5 Dimensions of Employee Engagement

What are the 5 Dimensions of Employee Engagement?

Leaders are always looking for the best way to determine if employees are engaged. That’s because organizations with high levels of engagement have lower turnover, increased productivity, and better business outcomes. Traditionally, human resources departments have turned to employee pulse surveys to gauge employee experience. However, according to a Harvard Business Review Article, engagement surveys often don’t tell the full story.

In fact, when employees are asked about their level of engagement, they are likely to answer in a way that makes them look good. People are unlikely to respond “yes” to questions like “Are you overworked?” or “Do you feel stressed out?” Likewise, answers will skew towards positive responses when employees are asked about their level of job satisfaction. 

This is because those questions focus on the feelings of the individual. Employees will avoid answers that make it sound like they cannot handle their job. 

Observing the 5 Dimensions of Employee Engagement

Rather than relying on annual surveys, managers can also observe employee behavior to find indicators of engagement. Looking for these 5 dimensions of employee engagement can help any leader determine how employees are feeling about their work:

  1. Feedback: What types of unsolicited feedback does your employee provide? Does it have a positive tone, or is it more negative in nature? If an employee makes negative comments on a regular basis, it could indicate they are disengaged. Listening to what your employees say is also a great way to improve employee engagement. 
  2. Recognition: When is the last time you publicly recognized your employee for a job well done? Recognition can go a long way to feed general engagement by improving employee morale and decreasing turnover. 
  3. Relationship with peers: Does your employee have a good relationship with their peers? Do they participate in group outings or conversations? This shows they are invested in their teammates and enjoy those they work with. Studies have shown that people that have a friend at work also experience better physical and mental health. 
  4. Relationship with managers: Is your employee responsive to management requests, or do they delay or complain about assignments? Respect for upper management indicates an alignment of vision and values and is a good indicator of employee engagement.
  5. Personal Growth: Some employees will be more excited by opportunities for growth than others. However, most people agree that a job full of repetition leads to boredom. Offer your employee some chances to learn and grow and see how enthusiastic they are about the offer. Learning and skills development are key drivers of employee engagement and can is a great addition to your employee engagement strategies. 

Some employees will be more excited by opportunities for growth than others. However, most people agree that a job full of repetition leads to boredom. Offer your employee some chances to learn and grow and see how excited they are about the offer. Learning opportunities and skills development are key drivers of employee engagement and are a great addition to your employee engagement strategies. Leaders that create a positive work environment that includes effective employee engagement programs will see the benefit of increased employee retention and productivity.Â