The pandemic disrupted workplaces across industries, and Gallup reported that 2021 marked the first year in a decade that employee engagement declined year over year.
Why Are Employees Feeling Disengaged?
Employees can become disengaged for many reasons, and the disruption of the pandemic amplified existing problems.
Reporting summarized by SHRM highlighted several recurring issues in Gallup’s engagement research:
- Lack of clarity about expectations
- Not having the right materials or equipment
- Too few opportunities to do what employees do best
- Manager disengagement that cascades down to employees
How Can You Increase Engagement in the Workplace?
Employees usually do not need extravagant programs to feel more connected. Consistent, clear communication can have an immediate impact. When employees understand what is happening in the company and what is expected of them, they are better positioned to contribute.
Recognition also matters. Knowing the expectation is useful; being told when you are meeting or exceeding it reinforces that the work is noticed and valued.
Employee-development platforms can support recognition through awards, badges, learning achievements, surveys, and participation programs.
FranConnect’s Training & Development capabilities can also support targeted communication by role, training, surveys, calendars, forums, and other mechanisms that keep distributed employees informed and engaged.
Social and collaborative features can further strengthen connection by giving employees ways to recognize peers, participate in challenges, share updates, and interact beyond formal training assignments.
What Does It Cost to Drive Engagement?
A better question may be: what does disengagement cost? Employees who feel disconnected or undervalued may deliver weaker customer experiences, become less productive, or leave the organization entirely.
Improving communication and engagement does not necessarily require an entirely separate technology stack. When training, communication, recognition, and employee feedback live in one connected platform, organizations can reduce fragmentation while improving the employee experience.
The two legacy illustrations that accompanied this article were hosted on external HubSpot assets and were not present in staging Media. Those image dependencies have been removed while the article’s core guidance remains intact.
