The real psychology of engaging your employees.

The idea of a ‘workplace’ has never been more disrupted than in the past 12 months. As companies entice employees away from the home office and back to the actual office – especially with increased flexibility around work location - there is an increased demand on HR to make sure employee engagement strategies hit the mark.

When reviewing your plan to encompass the nuances of today’s workplace - WFH, commute-to-meet, office for a day, lead on screen, team time, hot-desking, pandemic-driven sea-change living – one thing is clear. The need for connecting a geographically isolated team has never been more prominent and the challenge of engaging employees, never more individual.

Look to the underlying psychological factors that impact employee motivation to make sure your strategy delivers. Take into account the inherent benefits employees seek to you will see an improved ROI on your people budget.

Five factors that impact engagement.

In an attempt to build deeper insight into what actually motivates and drives employee retention, Chadwick Martin Bailey, a Boston based market research company, set out to determine what makes an employee satisfied with their company. By surveying employees across a range positions and industries they found there are five factors, which, if considered and incorporated effectively, can help meet the underlying psychological needs of every employee.

1.Personal identity benefits:

Personal identity benefits are the individual's self expression, emotional safety and sense of belonging within the workplace. Signs that personal identity benefits are being satisfied are employees reporting positive self value derived from their work, expressing pride in their contribution and the company, and having a deep sense of belonging.

To build personal identity benefits into your culture, think about how you can make employees feel valued and connected. How can you demonstrate that their contribution is meaningful and appreciated? What are the ways you can let them know they are a valued member of the team – today and in the future. It’s not always about the big gestures either, everyday moments should be recognised along with the bigger, more impactful achievements.

2. Social identity benefits:

Social identity benefits encompass an employee’s identification with leaders and team. Those who feel that their co-workers and leaders are trustworthy and relatable and showcase a desire to work closely with them, exhibit strong social identity benefits. Essentially, employees want to belong.

Build opportunities for employees and leaders authentically connect and build trusted relationships. With senior leaders often being out of reach for the average employee – but employees very much valuing being noticed by them – an easy way to facilitate this is through a social recognition program. Social recognition creates a company-wide forum for leaders and peers to recognise and endorse everyday actions and extraordinary achievements exhibited at all levels. Ensuring recognition is social and timely will see trusted relationships develop, employees feel connect and in turn, their social identity needs will be met.

3. Cultural identity benefits:

Understanding how employees relate to the overall culture of their company also is important. If an employee reports having a clear understanding of the company culture - its mission, values and norms - and feels personally aligned with those standards, the organisation is meeting the individual’s cultural identity needs.

Make sure employees know how what they are doing each day is linked to company goals. Allowing all employees, no matter their level, to call out actions and behaviours that are representative of the mission and values, showcases for everyone what is expected, that the words on the wall have actionable meaning and that when they demonstrate these behaviours, they will be rewarded.

4. Functional benefits:

When employees perceive their company facilitates professional growth and success while valuing work-life balance, functional benefits are met. Employees who are content with overall compensation, who believe they are supported in achieving their professional goals and enjoy the perks (such as employee-positive policies or perks that make their life easier) show strong functional benefit support.

Recognising employees for great work is imperative, but not enough to meet functional needs. Aside from paying them equitably, make sure employees know how they can grow with the company, so they know there is a path for them to aspire to. Also consider how you can demonstrate more frequently how the company can meet functional needs. Include junior employees with a passion in projects they align with - even if ‘their level’ means traditionally they wouldn’t be at the table. Allow employees to try out a new move for a day to see if that role might fit in future. Give employees time off the clock for an exceptional outcome of their effort. Let them leave loudly on Friday at midday because you value them. Find ways to let them know they are considered as a whole person, at work and in life, and can be part of the company’s future if they choose.

5. Emotional benefits:

Employees who have on positive emotional experience at work demonstrate strong emotional benefit support. This benefit is all about how being part of the company feels to the employee on measures capturing both valence (good vs. bad) and activation (emotional energy).

Everyone wants to feel positive about what they are doing at work. Facilitating a thank-you economy in your ecosystem - an environment where employees are focussed on recognising the great things others are doing, where employees receive regular and timely positive feedback on their actions, and are able to also share their gratitude for others, will contribute to a positive emotional experience.

The study found that the most significant drivers of engagement are the identity and emotional benefits. While functional factors are impactful, they are less important when it comes to retention and motivation. Interestingly, functional factors were seen as a non-negotiable for employees, there was a baseline requirement that these benefits are at an accepted level for people to join the company.

Now more than ever, employee engagement is vital in giving employees meaning reasons to not just turn up but actively contribute to the company’s success. There is no one size fits all approach to employee engagement. Your action plan should be based on the company’s current culture and desired future state. Use the insight of this research to assess and if necessary, adjust your engagement efforts for the best outcome. Leveraging the deeper psychological forces at play can empower you to be more strategic in your approach to engagement.