Measuring Employee Engagement: 7 Characteristics to Look For

Gauging how engaged your team is can be just as difficult as implementing an employee engagement program from scratch. There are so many ways you can go about measuring employee engagement.

You can look at quantitative data such as how many employees showed up to your last happy hour or how many Slack messages were sent in non-business-related channels. You can also look at qualitative data like one-on-one check-ins and overall office morale.

Measuring employee engagement is different for every workplace. However, engaged employees have a mindset and behaviors that set them apart from their disengaged counterparts.

Here are seven characteristics to look for when measuring employee engagement:

1. Enjoys day-to-day responsibilities

2. Is resilient

3. Works efficiently

4. Is collaborative

5. Communicates effectively

6. Supports and encourages others

7. Pursues opportunities for growth

8. Tools to Increase Employee Engagement

1. Enjoys Day-to-Day Responsibilities

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work,” Steve Jobs once said, “And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.”

Engaged employees love what they do, and they are challenged by it. They fulfill their responsibilities with gusto and consistently work to meet or exceed expectations.

Instead of growing bored with their work or putting it aside in favor of distractions, they remain committed to their work because it is a good match with their capabilities and interests.

Give your employees the best shot of enjoying their job by equipping them with tools that connect them with coworkers, increase workplace transparency, helps them build relationships with their peers. Find employee engagement tools that are specifically built to improve company culture.

2. Is Resilient

Engaged employees recover from setbacks with a sense of optimism rather than defeat.

They’re able to handle change and uncertainty without becoming discouraged. Instead of giving up, engaged employees bounce back. When times get tough, they are often the ones encouraging others to refocus and try a new approach.

Resilience can also help improve engagement. One study found that improving resilience in the workforce results in higher engagement among employees.

3. Works Efficiently

Engaged employees look for ways to improve processes and deliver better experiences for customers and internal stakeholders.

They don’t work to just “get it done” or achieve “good enough.” Instead, they strive to make the best use of their time and that of others.

Engaged employees constantly ask themselves how to do things better with the most efficient use of existing resources.

4. Is Collaborative

Engaged employees are committed to sharing ideas, insights, and suggestions to benefit the team. They realize that problems get solved with the active participation of the team and seek out ways to leverage the knowledge and skills of others to get things done.

Engaged employees leverage collaboration tools and look for ways to involve individuals from other departments and locations.

5. Communicates Effectively

Effective communication is required for the smooth flow of any project or initiative, and engaged employees know how to communicate effectively They practice open and frequent communication, ask questions for clarity, and listen to other viewpoints.

Engaged employees are happy to spread the word and explain things to help others understand.

Moreover, engaged leaders use effective communication to motivate, inspire, and encourage the employees on their team.

6. Supports and Encourages Others

Engagement is contagious.

Research has found that engaged managers are more likely to have engaged direct reports. One reason for this is that engaged employees aren’t focused just on their own success but also on that of others on the team.

They look for opportunities to help others achieve their goals. And sometimes, their enthusiasm simply rubs off on others.

7. Pursues Opportunities for Growth

Engaged employees value continuous learning and seek out ways to grow. Research shows a correlation between engagement and a commitment to learning and development.

In one study, 42 percent of L&D professionals who indicated their employees who were “highly engaged in learning” were also highly engaged overall.

If your company is looking for ways to improve employee engagement consider making your organizational chart more accessible. Make sure that employees can see the organizational structure of your business so they can visualize their professional growth trajectory.

Use the Company Org Chart to Increase Employee Engagement

There are many ways to build an engaged workforce, and the company org chart supports engagement by creating an environment in which employees can cultivate relationships, collaborate with others, and work in roles that align with their skills.

An interactive org chart supports greater transparency, showing employees where they fit into the larger organization, which positions they might pursue to support their growth and development, and how they can connect with coworkers on a deeper level.

With increased opportunities to develop deeper ties with the organization, more and more employees will begin to exhibit the key characteristics of engagement.