Employee engagement: definition, example questions and tips for increasing company success

High employee engagement has a major influence on the growth and sales development of a company. Because committed employees are generally more motivated, more productive, more loyal and more prosocial. The QuestionPro Guide on the topic employee engagement: Tips, explanations, best practices and 15 example questions about employee engagement for your upcoming employee survey.

Explanation of terms & definition:
What does employee engagement mean?

Companies speak of employee engagement when it comes to the intrinsically motivated commitment of employees to the company and its goals and strategy. Motivation consists of the three categories cognitive, emotional and behavioral. This emotional commitment means that employees do not work exclusively for the salary, but are also connected to the company and “committed” to achieving the company's goals. This creates competitive advantages! A high level of employee engagement increases creativity, productivity, service and therefore inevitably customer satisfaction! Because employees who strive to achieve a high level of customer satisfaction ensure more long-term customer loyalty and therefore more sales.

Insufficient employee engagement must be identified and appropriate improvement measures derived. In order to be successful as a company in the competition, you have to start with your employees in the workplace.

The influence of work and corporate culture on employee engagement

Ultimately, satisfied customers are the result of satisfied and motivated employees. It's simply a fact that engaged employees will bring success to your company, be more productive at work, come up with better ideas and suggestions, be less likely to quit, and of course, be happier than their teammates. The difference between a successful company and an average successful company is culture. This is because successful companies understand the value of high employee engagement and shape the work culture accordingly. It is therefore up to you to challenge and promote the motivation and commitment of your employees.

According to a Gallup study, almost 70% of all employees are not emotionally connected to their own company. This cannot only be due to the people who get up day after day to “do their job”. With such a large percentage, every company has to take a look at itself and ask itself whether management is really doing everything it can to ensure that employees are motivated and committed to their work!

If employee engagement in the corresponding corporate culture is sustainably at a high level, companies benefit not only from a low fluctuation rate, but also from positive customer experiences and ultimately from increased sales.

Other factors for high employee engagement and high employee satisfaction

In addition to the corporate culture, the workplace and its facilities as well as the leadership style are crucial factors in the development of employee engagement and employee satisfaction.

Modern, functioning tools, ergonomic and health-promoting furniture as well as a pleasant working atmosphere are just as crucial as the opportunity to work from home and flexible working hours, a trusting environment, the communication of the meaningfulness of the work and mutual appreciation promoted by managers.

Measure employee engagement and employee satisfaction

It's important to understand how engaged your employees are. Starting points for measuring employee engagement should be based on the factors mentioned above, but not limited to them, in order not to miss any dynamic developments in employee engagement. Employee engagement surveys and employee satisfaction provide information that is key to creating a positive workplace culture, increasing employee productivity, and creating a positive work environment.

Committed and satisfied employees are the foundation of every successful company. According to the Gallup study cited above, 51% of employees are disengaged at work, 17% are actively disengaged, and only 32% of all employees show high levels of employee engagement. If these numbers are to change, then something within the company must also change. How seriously do you take the commitment of your employees?

To determine the level of employee engagement, companies need to conduct regular employee engagement surveys.

Gallup study: only 30% of all employees
really enjoy her work!

Employee surveys are a powerful tool when it comes to finding out about employee engagement and attitudes towards your job, the company and their motivation and performance. With the right questions, you can also get an idea of ​​your employees’ morale. Wikipedia defines morality as follows: “Morality usually refers to the actual patterns of action, conventions, rules or principles of certain individuals, groups or cultures.” This definition can of course be transferred 1:1 to companies, because these patterns of action, conventions, rules and principles also exist in a company.

Unmotivated, uncommitted, disconnected

A recent Gallup study on morale and employee engagement, which surveyed more than 150.000 employees, found that just 30% of respondents actually enjoy their work, while a whopping 52% are unmotivated and disengaged. More than 18% even described themselves as “disconnected”.

Conduct a survey on work morale and employee engagement NOW and measure employee satisfaction!

As job satisfaction declines, so does work morale. Performance gets worse, employees lose interest in their work, and commitment becomes less and less. It is therefore crucial for companies to know why their employees are not or only slightly satisfied. The following 15 questions about work ethic will help you gain an understanding of the current situation in your company.

Example questions for measuring employee engagement

A few years ago, Gallup provided a set of questions that could be used to assess the current state of employee engagement. We had already written about this in one of our previous blog articles. → Gallup Q12 employee engagement questions We have also put together a set of 15 additional questions for you to measure employee engagement and also identify the areas that need to be improved by the company to actually increase employee engagement.

Here you will find 15 suggestions for questions you can ask your employees as part of an employee survey on the topic of morale and employee engagement. At the end of the sample questions you will find a link to import the questionnaire into QuestionPros so that you can save this questionnaire in your questionnaire library as a template and master.

Question 1. Based on all your experiences with our company: Would you recommend the company as an employer to your friends and acquaintances?
With this question you can get an idea of ​​your employees' loyalty to the company. Only those who would recommend the company as an employer to their friends and acquaintances will support the company. This question is based on the Net Promoter Score, a method for determining the loyalty of customers employees.

→ Further information about ENPS

Question 2. Do you know exactly what the company expects of your work?
Employees who don't really know what is expected of them cannot meet expectations and therefore cannot demonstrate employee engagement. It is therefore very important that it is clear from the start what is expected of your employees.

Question 3. How do you generally rate the work morale in our company?

Question 4. How would you rate your own work ethic?

Question 5. How do your colleagues think about you? How would your colleagues rate your work ethic?

It is important to know how employees view the company's work ethic, how they view themselves, and how they believe their colleagues view them. 

Question 6. Does stress at your job affect your life outside of the company?
The answer to this question can help companies determine an employee's work-life balance. Stress is considered one of the factors that lead to dissatisfaction among employees. If stress is the factor, then the company should look for corrective measures that will help employees balance their lives inside and outside the company.

Question 7. Can you usually complete your tasks in the allotted time?

Question 8. Can your colleagues usually complete their tasks in the time allotted for them?

If employees do not complete their daily workload, this makes them very dissatisfied. And if they think that their colleagues can do it but they can't, then that increases frustration. And frustration is poison for employee engagement.

Question 9. Do you feel respected at your workplace?
Respect is one of the most important factors in the workplace. If your employees feel disrespected in the workplace, their morale will quickly and visibly decline. It is therefore important that companies treat their employees with the utmost dignity.

Question 10. Would you describe your relationship with your direct superior as trusting?
A healthy working relationship with supervisors or managers is a sign of high morale. If your employees answer this question positively, there is little reason to worry, but if the answer to this question is negative, then the company needs to take urgent action.

Question 11. Do you feel that the company cares about your well-being?
If, for some reason, your employees have the feeling that those in charge of the company don't care whether they are doing well or not, then your employees will not give their all to the company. If you want your employees to care about the company's goals, take the first step by caring about your employees. Examples of how a company can take care of the well-being of its employees: Provide ergonomic office furniture; host health classes; ensure sugar-free drinks in the workplace; Give out vouchers for fitness studios…

Question 12. Do you feel secure in your job?
Today, one of the most important issues an employee faces is job security! If your employees are constantly worried about their job, it's not good for morale and your employees are unlikely to show the level of commitment you expect from them. In addition, your employees will often think about leaving. And if your talents and top performers leave the company, then the child has already fallen into the well. Therefore: Make sure that your employees have a feeling of security.

Question 13. How satisfied are you with your salary?
Monetary compensation for work performed is an important factor for employee satisfaction. If your employees are dissatisfied with their compensation, this significantly reduces engagement. Ask about the reasons for their dissatisfaction and act accordingly. 

Question 14. Do you think your direct supervisor values ​​your opinion?
Nothing is worse than being unheard! If your employees have valuable ideas for improvement, but these ideas are not heard, then at some point your employees will stop thinking. And that would be fatal! For example, introduce a suggestion system and meet regularly for discussions with your employees. Listen and give feedback.

Question 15. How often do you receive recognition or praise from your direct supervisor?
It is essential that employees receive honest recognition for the work they do. This means honest feedback that conveys to your employees that they are an important and valuable part of the company. Always encourage your employees, because if they always feel encouraged and valued, then they will show a higher level of motivation than employees who never receive recognition for what they do.

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Conduct regular employee surveys on employee engagement and satisfaction

Of course, it is not enough to conduct a single employee survey on the topic of employee engagement or “just” employee satisfaction. If you really want to continually “listen” to your workforce, you have to carry out surveys regularly. In order to support companies in this and to keep effort and costs as low as possible, QuestionPro has developed the Employee Experience survey platform. Different survey applications are available to companies here, such as pulse surveys, 360 degree feedback, Employee Net Promoter Score and much more. You can also use QuestionPro for employee surveys along the entire employee journey.

→ Employee journey.

Employee engagement, motivation and satisfaction

We listened to companies for you: How do managers motivate their employees? Most customers of our HR feedback platform not only carry out regular employee satisfaction surveys. Rather, they motivate their staff through employee engagement and incentive programs to increase motivation. And in our discussions with our customers, we received feedback that motivation as well as satisfaction and identification with the employer increased significantly after the introduction of measures to increase employee engagement.

And: It should not be ignored that such measures that increase employee motivation also have an influence on employer branding. Employees talk about their experiences at work and communicate positive experiences to the outside world, which inevitably leads to the company being perceived as an attractive employer. This opens doors and gates for talent and prevents top performers from leaving for the competition.

Increase employee engagement:
Tips from the everyday practice of companies

There are no limits to creativity when it comes to developing measures to increase employee engagement. Here we have listed a few examples of such measures as they are practiced in companies. Maybe there is one or two of these for you!

Fitness facilities on site

Fitness facilities on your own premises for a work-out or simply for training in between! This measure is especially popular with companies that also have the facilities for it. It not only keeps the body fit, but also significantly reduces work stress, which in turn increases employee engagement. There are now many companies that integrate physical fitness into their daily work routine. If an on-site gym cannot be provided, at least the gym fees can be subsidised. Google or T-Online.de are good examples of this.

Health coaching

Another way to increase employee engagement is to hire a health coach to regularly visit the company and conduct health maintenance exercises with employees. Back problems caused by incorrect sitting postures, lack of exercise and difficulty concentrating can be prevented or alleviated. Some of our customers also offer regular YOGA courses for their employees.

Health competitions

We learned from one of our customers that they run “health contests” to increase employee engagement. This means that anyone who loses weight or quits smoking, for example, receives an incentive, i.e. a bonus or something similar, such as a voucher that can be redeemed at an online store. But be careful: This can backfire if you ask your employees directly about their weight, because it is part of everyone's personal space and no one has the right to criticize it or demand a change. Nevertheless, the offer can be discreetly integrated into the incentive program. A health coach can support your employees to achieve their health goals.

Employee events for more employee engagement

Events bring people together! Especially in large companies, where people often only meet in the hallway or not at all, this is where people can get to know each other. Whether costume parties, Christmas parties or outdoor events. Here it's up to the creativity of those in charge. It is best to involve your employees in the decision-making process by collecting event suggestions and then putting them to a vote.

Ask your employees regularly for their opinions

Those who are surveyed feel important and involved. This is not about annual large-scale employee surveys, but about regular small surveys, such as so-called pulse surveys, which relate to everyday working life and current issues. Please also read our blog post on the topic of continuous listening.

Provide regular feedback

Invite your employees to regular feedback meetings. Create a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere at these feedback meetings and do not reproach your employees, but reflect objectively on performance and behaviour. And of course there MUST be room for positive things in a feedback discussion. It is still often the case that feedback talks in companies only take place when there is something to criticise on the part of those responsible. This is a practice that has long been outdated!

Involvement in decision-making

Involving employees in decisions is the best way to ensure that employees identify with the decision made. And those who participate in a decision also have an increased sense of personal responsibility and will stand behind this decision and thus deliver better performance and higher employee commitment. Apart from that, it is a sign of high appreciation if you involve your employees in decision-making processes.

Promote communication

Develop a culture in your company where opinions are heard, where work is not done in "silos" and where teamwork is encouraged and valued. Create "spaces" for dialogue. The scowl from superiors in passing when two employees are happily chatting in the hallway is no longer appropriate. Such behaviour lowers the commitment of the employees!

Create flexibility

One example: single parents still have a hard time even in a modern working world. The child has to be picked up from daycare, but there is not enough time again. The feeling of not being able to do one's job and the nasty looks from superiors and even childless co-workers cause frustration. And frustration is not good for work performance and certainly not for identification with the company. The less frustration employees feel, the better their work performance. Supervisors are often only concerned with the famous principle when it comes to working hours. It is better to create a working environment that is fair for everyone, in which no one feels disadvantaged and which also increases employee commitment. Concessions have to be made on all sides.

Create retreat spaces

Rooms of silence where stressed employees can retreat, where telephoning and talking is prohibited, where the sitting or chilling corner is set up in such a way that personal space is protected as much as possible, are worth their weight in gold. Take a deep breath, take a look at a book, sometimes just be for yourself, let your thoughts and legs dangle. This brings new strength and inspiration. This method also clearly promotes employee engagement!

Involve employees in innovation

Create a culture of innovation and encourage creativity among your employees. If your employees are allowed to actively develop and promote ideas, they feel included and have the feeling that they are actually contributing to the success of the company. Integrate an innovation management community that all employees can access and enter, comment and rate ideas!

How do you know that your measures to increase employee engagement are successful?

There is only one answer to this: measure, measure, measure! Measure the success of your efforts by surveying your employees. How do the employees accept the changes? How do the changes affect the work performance and output as well as the satisfaction of your employees? Use sophisticated survey technologies that make it easy for you to measure success, such as QuestionPro's HR Feedback Platform!

1:1 live online presentation:
Employee engagement: Conduct employee surveys

We would be happy to present QuestionPro to you as part of a 1:1 live online demo on how you can measure and increase employee engagement quickly, easily and cost-effectively. Simply arrange an appointment at your convenience and we will show you QuestionPro's employee feedback system and its advantages for your company in detail.

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