Deploying best practices that address both employee engagement and worker well-being will improve outcomes across your organization.
Tracye Weeks, DBA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
Chief People and Culture Officer, Mental Health America
As a best practice, seasoned HR professionals understand that employee engagement is crucial at the individual level and as an organizational priority. Workplace wellness was once a nice-to-have program, but it is now essential for top employers. Leaders who invest in employee engagement and worker well-being as interconnected priorities see positive results in productivity, retention, job satisfaction, creativity, and innovation.
Since 2015, Mental Health America (MHA), has analyzed nearly 75,000 work health surveys and published seven research reports. What we have learned from employees’ direct experiences in the workplace informs our best practices, which guide hundreds of employers in their workplace wellness efforts.
MHA recently published our 7th annual Mind the Workplace report, gathering data from employees on their workplace experiences of support, trust, safety, and belonging. Our research shows that employees report more positive experiences of belonging, psychological safety, and empowerment when employers invest in high-impact best practices. Employees who feel safe and supported are more connected to their work, colleagues, managers, and goals.
How can you build a strategy that creates an environment of safety and support, which ultimately results in more engaged employees? At MHA, we see employers from all industries, company sizes, and various worker populations consistently put these best practices into action:
Start at the top
According to MHA’s survey of nearly 300 top employers, 74% of leadership are openly sharing their lived experiences. These employers have invested in a top-down and ground-up approach to supporting their employees. When leaders are open about their challenges and experiences, it builds trust and sets the stage for employees to reach out before something snowballs into a more challenging, potentially harmful, and even costly situation.
Invest in creating a healthy work environment
Thinking about how your company’s infrastructure and systems create safety and support is essential to seeing engagement at any level. In MHA’s Mind the Workplace report, employees reported that health benefits and EAPs were not the primary channel for achieving positive health outcomes. In 13 out of 15 categories, employees working in healthy workplace environments report higher levels of support in areas such as people manager training, mentorship programs, employee resource groups (ERGs), and professional growth opportunities.
Make open communication a top priority
Positive, healthy engagement is often the result of transparent communication. When employees hear company updates, goals, wins, pivots in strategy, and anything that could impact their job, it creates a sense of connection and understanding. A structured plan for when and how things are shared will build trust and open the door for learning about employee pain points and how things can improve.
Create a feedback loop and be ready to respond
Annual surveys, pulse surveys, town halls, training managers on obtaining regular feedback in one-to-one and team meetings, and many other best practices should be the foundation of learning how to engage your employees. Without direct employee feedback, you run the risk of making decisions that don’t align with your employees’ needs for support.
Build tracks for professional development
As HR pros know all too well, talented employees who are in high demand will move on if training, mentorship, and career opportunities are not available. Also, it’s important to recognize that retention doesn’t need to be the goal for every employee. Formalized professional and personal development opportunities will engage employees in conversations about their future and how it relates to their experiences today. Showing you care about their future also creates positive experiences that employees will share with the outside world.
Recognize and reward
Last, but definitely not least, when employees see other employees being publicly acknowledged and rewarded for their achievements, both big and small, it boosts morale and motivation. Highly motivated employees are more engaged with their work and their colleagues, and they experience more agency to voice their needs.
Implementing the best practices that will engage and support your employees begins with taking a critical look at the approach and strategy that works for your organization. Remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint! In the end, focusing on ways to increase employee engagement will also uncover ways to improve worker health while helping you and your team provide more value to your organization.
