Employee engagement measurement is a critical factor in the success of any organisation. Engaged employees are more motivated, productive and committed, leading to higher levels of innovation and customer satisfaction. To create a thriving work environment, it is essential for employers to understand and measure employee engagement effectively. In this blog, we’ll explore some of the essential tools available to measure and enhance employee engagement, help you understand what you're measuring and enable you to drive impactful communication strategies.
Employee engagement measurement should be central to your approach. But before you can even think about how you approach employee engagement measurement there are a few things to be considered. In order to achieve your objectives as a company, you should first review the metrics that you think will help you get there. Are the metrics important to achieving your goals or are they simply vanity metrics? I.e does a few more content like here and there make a fundamental difference, or is it more important that our intranet has a higher adoption rate to influence widespread engagement throughout your organisation.
Tools for employee engagement measurement
1. Surveys
One of the most common and effective tools for employee engagement measurement is conducting surveys. These surveys provide a structured approach to gather feedback from employees and assess their level of engagement. They’re designed to measure specific areas of engagement on a regular basis, providing a pulse check on the workforce’ sentiments and enabling timely interventions.
Oak Engage allows you to conduct Pulse Surveys and Polls which enables you to capture real-time feedback from employees. They allow employees to have their say, provide feedback and raise any issues they may have. This gives a sense of belonging and increases employee engagement with two-way communication, fostering an inclusive work environment and makes your people feel valued, appreciated and heard.
Data type: Qualitative & quantitative
Metrics: Sentiment, ratings, engagement
2. Social intranet and collaboration tools
Investing in a modern intranet can significantly contribute to measuring employee engagement. These platforms provide a centralised hub for all internal communication channels, facilitating seamless information flow and fostering collaboration. With features like employee feedback channels, personalised and targeted messaging and real-time analytics, you can track engagement levels, identify communication gaps and make data-driven decisions.
Oak’s employee engagement and modern and intranet solution empowers you to reach every employee every time. We’re here to make communication simple. We believe there is a better way to use technology to engage employees, cut through the noise, and inspire action that puts people at the heart of organisations.
Data Type: Quantitative
Metrics: Interaction, reads, clicks
3. Employee feedback and recognition
Creating a culture of open communication and recognition is essential for driving employee engagement. Employee feedback and recognition provide avenues for your people to share their ideas, give feedback and recognise employee’s contributions. By monitoring employee feedback and recognition metrics, communication professionals can gauge engagement levels and fine-tune their communication strategies accordingly.
Five Guys are using Oak to champion employee recognition in order to create a positive culture and promote a happier working environment. Bastian Bauermesiter, Head of Internal Communications at Five Guys said: “Oak Engage has rolled out a feature that lets us give stars to deserving individuals. We’re keen on making recognition more public so people can share their support and pride for the company.”
“Without Oak & Chatty Patty, I don’t know how we would’ve engaged with our people, I don’t know how we would’ve reopened our stores and I don’t know how we’d have retained all those staff members. For us, this has been a huge success in terms of engagement & communication and continues to be.”
4. Data analysis
A common problem throughout the internal comms industry is measurement and proving the value. Oak combats this with in-product analytics that also provide insights on how audiences are reached and collectively measures the success and reach of communications so that a meaningful story can be crafted from the results and feedback.
Internal Communication professionals play a pivotal role in driving employee engagement through effective communication strategies. By leveraging specialised tools, you can measure and enhance employee engagement effectively. The right tools empower you to make data-driven decisions, optimise communication efforts and create a highly engaged workforce that drives organisational success.
Real life scenarios with Oak Engage
Scenario: Onboarding & initiation
As HR or Internal communications professionals, it’s your job to distribute information clearly and concisely. You want to ensure a smooth onboarding process and support effective new employee orientation. To measure employee engagement and overall success of these initiatives, you can distribute surveys to new hires at the end of their onboarding period. The surveys can include questions about their experience, the clarity of information provided, the level of support received, and their overall satisfaction with the onboarding process. By analysing survey responses, you can identify areas for improvement and make adjustments to enhance the onboarding experience for future hires.
Scenario: Gather employee sentiment
As an internal communicator, you play a vital role in monitoring employee satisfaction and job happiness. To measure these factors, you can utilise employee engagement surveys. These surveys focus on various aspects such as work-life balance, job satisfaction, career growth, and overall happiness. By using Oak Engage's Pulse Surveys and Polls, you can easily gather feedback and sentiments from employees, enabling you to identify areas where improvements can be made to enhance job satisfaction, boost morale, and create a positive work environment.
Scenario: Internal comms campaigns critical comms and policies
You play a crucial role in communicating HR policies, procedures, and benefits to employees. To measure the effectiveness of these communication campaigns, you can track engagement metrics such as email open rates, click-through rates on HR-related announcements, and employee participation in HR-related initiatives. Additionally, you can gather feedback from employees through online feedback channels or focus group discussions to understand their level of understanding, clarity, and satisfaction with the HR communications. This information will help you refine your communication strategies and ensure that employees are well-informed about HR policies and benefits.
Scenario: Employee wellness initiative
Promoting employee wellness and well-being is a key focus for HR professionals. To measure the impact and engagement of wellness programs and initiatives, you can utilise employee surveys and feedback channels. By leveraging Oak Engage's Pulse Surveys and Polls, you can collect feedback on wellness initiatives, track participation rates, and gauge employee satisfaction with the programs. This data allows you to make data-driven decisions to refine wellness initiatives, improve engagement, and create a healthier and more productive work environment.
Employee engagement measurement is essential when it comes to realising what success looks like for your business. It helps gauge an understanding on whether your messaging is really working or not.
From content engagement to intranet adoption, understanding the key stats that align with your objectives can help you get that little bit closer to achieving your goals. But remember, prior to investing in all the fancy tools and engagement suites, set out your expectations and build a solid understanding of what success looks like to you. Metrics matter but context is most important.
Find out how Oak can be a key part of your internal communications strategy by booking a demo today.
