How do you track Employee Engagement? [closed]

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We are a growing company and as such I want to put a startegy in place to ensure that we are pre-empting any issues as we increase our work force.



As a result I'm interested in implementing a system to measure employee engagement in the workplace to pick up on common trends. How would I go about doing this? I have researched into using the likes of Survey Monkey however would appreciate some expert advice on how to implement such an initiative.



Defining engagement - I would have thought this was self explanatory however with reference to 'employee engagement' - this relates to an employee being engaged and happy with all aspects of the workplace from leadership, communication, tools to perform their role and ultimately whether they feel valued or not.







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closed as unclear what you're asking by jmac, CMW, Michael Grubey, Elysian Fields♦, jcmeloni Apr 8 '14 at 13:16


Please clarify your specific problem or add additional details to highlight exactly what you need. As it's currently written, it’s hard to tell exactly what you're asking. See the How to Ask page for help clarifying this question. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.










  • 3




    Have you tried anything ? Did it work ? If yes, how ? If no, how ? How about some research on the topic ?
    – Radu Murzea
    Apr 8 '14 at 8:12






  • 3




    Hey KBright, and welcome to The Workplace. As explained in our help center, "You should only ask practical, answerable questions based on actual problems that you face." Could you consider an edit to explain what the problem you're facing is, and what sort of solution you're specifically looking for? For instance, "We have a high turnover rate recently. By the time we know someone is unhappy, it's too late to keep them. What can we do to increase employee engagement and retention?" Thanks in advance!
    – jmac
    Apr 8 '14 at 8:22






  • 1




    Define "engagement". It's hard to help you measure something if it's unclear exactly what you hope to measure.
    – aroth
    Apr 8 '14 at 11:40










  • Yes, Employee Engagement is a common term which also means if you do a simple search you'll find plenty of established measurement tools.
    – user8365
    Apr 8 '14 at 14:18
















up vote
2
down vote

favorite












We are a growing company and as such I want to put a startegy in place to ensure that we are pre-empting any issues as we increase our work force.



As a result I'm interested in implementing a system to measure employee engagement in the workplace to pick up on common trends. How would I go about doing this? I have researched into using the likes of Survey Monkey however would appreciate some expert advice on how to implement such an initiative.



Defining engagement - I would have thought this was self explanatory however with reference to 'employee engagement' - this relates to an employee being engaged and happy with all aspects of the workplace from leadership, communication, tools to perform their role and ultimately whether they feel valued or not.







share|improve this question














closed as unclear what you're asking by jmac, CMW, Michael Grubey, Elysian Fields♦, jcmeloni Apr 8 '14 at 13:16


Please clarify your specific problem or add additional details to highlight exactly what you need. As it's currently written, it’s hard to tell exactly what you're asking. See the How to Ask page for help clarifying this question. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.










  • 3




    Have you tried anything ? Did it work ? If yes, how ? If no, how ? How about some research on the topic ?
    – Radu Murzea
    Apr 8 '14 at 8:12






  • 3




    Hey KBright, and welcome to The Workplace. As explained in our help center, "You should only ask practical, answerable questions based on actual problems that you face." Could you consider an edit to explain what the problem you're facing is, and what sort of solution you're specifically looking for? For instance, "We have a high turnover rate recently. By the time we know someone is unhappy, it's too late to keep them. What can we do to increase employee engagement and retention?" Thanks in advance!
    – jmac
    Apr 8 '14 at 8:22






  • 1




    Define "engagement". It's hard to help you measure something if it's unclear exactly what you hope to measure.
    – aroth
    Apr 8 '14 at 11:40










  • Yes, Employee Engagement is a common term which also means if you do a simple search you'll find plenty of established measurement tools.
    – user8365
    Apr 8 '14 at 14:18












up vote
2
down vote

favorite









up vote
2
down vote

favorite











We are a growing company and as such I want to put a startegy in place to ensure that we are pre-empting any issues as we increase our work force.



As a result I'm interested in implementing a system to measure employee engagement in the workplace to pick up on common trends. How would I go about doing this? I have researched into using the likes of Survey Monkey however would appreciate some expert advice on how to implement such an initiative.



Defining engagement - I would have thought this was self explanatory however with reference to 'employee engagement' - this relates to an employee being engaged and happy with all aspects of the workplace from leadership, communication, tools to perform their role and ultimately whether they feel valued or not.







share|improve this question














We are a growing company and as such I want to put a startegy in place to ensure that we are pre-empting any issues as we increase our work force.



As a result I'm interested in implementing a system to measure employee engagement in the workplace to pick up on common trends. How would I go about doing this? I have researched into using the likes of Survey Monkey however would appreciate some expert advice on how to implement such an initiative.



Defining engagement - I would have thought this was self explanatory however with reference to 'employee engagement' - this relates to an employee being engaged and happy with all aspects of the workplace from leadership, communication, tools to perform their role and ultimately whether they feel valued or not.









share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited Apr 8 '14 at 11:48

























asked Apr 8 '14 at 7:56









Kristian Bright

1274




1274




closed as unclear what you're asking by jmac, CMW, Michael Grubey, Elysian Fields♦, jcmeloni Apr 8 '14 at 13:16


Please clarify your specific problem or add additional details to highlight exactly what you need. As it's currently written, it’s hard to tell exactly what you're asking. See the How to Ask page for help clarifying this question. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.






closed as unclear what you're asking by jmac, CMW, Michael Grubey, Elysian Fields♦, jcmeloni Apr 8 '14 at 13:16


Please clarify your specific problem or add additional details to highlight exactly what you need. As it's currently written, it’s hard to tell exactly what you're asking. See the How to Ask page for help clarifying this question. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.









  • 3




    Have you tried anything ? Did it work ? If yes, how ? If no, how ? How about some research on the topic ?
    – Radu Murzea
    Apr 8 '14 at 8:12






  • 3




    Hey KBright, and welcome to The Workplace. As explained in our help center, "You should only ask practical, answerable questions based on actual problems that you face." Could you consider an edit to explain what the problem you're facing is, and what sort of solution you're specifically looking for? For instance, "We have a high turnover rate recently. By the time we know someone is unhappy, it's too late to keep them. What can we do to increase employee engagement and retention?" Thanks in advance!
    – jmac
    Apr 8 '14 at 8:22






  • 1




    Define "engagement". It's hard to help you measure something if it's unclear exactly what you hope to measure.
    – aroth
    Apr 8 '14 at 11:40










  • Yes, Employee Engagement is a common term which also means if you do a simple search you'll find plenty of established measurement tools.
    – user8365
    Apr 8 '14 at 14:18












  • 3




    Have you tried anything ? Did it work ? If yes, how ? If no, how ? How about some research on the topic ?
    – Radu Murzea
    Apr 8 '14 at 8:12






  • 3




    Hey KBright, and welcome to The Workplace. As explained in our help center, "You should only ask practical, answerable questions based on actual problems that you face." Could you consider an edit to explain what the problem you're facing is, and what sort of solution you're specifically looking for? For instance, "We have a high turnover rate recently. By the time we know someone is unhappy, it's too late to keep them. What can we do to increase employee engagement and retention?" Thanks in advance!
    – jmac
    Apr 8 '14 at 8:22






  • 1




    Define "engagement". It's hard to help you measure something if it's unclear exactly what you hope to measure.
    – aroth
    Apr 8 '14 at 11:40










  • Yes, Employee Engagement is a common term which also means if you do a simple search you'll find plenty of established measurement tools.
    – user8365
    Apr 8 '14 at 14:18







3




3




Have you tried anything ? Did it work ? If yes, how ? If no, how ? How about some research on the topic ?
– Radu Murzea
Apr 8 '14 at 8:12




Have you tried anything ? Did it work ? If yes, how ? If no, how ? How about some research on the topic ?
– Radu Murzea
Apr 8 '14 at 8:12




3




3




Hey KBright, and welcome to The Workplace. As explained in our help center, "You should only ask practical, answerable questions based on actual problems that you face." Could you consider an edit to explain what the problem you're facing is, and what sort of solution you're specifically looking for? For instance, "We have a high turnover rate recently. By the time we know someone is unhappy, it's too late to keep them. What can we do to increase employee engagement and retention?" Thanks in advance!
– jmac
Apr 8 '14 at 8:22




Hey KBright, and welcome to The Workplace. As explained in our help center, "You should only ask practical, answerable questions based on actual problems that you face." Could you consider an edit to explain what the problem you're facing is, and what sort of solution you're specifically looking for? For instance, "We have a high turnover rate recently. By the time we know someone is unhappy, it's too late to keep them. What can we do to increase employee engagement and retention?" Thanks in advance!
– jmac
Apr 8 '14 at 8:22




1




1




Define "engagement". It's hard to help you measure something if it's unclear exactly what you hope to measure.
– aroth
Apr 8 '14 at 11:40




Define "engagement". It's hard to help you measure something if it's unclear exactly what you hope to measure.
– aroth
Apr 8 '14 at 11:40












Yes, Employee Engagement is a common term which also means if you do a simple search you'll find plenty of established measurement tools.
– user8365
Apr 8 '14 at 14:18




Yes, Employee Engagement is a common term which also means if you do a simple search you'll find plenty of established measurement tools.
– user8365
Apr 8 '14 at 14:18










1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes

















up vote
3
down vote














As a result I'm interested in implementing a system to measure
employee engagement in the workplace to pick up on common trends. How
would I go about doing this?




As they say "You can learn a lot by asking".



Here, I'd worry that you feel the need for a "system", rather than just walking around and talking to people. Systems like Survey Monkey and such are a poor substitute for speaking with people directly, listening to what they are actually saying and watching how they are acting.



A system typically abstracts what is really going on and attempts to cram it into a number. That way (or so the theory goes) you can track the number over time, and see if it is getting "better".



But "engagement", "happiness" and "feeling valued" don't work that way (at least not in my opinion). And any number you use to represent them is a poor substitute. Attempting to measure engagement as a number may result in people feeling more alienated ("I'm just a number - they don't even want to talk to me"), or for people to concentrate on gaming the number rather than being more engaged ("Today's the Corporate Reporting Employee Engagement Profile (CREEP) day - I'd better walk around and smile a lot so that I get good scores!").



Far better, in my opinion, is to walk around and talk to people. Ask them how they are doing. Ask how the company can make things better for them. Listen to the answers, make a few notes for yourself, think about them, and then act.



The best places I have ever worked have been companies where the leadership took an active interest in their people. Not by sending out emails and surveys - but by talking with them, by learning their names, by acting like they care. These companies developed a culture of caring - and all levels of management participated.



Surveys are quick and cheap and easy to ignore. Spending time talking to people is more expensive. The former shows that you sort of care (at least a little), but don't want to spend money. The latter shows that you are willing to put your money and your time behind your caring. For me, that's far more valuable.



If you are in a position of top leadership at your company, ask your direct reports "Are people here engaged? Are they happy? Do they feel valued? And if so - how do you know?". Then, go out and try to confirm what you have heard by talking with a bunch of people. Finally, work on your corporate culture to make things better for everyone.






share|improve this answer


















  • 1




    "Surveys are quick and cheap" - they're also very easy for potential respondents to ignore, and as a result you don't get the full spectrum of feedback that's potentially available.
    – alroc
    Apr 8 '14 at 13:29






  • 1




    @alroc - If your employees don't want to respond to a survey asking if they are happy with their jobs, that says something.
    – user8365
    Apr 8 '14 at 14:20










  • @JoeStrazzere - Getting too many surveys could be a problem, but I'm guessing there were other parts of the company/job you may not have liked? Employees who don't fill out surveys are not as engaged IMHO.
    – user8365
    Apr 8 '14 at 16:24










  • People will often lie on work surveys because they don't trust that their responses will be anonymous.
    – HLGEM
    Apr 8 '14 at 20:04

















1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes








1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes









active

oldest

votes






active

oldest

votes








up vote
3
down vote














As a result I'm interested in implementing a system to measure
employee engagement in the workplace to pick up on common trends. How
would I go about doing this?




As they say "You can learn a lot by asking".



Here, I'd worry that you feel the need for a "system", rather than just walking around and talking to people. Systems like Survey Monkey and such are a poor substitute for speaking with people directly, listening to what they are actually saying and watching how they are acting.



A system typically abstracts what is really going on and attempts to cram it into a number. That way (or so the theory goes) you can track the number over time, and see if it is getting "better".



But "engagement", "happiness" and "feeling valued" don't work that way (at least not in my opinion). And any number you use to represent them is a poor substitute. Attempting to measure engagement as a number may result in people feeling more alienated ("I'm just a number - they don't even want to talk to me"), or for people to concentrate on gaming the number rather than being more engaged ("Today's the Corporate Reporting Employee Engagement Profile (CREEP) day - I'd better walk around and smile a lot so that I get good scores!").



Far better, in my opinion, is to walk around and talk to people. Ask them how they are doing. Ask how the company can make things better for them. Listen to the answers, make a few notes for yourself, think about them, and then act.



The best places I have ever worked have been companies where the leadership took an active interest in their people. Not by sending out emails and surveys - but by talking with them, by learning their names, by acting like they care. These companies developed a culture of caring - and all levels of management participated.



Surveys are quick and cheap and easy to ignore. Spending time talking to people is more expensive. The former shows that you sort of care (at least a little), but don't want to spend money. The latter shows that you are willing to put your money and your time behind your caring. For me, that's far more valuable.



If you are in a position of top leadership at your company, ask your direct reports "Are people here engaged? Are they happy? Do they feel valued? And if so - how do you know?". Then, go out and try to confirm what you have heard by talking with a bunch of people. Finally, work on your corporate culture to make things better for everyone.






share|improve this answer


















  • 1




    "Surveys are quick and cheap" - they're also very easy for potential respondents to ignore, and as a result you don't get the full spectrum of feedback that's potentially available.
    – alroc
    Apr 8 '14 at 13:29






  • 1




    @alroc - If your employees don't want to respond to a survey asking if they are happy with their jobs, that says something.
    – user8365
    Apr 8 '14 at 14:20










  • @JoeStrazzere - Getting too many surveys could be a problem, but I'm guessing there were other parts of the company/job you may not have liked? Employees who don't fill out surveys are not as engaged IMHO.
    – user8365
    Apr 8 '14 at 16:24










  • People will often lie on work surveys because they don't trust that their responses will be anonymous.
    – HLGEM
    Apr 8 '14 at 20:04














up vote
3
down vote














As a result I'm interested in implementing a system to measure
employee engagement in the workplace to pick up on common trends. How
would I go about doing this?




As they say "You can learn a lot by asking".



Here, I'd worry that you feel the need for a "system", rather than just walking around and talking to people. Systems like Survey Monkey and such are a poor substitute for speaking with people directly, listening to what they are actually saying and watching how they are acting.



A system typically abstracts what is really going on and attempts to cram it into a number. That way (or so the theory goes) you can track the number over time, and see if it is getting "better".



But "engagement", "happiness" and "feeling valued" don't work that way (at least not in my opinion). And any number you use to represent them is a poor substitute. Attempting to measure engagement as a number may result in people feeling more alienated ("I'm just a number - they don't even want to talk to me"), or for people to concentrate on gaming the number rather than being more engaged ("Today's the Corporate Reporting Employee Engagement Profile (CREEP) day - I'd better walk around and smile a lot so that I get good scores!").



Far better, in my opinion, is to walk around and talk to people. Ask them how they are doing. Ask how the company can make things better for them. Listen to the answers, make a few notes for yourself, think about them, and then act.



The best places I have ever worked have been companies where the leadership took an active interest in their people. Not by sending out emails and surveys - but by talking with them, by learning their names, by acting like they care. These companies developed a culture of caring - and all levels of management participated.



Surveys are quick and cheap and easy to ignore. Spending time talking to people is more expensive. The former shows that you sort of care (at least a little), but don't want to spend money. The latter shows that you are willing to put your money and your time behind your caring. For me, that's far more valuable.



If you are in a position of top leadership at your company, ask your direct reports "Are people here engaged? Are they happy? Do they feel valued? And if so - how do you know?". Then, go out and try to confirm what you have heard by talking with a bunch of people. Finally, work on your corporate culture to make things better for everyone.






share|improve this answer


















  • 1




    "Surveys are quick and cheap" - they're also very easy for potential respondents to ignore, and as a result you don't get the full spectrum of feedback that's potentially available.
    – alroc
    Apr 8 '14 at 13:29






  • 1




    @alroc - If your employees don't want to respond to a survey asking if they are happy with their jobs, that says something.
    – user8365
    Apr 8 '14 at 14:20










  • @JoeStrazzere - Getting too many surveys could be a problem, but I'm guessing there were other parts of the company/job you may not have liked? Employees who don't fill out surveys are not as engaged IMHO.
    – user8365
    Apr 8 '14 at 16:24










  • People will often lie on work surveys because they don't trust that their responses will be anonymous.
    – HLGEM
    Apr 8 '14 at 20:04












up vote
3
down vote










up vote
3
down vote










As a result I'm interested in implementing a system to measure
employee engagement in the workplace to pick up on common trends. How
would I go about doing this?




As they say "You can learn a lot by asking".



Here, I'd worry that you feel the need for a "system", rather than just walking around and talking to people. Systems like Survey Monkey and such are a poor substitute for speaking with people directly, listening to what they are actually saying and watching how they are acting.



A system typically abstracts what is really going on and attempts to cram it into a number. That way (or so the theory goes) you can track the number over time, and see if it is getting "better".



But "engagement", "happiness" and "feeling valued" don't work that way (at least not in my opinion). And any number you use to represent them is a poor substitute. Attempting to measure engagement as a number may result in people feeling more alienated ("I'm just a number - they don't even want to talk to me"), or for people to concentrate on gaming the number rather than being more engaged ("Today's the Corporate Reporting Employee Engagement Profile (CREEP) day - I'd better walk around and smile a lot so that I get good scores!").



Far better, in my opinion, is to walk around and talk to people. Ask them how they are doing. Ask how the company can make things better for them. Listen to the answers, make a few notes for yourself, think about them, and then act.



The best places I have ever worked have been companies where the leadership took an active interest in their people. Not by sending out emails and surveys - but by talking with them, by learning their names, by acting like they care. These companies developed a culture of caring - and all levels of management participated.



Surveys are quick and cheap and easy to ignore. Spending time talking to people is more expensive. The former shows that you sort of care (at least a little), but don't want to spend money. The latter shows that you are willing to put your money and your time behind your caring. For me, that's far more valuable.



If you are in a position of top leadership at your company, ask your direct reports "Are people here engaged? Are they happy? Do they feel valued? And if so - how do you know?". Then, go out and try to confirm what you have heard by talking with a bunch of people. Finally, work on your corporate culture to make things better for everyone.






share|improve this answer















As a result I'm interested in implementing a system to measure
employee engagement in the workplace to pick up on common trends. How
would I go about doing this?




As they say "You can learn a lot by asking".



Here, I'd worry that you feel the need for a "system", rather than just walking around and talking to people. Systems like Survey Monkey and such are a poor substitute for speaking with people directly, listening to what they are actually saying and watching how they are acting.



A system typically abstracts what is really going on and attempts to cram it into a number. That way (or so the theory goes) you can track the number over time, and see if it is getting "better".



But "engagement", "happiness" and "feeling valued" don't work that way (at least not in my opinion). And any number you use to represent them is a poor substitute. Attempting to measure engagement as a number may result in people feeling more alienated ("I'm just a number - they don't even want to talk to me"), or for people to concentrate on gaming the number rather than being more engaged ("Today's the Corporate Reporting Employee Engagement Profile (CREEP) day - I'd better walk around and smile a lot so that I get good scores!").



Far better, in my opinion, is to walk around and talk to people. Ask them how they are doing. Ask how the company can make things better for them. Listen to the answers, make a few notes for yourself, think about them, and then act.



The best places I have ever worked have been companies where the leadership took an active interest in their people. Not by sending out emails and surveys - but by talking with them, by learning their names, by acting like they care. These companies developed a culture of caring - and all levels of management participated.



Surveys are quick and cheap and easy to ignore. Spending time talking to people is more expensive. The former shows that you sort of care (at least a little), but don't want to spend money. The latter shows that you are willing to put your money and your time behind your caring. For me, that's far more valuable.



If you are in a position of top leadership at your company, ask your direct reports "Are people here engaged? Are they happy? Do they feel valued? And if so - how do you know?". Then, go out and try to confirm what you have heard by talking with a bunch of people. Finally, work on your corporate culture to make things better for everyone.







share|improve this answer














share|improve this answer



share|improve this answer








edited Apr 8 '14 at 14:46

























answered Apr 8 '14 at 12:26









Joe Strazzere

224k107661930




224k107661930







  • 1




    "Surveys are quick and cheap" - they're also very easy for potential respondents to ignore, and as a result you don't get the full spectrum of feedback that's potentially available.
    – alroc
    Apr 8 '14 at 13:29






  • 1




    @alroc - If your employees don't want to respond to a survey asking if they are happy with their jobs, that says something.
    – user8365
    Apr 8 '14 at 14:20










  • @JoeStrazzere - Getting too many surveys could be a problem, but I'm guessing there were other parts of the company/job you may not have liked? Employees who don't fill out surveys are not as engaged IMHO.
    – user8365
    Apr 8 '14 at 16:24










  • People will often lie on work surveys because they don't trust that their responses will be anonymous.
    – HLGEM
    Apr 8 '14 at 20:04












  • 1




    "Surveys are quick and cheap" - they're also very easy for potential respondents to ignore, and as a result you don't get the full spectrum of feedback that's potentially available.
    – alroc
    Apr 8 '14 at 13:29






  • 1




    @alroc - If your employees don't want to respond to a survey asking if they are happy with their jobs, that says something.
    – user8365
    Apr 8 '14 at 14:20










  • @JoeStrazzere - Getting too many surveys could be a problem, but I'm guessing there were other parts of the company/job you may not have liked? Employees who don't fill out surveys are not as engaged IMHO.
    – user8365
    Apr 8 '14 at 16:24










  • People will often lie on work surveys because they don't trust that their responses will be anonymous.
    – HLGEM
    Apr 8 '14 at 20:04







1




1




"Surveys are quick and cheap" - they're also very easy for potential respondents to ignore, and as a result you don't get the full spectrum of feedback that's potentially available.
– alroc
Apr 8 '14 at 13:29




"Surveys are quick and cheap" - they're also very easy for potential respondents to ignore, and as a result you don't get the full spectrum of feedback that's potentially available.
– alroc
Apr 8 '14 at 13:29




1




1




@alroc - If your employees don't want to respond to a survey asking if they are happy with their jobs, that says something.
– user8365
Apr 8 '14 at 14:20




@alroc - If your employees don't want to respond to a survey asking if they are happy with their jobs, that says something.
– user8365
Apr 8 '14 at 14:20












@JoeStrazzere - Getting too many surveys could be a problem, but I'm guessing there were other parts of the company/job you may not have liked? Employees who don't fill out surveys are not as engaged IMHO.
– user8365
Apr 8 '14 at 16:24




@JoeStrazzere - Getting too many surveys could be a problem, but I'm guessing there were other parts of the company/job you may not have liked? Employees who don't fill out surveys are not as engaged IMHO.
– user8365
Apr 8 '14 at 16:24












People will often lie on work surveys because they don't trust that their responses will be anonymous.
– HLGEM
Apr 8 '14 at 20:04




People will often lie on work surveys because they don't trust that their responses will be anonymous.
– HLGEM
Apr 8 '14 at 20:04


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