Employee Engagement Ideas and Strategies for 2024

Employee engagement relates to an employee’s commitment to and connection to their company.   

Companies strive for high employee engagement due to the many benefits it brings, such as enhanced innovation, a more positive work environment, and increased employee retention, ultimately leading to increased productivity. 

In the era of “quiet quitting”, it’s even more important to ensure employee engagement in the workplace. The more engaged the employees are at their job, the higher their job satisfaction. 

To increase employee engagement, companies and learning and development departments often turn to a variety of employee engagement ideas and strategies.

Let’s take a look at the key differences between engaged employees and disengaged employees and how your company can benefit from adopting an employee engagement strategy.

Engaged Employees

  • 32% of full-time employees were engaged in 2022, according to Gallup.1

  • Elements of engagement include clarity of job expectations, growth opportunities and opinions counting at work.

  • Engaged employees are involved in and enthusiastic about their work and workplace.

Disengaged Employees

  • 18% of employees were actively disengaged at work in 2022, according to Gallup.2

  • Factors that contributed to lower employee engagement included a lack of clarity expectations, lack of career opportunities and not feeling cared about at work3

  • Employees who feel this confusion and lack of clarity are more likely to leave the organization.4

If your company has high employee engagement, this may lead to various organizational outcomes including profitability, productivity, customer service, retention, safety and overall well-being.5

Let’s take a look at some of the benefits of an employee engagement strategy. 

Improved Employee Retention

An outstanding employee experience may help employees feel valued, engaged and supported leading to better employee retention.  

Companies with highly engaged employees experience an 18% decrease in turnover for high-turnover companies and a 43% decrease in turnover for low-turnover companies.6

Increased Workplace Morale

According to research from Gallup, engaged employees are involved in and enthusiastic about their work and workplace.7 This increased involvement and enthusiasm may help contribute to a more positive workplace morale. 

Greater Productivity

In addition to more consistent staffing levels and a more positive work atmosphere, companies with higher employee engagement can also expect stronger yields and outcomes. 

High employee engagement resulted in an 18% increase in productivity.8

Improved Employee Financial Wellness 

Increasing employee engagement will pay off for your employees. More engaged employees may lead to greater employee financial wellness, satisfaction and morale increases for your employees. Simply put, they’ll be happier in their jobs and the investment will pay off. 

When employees have greater financial literacy and control over their finances, that leads to better financial wellness. 

This increase in financial wellness will reduce the likelihood of employees being overly concerned about their finances and give them more time and energy to focus on their jobs, leading to greater productivity and engagement. 

Better Customer Outcomes 

Regardless of your industry, higher employee engagement levels can also translate to success for your customer outcomes and interactions. 

Companies with high employee engagement saw a 10% increase in customer loyalty/engagement.9

An employee engagement strategy focuses on how companies can improve the employee experience by fostering higher employee engagement.   

Companies with high employee engagement and successful employee engagement strategies can expect positive outcomes including improved profitability, productivity, customer service, retention, safety and overall well-being.2

These outcomes highlight exactly why your company should invest and focus on an employee engagement strategy.

Offer Richer Employee Professional Development Opportunities  

Professional development opportunities such as workshops, courses, certifications and attending industry conferences are highly prized as they contribute to career advancement and skill acquisition.  

Training is a great way to show that you are invested in your employees. Training initiatives can range from career development opportunities to financial wellness programs. By showing that you are invested in your employees’ professional and personal lives, you are encouraging loyalty and engagement. 

Provide Greater Pay Flexibility

It’s no secret that many employees look at pay as an indicator of their happiness at work. If an employee feels they’re not getting enough support for financial wellness, they may consider looking for a new job.

By offering modern pay solutions that provide flexible pay, you are again encouraging employee satisfaction and loyalty. If you’re unable to increase pay, there are other ways to make wages more valuable. If you can’t raise salaries, how can you make your pay feel different? 

Offer Financial Wellness Benefits

Offering outstanding financial wellness benefits can make a meaningful difference for employees. They can get a better hold of their finances, leading to more financial wellness and less stress. 

Offer Rewards and Recognition 

According to Survey Monkey, 82% of employees consider recognition as integral to their happiness at work and 63% of employees who are often recognized at work are less likely to look for a new job opportunity in the short term.11

Companies should consider how they can meaningfully reward and recognize their employees to show their appreciation.

Employees often value rewards that enhance their job satisfaction and personal growth beyond a salary increase. Public recognition through awards, “Employee of the Month” titles, or features in company communications can boost morale and motivation. 

Health and wellness benefits like gym memberships, wellness programs or mental health support services show a company’s commitment to employee well-being. 

Additionally, perks such as extra vacation days, on-site amenities like free meals, child care facilities or transportation benefits are also greatly appreciated. These rewards not only make employees feel valued but also encourage a loyal and positive work environment.

Focus on Work-Life Balance for Employees 

Employers can promote work-life balance by offering flexible schedules, remote work options and additional paid time off. Encouraging regular breaks and providing wellness programs also helps. 

As companies look for new ways to improve employee engagement, one possible approach is to shift from a work-life balance perspective to a work-life support approach and build an employee-focused pay experience

Leverage Worktech Platforms To Enable Productivity 

Your company is likely already using a number of Worktech platforms. Tools like Zoom, Slack and Google. However, many of these tools also play a significant role in your employees’ personal lives. Worktech platforms can transform various aspects of our lives ranging from how we communicate to the way we schedule our lives and the way we get paid.

Earned wage access, similarly, is a worktech product that helps employees manage their finances. Earned wage access is now commonplace for companies, especially those with Gen Z workers, who simply expect everything in their lives to be “on-demand.”

Worktech has certainly evolved to play a big role in our lives inside and outside the office. These work tech solutions and vendors have evolved to adapt to not only what helps people to be more productive, but make their lives easier. 

Leverage Employee Engagement Platforms 

Employee engagement platforms (also referred to as employee engagement software) refer to various tools, platforms and services designed to improve overall employee engagement for a company through feedback, surveys and other tracking tools. 

According to Built In, some of the most popular employee engagement platforms include Culture Amp, 15Five and Betterworks.12

Learn more about how the DailyPay Solution may improve employee engagement.

Employees using DailyPay are more likely to take advantage of on-demand pay benefits based on their personal financial situation. Your company could benefit from even higher engagement rates as a result. 

Learn more about how the DailyPay Solution may improve employee engagement.

All information herein is for educational purposes only and should not be relied upon for any other use. The information herein does not constitute the rendering of professional advice by DailyPay. DailyPay does not warrant the completeness or accuracy of any information provided to you.

All information herein is for educational purposes only and should not be relied upon for any other use. The information herein does not constitute the rendering of professional advice by DailyPay. DailyPay does not warrant the completeness or accuracy of any information provided to you.

  • What is employee engagement?

    Employee engagement relates to an employee’s commitment and connection to a company. High employee engagement can lead to improved employee retention, higher workplace morale and increased employee financial wellness.

  • What do I do if my employee engagement is low and how can I improve employee engagement?

    An employee engagement strategy powered by greater pay flexibility, improved benefits, training and rewards can help companies increase employee engagement. 

  • What are the benefits of increasing employee engagement?

    Companies that increase employee engagement can experience higher employee retention, greater productivity, higher profitability and more.

  • How do you measure employee engagement?

    Companies can measure employee engagement through surveys, employee engagement software and other employee engagement platforms or tools.

  • What are employee engagement platforms?

    Employee engagement platforms are tools and software designed to improve employee engagement through feedback, surveys and other tracking tools.

  • What are the most effective employee engagement tools?

    In addition to improved benefits, the most effective employee engagement tools often include tracking, messaging and survey tools to foster engagement and communication.

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Improved planning with visibility to spending and earned pay in one easy-to-use app.


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