By Janine Davison, Head of People & Culture 

Recently, we were honoured with the My Startup Gig Top Startup Employers 2023 Award, recognising our dedication to our people-first culture.

We understand that a vibrant workplace where everyone feels engaged needs to be intentional, creating a fulfilling employee experience.

We wanted to share some of our approaches to this in case they can be of use to you on your own journey of building and managing a fast-growing team!

In this article, we'll explore the vital link between employee experience and engagement, while providing some simple yet necessary ways to help ensure you're creating the right environment for your team.

The Engagement Spectrum

Engagement is the outcome of an optimised employee experience. Picture a spectrum where your overall employee experience represents the daily interactions that drive work within your company. Engagement naturally arises from these daily interactions.

By continually assessing your team's position on the Engagement Spectrum, you'll find the compass guiding your company towards a more engaged and vibrant workforce. This spectrum forms the core of every company’s journey towards enhanced engagement within their workforce.

Fostering Connection

In any company, fostering connections and breaking down the barriers of anonymity is a foundational step in increasing engagement. What does this boil down to? Put simply, it means knowing each team member, including their strengths, their ambitions and areas for growth.

By prioritising these connections, you’ll be on your way to an environment where everyone feels known, appreciated, and celebrated for what they can bring to the team.

Empowering with Purpose

Among employees, lacking purpose can significantly impact productivity, morale, and even lead to behaviours that don't align with the core values and mission of an organisation. 

To address this challenge, it's crucial to cultivate a strong sense of purpose among every team member. It goes beyond merely defining job roles; it's about every individual comprehending how their daily work directly contributes to the overall success and mission of the company.

Measuring Matters

Peter Drucker is quoted as saying, "If you can't measure it, you can't improve it." Measuring engagement is crucial, and it begins with collecting feedback, regularly, from your team.

This feedback helps in understanding the dynamics that influence the employee experience and, with this data, you can make necessary adjustments to optimise your environment. 

Drucker’s philosophy also aligns with our audit approach. We’ve integrated this continuous principle into our processes, providing iterative reviews and feedback with our tech-enabled audit platform, Pillar, to help our clients achieve their compliance goals.

The Power of OKRs

Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) play a crucial role in offering clarity and purpose for a team in the measurement dynamic. OKRs are more than just metrics; they serve as a roadmap guiding us towards our mission. Through OKRs we can measure our progress, ensuring that every action we take is driving us toward our overarching goals.

Through surveys, self-reflections, feedback sessions, and tracking OKRs, we can continually gauge our employee engagement levels. We can learn from the data, understanding the impact of our actions and making the necessary adjustments along the way. 

Engagement Is Everyone's Responsibility

It's essential to emphasise that engagement is a shared responsibility. Every voice matters, every contribution matters, and every team member matters.

Embracing these principles in daily work can create a thriving, purpose-driven community within your company.

The power of the employee experience and its direct impact on engagement should not be underestimated. By combining the elements of fostering connections, creating purpose, and setting clear objectives, you’ll be paving the way for a more engaged workforce.

Let us know if we can assist you with any further reading or resources on this topic as you continue to build a cohesive and engaged team in your fast-growing company.

Would you like to work in a team where you are truly valued and supported to achieve your goals? Explore our open roles here.