Lately, I’ve been thinking about what really creates employee engagement.

According to Gallup, companies with highly engaged employees outperform their competitors by 147%. Engaged employees are generally more committed, productive, and likely to stay with the company, leading to improved performance and reduced turnover costs.

In my experience, virtually every good leader wants to drive employee engagement. However, desire alone is not the same thing as execution, and the trick lies in transforming engagement from a buzzword into reality. We tend to get so caught up in the day-to-day demands of work that it can be difficult to slow down and take a step back to objectively analyze what kind of culture we’ve created.

I have found that a five-level framework can help any leader objectively review their engagement strategy. However, it’s important to note that this framework is not just a short-term fix but rather a foundation for building a sustainable and thriving work culture. (This framework is loosely based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs but with a focus on the human/work relationship.)

LEVEL 1 – Do I make enough money to live?

The ability to support oneself is the foundation of engagement. It seems to me that people must be able to take care of their basic human needs (food, rent, health, etc.) before they can even begin to focus on being great at their jobs. It may be an uncomfortable truth, but anyone who tells you that compensation is not linked to engagement is misinformed.

LEVEL 2 – Am I safe here? (Physically, Emotionally, Financially

It is just about impossible to enjoy work—or be good at it—if you are constantly in fear. Someone who feels the need to always be scanning for threats can’t possibly be a happy contributor—they’re too busy trying to survive.

It’s our job as leaders to remove conditions—or people—that create fear instead of safety. We’re including finances again here because it strikes me there is a fundamental difference between being just able to survive and being comfortable enough to not be in constant fear about money.

LEVEL 3 – Do I have friends here? Do I belong?

We all have a need for social support. We’re tribal. We want to belong. As leaders, we can’t create friendships out of thin air, but we can create the circumstances for friendships to blossom, and we can honor the role of community in our team’s success.

LEVEL 4 – Am I good at my job? Am I recognized for doing my job well?

Being good at one’s job and receiving recognition validate an individual’s competence and skills. It builds self-esteem. It reinforces an individual’s status and importance within the workplace community. Additionally, in a system where competence is linked to employment, and employment is linked to one’s ability to survive, feeling a sense of accomplishment also ties back to safety.

LEVEL 5 – Do I understand and believe in our purpose? Is there a path forward for me? Do I have a measure of control and autonomy?

It’s not enough for a person to feel safe and grounded now—we all also want to know there’s a path forward. We want to be given space to grow and develop into our best selves. And we want to know that we have a measure of control over that process.

When leaders actively promote and prioritize employees’ well-being, it sends a powerful message about the company’s commitment to its workforce.

This all takes time and effort. A leader optimizing for the short term might view going through this process as a waste of time. A leader optimizing for the long term would know that time spent developing a culture of engagement is an investment with sky-high returns.

Quote That’s Been On My Mind

“When we examine culture and leadership closely, we see that they are two sides of the same coin; neither can really be understood by itself.” ~ Edgar H. Schein

One Question For You

When is the last time I slowed down enough to take an objective look at my team’s engagement levels? 

Lead well!
Brian