As the U.S. officially entered a recession earlier this year, one study says, employee engagement experienced an 11% increase over this same period in 2019. At the same time, workers’ intent to stay in their current position is at an all-time high. Before attributing these numbers to the pandemic or the economic downturn and becoming complacent, consider the most common and consistent root causes of increased engagement and satisfaction:
- Communication and leadership. Employees almost unanimously report that frequency of communication from leaders has increased their engagement and made them feel supported during the pandemic. Survey data shows that engagement is linked to employees having what they need to be productive, feelings of connection between managers and team members, workers who feel informed about the company’s priorities, and support for employees’ work and personal lives.
- Health, wellbeing, and balance. Employees report that their engagement has been increased by companies’ efforts to keep them safe, healthy, happy, and balanced during the pandemic.
- Compensation and benefits. Employees say they are more inclined to stay at a company that provides fair and adequate compensation. Cutting costs by reducing salaries or benefits could cost companies in the coming months. Interestingly, in one survey, 77% of employees say they are paid fairly in 2020, compared to 70% in 2019. Satisfaction with benefits is also up.
