Boosting Employee Engagement Requires a Holistic Approach

Employee engagement is a critical component in an organization’s talent strategy, as highly engaged employees are 73% less likely to think about quitting, according to SHRM research.

HR professionals need to shift their approach to employee engagement, said Bob Kelleher, chief engagement officer at The Employee Engagement Group, during SHRM25 in San Diego.

Kelleher argued that employee engagement efforts often struggle because they ignore factors outside of work. Drawing upon his extensive expertise, he classified engagement as a partnership, deeply influenced by both work and personal factors.

Many current strategies fail because they take a simplistic view of engagement, expecting it to rise continually, Kelleher explained. “Engagement isn’t linear. It’s full of ups and downs,” he said, a reality most programs fail to account for when they rely on one-size-fits-all perks. This dynamic interplay between life and work, Kelleher suggested, calls for a new approach, one that addresses challenges on and off the job.

Beyond Traditional Engagement Efforts

While some organizations attempt to spark engagement through monetary incentives or perks, Kelleher emphasized that such measures offer limited results because they confuse employee engagement with satisfaction.

Money and perks can make a worker feel more satisfied at work, he said, but they can’t make a worker care more about their job. Instead, employees thrive when given autonomy and flexibility to balance their responsibilities, both at work and at home.

Kelleher offered the example of a disgruntled worker who feels stuck in a job they hate because they’re waiting for their pension to vest. In that case, the pension benefit may increase satisfaction but hurt engagement if the employee feels trapped by the incentive. Having a “low degree of freedom — when you feel you have no choice — that’s the worst thing,” he said.

Instead of spending lavishly on perks, organizations should work to ensure their incentives, such as wage increases, bonuses, and promotions, are distributed according to clear and consistent criteria. “The perception of unfairness causes disengagement,” he said.

Other Factors That Drive Engagement

Engagement, Kelleher argued, is far more than just satisfaction with work-related metrics; it’s about aligning personal values with corporate missions. “There’s a greater probability of you being engaged if your personal values match the company’s values,” he explained. Purpose-driven organizations, therefore, are often more successful at retaining and engaging top talent.

Emotional, financial, and relational factors outside the workplace deeply affect productivity and morale as well. Without empathy from management, these personal issues may translate into disengagement.

Workers thrive in environments that recognize the interconnection between their home and work lives. They need managers who understand the challenges employees may face at home and who can offer them the flexibility to balance their responsibilities. “It is unlikely that you can be engaged at work if you are unhappy at home. It’s all linked,” Kelleher said.

Furthermore, Kelleher stressed the importance of fostering employee relationships, saying, “When you have a best friend at work, organizations are more profitable than those that don’t.” However, remote and hybrid models often hinder these critical connections, which are essential for camaraderie and mutual support.

6 Steps to Boost Employee Engagement

To help HR professionals address these factors and implement a comprehensive engagement strategy, Kelleher outlined a few practical approaches:

1. Encourage Autonomy: Provide employees with more flexibility in their roles. This might involve allowing greater control over work hours, remote work options, or input into decision-making processes.
2. Treat Workers Equally: Evaluate your organization for fairness. Address salary imbalances, recognize achievements consistently, and ensure promotions and rewards are transparent.
3. Foster Connections: Facilitate workplace relationships through in-person retreats, team-building exercises, and regular check-ins, especially for hybrid and remote teams.
4. Align Values: Ensure that your company’s mission and values resonate with your workforce. Consider incorporating these into your hiring practices, onboarding, and corporate culture.
5. Promote Empathy: Train managers to actively listen and support their team members through personal challenges. This compassionate approach encourages openness and builds trust.
6. Adapt Metrics: Recognize that engagement fluctuates and isn’t linear. Adopt performance reviews and engagement surveys that take into account life’s ups and downs.

By understanding that engagement is neither static nor solely work-focused, HR professionals can reshape their strategies. A holistic model acknowledges the unique blend of factors powering engagement, while practical adjustments create measurable improvements for both employees and organizations.