feed" serves as a centralized platform for company updates, peer recognition, feedback solicitation, and sharing positive vibes, creating a cohesive and interactive environment that further enhances employee engagement and collaboration.

Onboarding step

In the onboarding phase, the proposed solution enables organizations to create a warm welcome experience for new employees by automating the process of sending personalized rewards. This entails offering new joiners the option to receive a gift or gift points that they can redeem for their preferred rewards autonomously. By streamlining this process, organizations can make new employees feel valued and appreciated from day one, setting a positive tone for their journey with the company. Moreover, the automatic nature of the rewards system saves time and effort for HR personnel while ensuring consistency and efficiency in welcoming new team members.

Engage step

In the engage phase, the proposed solution empowers employees to actively engage in peer-to-peer recognition that aligns with the organization's values and desired behaviors. Through this system, employees have the opportunity to recognize their peers' contributions by gifting them points as a token of appreciation, accompanied by a friendly message. Additionally, employees can choose to share their recognition publicly, fostering a culture of appreciation and camaraderie across the organization. By encouraging peer-to-peer recognition in this manner, the solution promotes a positive work environment where employees feel valued, motivated, and connected to their colleagues, ultimately enhancing overall engagement and morale.

Additionally, organizations can further foster engagement by periodically sending rewards to all employees from the CEO or leadership team, accompanied by a special message to each individual. This gesture serves to enhance organizational engagement and recognition, demonstrating appreciation from the company as a whole.

Furthermore, integrating health rewards into the platform aligns with the "Fit Everyday", which tracks employees' steps and offers daily or weekly rewards to encourage self-care and social engagement. By incentivizing healthy behaviors, organizations not only promote employee well-being but also strengthen overall engagement and productivity.

Moreover, the reward points received by employees can be utilized to redeem rewards of their choice from our rewards store. This feature not only streamlines HR tasks but also presents an additional revenue stream for the platform. By offering a variety of rewards options, employees feel empowered and motivated, further contributing to a positive work culture and increased engagement levels.

Develop

In the develop phase, the proposed solution enables organizations to recognize top-performing employees across various dimensions of the company's shared values. By highlighting exemplary individuals who embody these values, organizations reinforce the importance of company culture and inspire others to follow suit. Additionally, top employees receive rewards points that they can redeem for rewards of their choice, further incentivizing excellence and dedication.

Moreover, organizations can showcase the employee of the month on their social media platforms using ready-to-use photos or embedded widgets on their website. This not only promotes the company's values and culture but also serves as a powerful tool to attract new candidates. By publicly acknowledging and celebrating outstanding employees, organizations demonstrate their commitment to recognizing talent and fostering a positive work environment, thereby enhancing employee development and engagement while also bolstering their employer brand.

Progress step

In the progress phase, the proposed solution empowers organizations to recognize employees' work anniversaries through the "Year of Service" feature. This functionality allows leaders to send heartfelt messages to employees, acknowledging their dedication and contributions over the years. Such recognition not only boosts employee engagement with the organization but also fosters camaraderie within teams.

Additionally, the Core Values Awards serve as a powerful tool to reinforce desired behaviors, align employees with company values, boost morale, increase engagement, and cultivate a positive culture. By honoring individuals who exemplify these values, organizations celebrate and promote behaviors that contribute to their success. This recognition not only motivates employees to continue embodying the company's core values but also inspires others to follow suit, thereby strengthening the organizational culture and fostering a sense of pride and belonging among employees.

Every aspect of Employee as a People

This solution is intricately designed in alignment with Maslow's hierarchy of needs, ensuring that various aspects of employee engagement cater to different levels of needs.

The "Reward Redemption" feature addresses physiological needs by offering tangible rewards that fulfill basic desires and contribute to employee well-being. Wellness initiatives and security in redemption processes further enhance feelings of safety and stability within the organization.

Moreover, "Fit Challenge Rewards" contribute to safety needs by promoting physical well-being and encouraging employees to maintain a healthy lifestyle. "Peer-to-Peer Recognition", "Birthday celebrations", and the interactive "Feed" feature foster a sense of belonging and connection, fulfilling the love and belongingness aspect of Maslow's hierarchy.

Additionally, "Public Recognition", "Shout-Outs" on social networks, "Monthly Awards", and the "Year of Service" feature contribute to enhancing employee self-esteem by acknowledging their achievements and contributions, thus fulfilling the self-esteem needs.

By aligning these engagement initiatives with Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the solution creates a holistic and supportive work environment that addresses employees' diverse needs and motivations, ultimately leading to higher engagement and satisfaction levels.

Next Step

As you can see, the proposed solutions may not align with how we should build the product. Ultimately, our research is anchored in insights from top firms like Gallup, GP Strategies, Netsuite, Indeed, and Altrum. We still need to validate user needs, prioritize features, design metrics for success, project ROI and market projections, and much more. The project concept aims to explore how we can enhance the HRM platform to encompass employee engagement with confidence.

Any proposed features, such as Rewards, Rewards Market, Peer-to-peer Recognition, Public Recognition, Festive Rewards, Health Rewards, Fit Challenge, Birthday Celebration, Year of Services, Employee of the Month, Core Value Awards, Feed, Automated Rewards, Automated Gift Points, and so on, must undergo detailed validation with real users before beginning the UX/UI process and cannot be used as references until validated.

All tasks are completed on MacOS, with design work conducted in Figma, and every step of the process is handled by me in just a few days.

Feedback on any aspect of the project is welcome.