7 Stand-Out Employee Engagement Trends For 2019

We are well into 2019, and already we’ve begun to see which employee engagement trends in the workplace are falling out of vogue, and which ones are here to stay. Remaining agile in the ever-changing business landscape is not only smart for business, it’s the new standard. 

This year, we’ve watched Millennials claim their seat at the table by entering the workplace in large numbers, with many already moving into roles of leadership. Senior leaders and executives have finally recognized the importance of employee feedback, and are finding new, constructive ways to actively seek it. 

Employees all over the world are showing their dissatisfaction with the old command-and-control way of doing business, and with the job market at an all-time high, they are successfully creating the shift they wish to see. Leaders, if you want to keep your A+ talent, you’ve got to keep up. 

Gone are the days of micromanaging supervisors, and the “sleep when you’re dead” mentality. What employees want is to feel a sense of belonging and purpose with their company. Fostering this connection with each employee requires more than free lunches or grandiose work perks, it’s a commitment from the leadership team to focus on the specific and individual needs of every employee.

Here are seven workplace engagement trends that the leaders at 15Five have taken note of in 2019, and don’t see them going away anytime soon:

1. Workforce engagement is on the rise

In recent years, the percentage of engaged employees within the U.S. and Canada has stayed stagnant, hovering in the lower 30s with no jump in either direction. Fortunately, the most recent Gallup poll shows the needle is finally moving in the right direction with 34 percent of workers committed to their company and enthusiastic about their work. 

Inversely, the percentage of actively disengaged workers is at an all-time low. Only 13 percent of U.S. workers claim to be miserable in their role, and the remaining 53 percent are simply not engaged. This means an overwhelming majority of people don’t feel an innate connection to their role or company, putting most companies at risk of high employee turnover rates.

2. Millennial-friendly workplaces

Within the last few years, we’ve seen that the millennials’ share of the workforce has increased dramatically. This generation of modern workers has now taken the spot as the largest living adult generation, and many have already worked their way up into leadership roles. With more Boomers retiring each year, millennials are on track to make up 75 percent of the workforce by 2030 and continue to heavily influence employee engagement trends.

Businesses seeking to motivate employees in their work will now have to tailor their employee engagement strategies to this group. Research suggests that they are driven by open communication, a great work culture, involvement with causes, and achieving purpose and fulfillment. Despite the flack they receive from older generations, millennials are enthusiastic to learn, and thrive in collaborative work environments that value psychological safety.

3. More compassionate leadership

It’s a common saying that “people don’t quit their jobs, they quit their bosses.” It turns out that the opposite is also true too. An inspiring manager creates more team engagement. According to research by leadership development experts Dr. Brad Shuck and Maryanne Honeycutt-Elliott, “higher levels of engagement comes from employees who work for a compassionate leader—one who is authentic, present, has a sense of dignity, holds others accountable, leads with integrity and shows empathy.”

4. Feedback is no longer a nice-to-have

15Five’s research on employee engagement found that the vast majority of employees who received little or no feedback were actively disengaged. Workforce engagement went up dramatically when employees received examples of constructive feedback about their weaknesses, and even more so when they received feedback about strengths. In 2018, a study by The Predictive Index found similar data further proving that employees actually enjoy feedback, yet most (44%) managers are ignoring this engagement trend and give very little feedback, if any.

Data can be a valuable metric, but the feedback/engagement connection is also intuitive. How much more engaged are you in any relationship when you are having an open and honest conversation about what matters most?

5. Work/Life balance is now Work/Life blend

The Society for Human Resource Management found that the best companies are embracing flexibility. For many job-functions, there are no longer definitive reasons to require people to come into the office every day, or for work to be done between the hours of 9 am and 5 pm. (I am writing this from my kitchen table at 7:30 at night). More companies will continue on this path as long as the numbers continue to show that it’s a successful employee engagement trend.

6. People Analytics will join the engagement trends

Looking at employee behaviors and their impact on performance is how leaders can make informed decisions. These metrics allow companies to gather actionable insights for their workforce, but progress to gain these solutions are moving slow. A recent study by Deloitte shows that 71 percent of companies see people analytics as a high priority in their organizations, but only a small fraction of companies are investing in it.

For the companies that are making use of people analytics, they’re gaining a much deeper understanding of areas such as recruitment, performance, and employee mobility. This hard data could provide awareness into what aspects are missing from your employee experience or help you find the right solutions to lower your employee turnover rate. Because of this, businesses now have the capabilities to pre-empt disaster before it happens. 

7. Technology will focus on the employee

Expert analyst Josh Bersin shares in this piece that over the last two decades, businesses have begun inching away from the classic “competitive evaluation” model that harshly ranked people, and adapting the “coaching and development” model that embraces a growth mindset. Because of this shift, the way we set goals, track progress, and manage people have changed almost entirely. 

Through the use of performance management software, managers now have regular visibility into what drives their employees, understand the challenges they face, and create opportunities for employee feedback. This feedback is vital for companies to stay agile and adapt to new industry trends in real-time, or they could risk falling behind their competitors