Business leaders are seeing a direct correlation of employee engagement to employee attendance and presence, emotional wellness, and productivity. With leadership rightfully focused on how to enhance productivity, what can companies do to enhance employee engagement? 

Jamie Walsh, risk management consultant at Anco Insurance said, “The companies that I've seen be the most successful are focused more on employee engagement, and less on a mandate of returning to the office. How can we make our employees feel like they're being heard right now? And how can we support them and their dependents? Because presenteeism at the workplace can be a direct effect of what's going on at home. If we can support our employees and their family members at a higher level, that actually will enhance employee engagement.”

During a From Day One Dallas conference panel moderated by Alcynna Lloyd of Insider, business leaders shared how companies can make employee engagement a reality by creating the kind of experience that re-engages workers with their leaders, their colleagues, and their roles. How can employers be intentional about the office as a welcoming community? Business leaders are learning to guide company culture toward being a consistent space where workers can fulfill their need for connection, purpose, inclusion, and belonging.

Dr. Yetta Toliver, global head of diversity, inclusion and belonging (DIB) for Xerox, suggested companies should consider volunteerism to create a sense of purpose and belonging within the company. She said, “What we're trying at Xerox is to encourage employees to come back into the office together, and to create teams to do some volunteering together. We are looking to encourage our employees to get excited about coming into the workspace, but not demanding it.”

Calli Hartman, head of customer success for Blackbaud’s corporate impact division, said the key to a successful employee volunteer program is “offering plenty of options for your employees to meet them where they are. Junior associates may have more time than money. Senior members of the company might have less time, and hybrid employees may not be able do in-person opportunities. Also, consider skills-based volunteering. Do your volunteer opportunities activate your employees’ sense of purpose?”

While volunteering is known to create unity among teams and a sense of personal purpose, employees want to feel safe and comfortable at the workplace. Toliver said, “Looking through the lens of DEIB (diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging) is ensuring that people feel trusted, and they feel that they're respected. That’s important to consider as we start to bring our employees back into the workspace.”

Hartman said that at Blackbaud, she, “leans into education and sharing. We do a lot of workplace education around discrimination, anti-harassment, anti-bias, and belonging. I think that is really critical of meeting our employees where they are. We also want them to be learning to meet their peers where they are and supporting each other as a whole team.”

Creating a workplace where employees feel seen can also include practical improvements to the office culture, and companies can design whatever experience they think is best for their employees. Paula Moore, managing director of global experience strategy at JLL, said one of the best practices she has observed was last summer. She said, “I worked with a company who did a portfolio savings. They had about $400,000 and they chose to reinvest that into their employee experiences. Because they were listening to their employees, they realized that they had all purchased Pelotons during the pandemic, and there was this huge following. So, they bought Pelotons! Now when they come into the office, they can ride with their peers. From an experience perspective, you can really tailor these to your company’s culture.”

Many companies see the benefit of a hybrid work option, and even as businesses are trending towards in-office work, there are still remote employees to consider.

Creating employee engagement in a remote team has its own set of challenges, but business leaders are trying a variety of approaches. 

Hartman shared that at Blackbaud, she hosts weekly win meetings, where the focus is on wins and impact that were made in the previous week. She said, “We’re not focusing on the numbers. It’s a lot of relationship building and connection building, and we've leaned into impact and purpose.”

Toliver said the skill of active listening can help create a sense of belonging with remote employees. She said, “This helps our managers do a better job. After 15 years of experience with remote teams, I have learned when my employees sign on and say hello, I can tell whether their energy is high or if something might be going on. It may not be time in the meeting to ask them about it, but I guarantee you I am calling them after the meeting to ask them if everything is ok.”

In addition to creating a work environment that is safe and inclusive, Fisher said “Again, it’s allowing your people to be heard. College grads who are evaluating a company want a chance to personally and professionally develop. They are also looking for emotional wellness support and solutions. It’s encouraging, and it’s also a sign that we need to be able to understand our employees better. Then, from there, you can make some strategies and try to build upon the culture that is perfect for your company.”

Christina Cook is a freelance writer based in Dallas, TX, where she covers a variety of topics, with favorites including Art, Film, and live Theatre. Her work can be seen on Rawckus.com, RedDirtNation, and DallasArtBeat.com. Christina is also a creative writer. Her children’s book Your Hands Can Change the World was a 2017 regional bestseller.