Bursting the Bubble of Employee Engagement Myths

Employee engagement is an indispensable part of the growth of any organization. It is a broad, abstract, and ever-evolving process, and because of its nature, it is a common ground for myths and misunderstandings. By bursting each employee engagement myth, you will get a more transparent and more precise idea for building an engaged workforce!

Myth 1: Sincere Employees are Always Engaged

We often consider engaged employees are synonymous with sincere employees. Employees who are regular, punctual, and hardworking are not necessarily involved. They can be just as disengaged at their job as any other employee. According to statistics, only one-third of employees are engaged in the workplace. At the same time, 16% are disengaged at work harming the work environment with their actions.

While discipline and sincerity are indicators of top performers, these are not definite traits of highly engaged employees.

The very premise of an engaged workforce is for one to go beyond expectations. An engaged employee seeks better, effective, and efficient ways to contribute to the organization.

Myth 2: Employee Engagement Requires a Huge Budget

There is a common perception about employee engagement being a costly endeavor. But it doesn’t have to be.

The building blocks of employee engagement include employee recognition, robust internal communication, transparent culture, and effective leadership. It begins with these company practices and are the stronghold of engagement. All these factors can be worked upon by the sincere efforts of the people at various levels of the organization.

Although you can do many things in the engagement space, many of the HR tools are available free of cost. All you need to do is give a jumpstart to your journey!

Myth 3: Employee Engagement is Solely HR’s Responsibility

Another major myth is that employee engagement is a managers’ duty. The responsibility doesn’t rest on the shoulders of the top-level, either. On the contrary, it is a collective responsibility. Employee engagement is active participation and genuine effort of all the organization's people.

And according to Gartner, peer recognition can improve workplace performance by 14%.

While HR or the managers play a special role in the equation, it is the collective effort to bear the fruit. Managers can play a more significant role by including everyone in the process. They should conduct surveys, focus on peer recognition, and organize meetings to encourage suggestions. Moving forward, the leaders can implement the best ideas that will boost the engagement efforts.

Myth 4: Happy Employees are Engaged Employees

People often think that engaged employees are happy employees and vice versa.

The truth, however, is that many factors govern happiness, and you cannot take it as an indicator for engaged employees. For example, SHRM research found that 21% of employees have found gaps in career advancement opportunities. This can create a significant roadblock even if they are committed to their work. You must do thorough research and uncover the hidden factors impacting workplace engagement.

Build a happy workplace, by all means. It is vital. Then again, don’t rest your hopes of an efficient and engaged workforce on a happy one alone.

Myth 5: Employee Engagement is just another Trend

Many consider employee engagement as an in-thing or a trend that will go off-radar in the coming years. But statistics, surveys, and case studies prove that employee engagement is as accurate and as effective as it gets. In fact, a study found that companies with a high rate of employee engagement are 22% more profitable.

Employee engagement is an inseparable aspect of an organization's growth. With the changing dynamics of the work environment, the need for building an engaged workforce has increased by many folds. Millennials and Gen Z employees seek effective employee engagement practices over paychecks.

If there is one thing I can guarantee, employee engagement isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

Myth 6: Employee engagement is all about Perks and Benefits

Having attractive employee perks and benefits is an excellent proposition for any company. It presents a caring image of the company and makes the job profile attractive. Perks and benefits increase motivation among employees. But you cannot perk your way to employee engagement.

Engagement is the state of being emotionally invested in the company. It can come to reality when all the factors collectively come into play. For example, 80% of employees feel learning and development opportunities will help them become more engaged.

Offering meaningful and well-thought-out benefits is the responsibility of an employer. But it shouldn’t be the entirety of your engagement efforts.

Myth 7: One-size-fits-all Solution

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to employee engagement. People often assume that drivers of employee engagement are the same across organizations. No two organizations are the same. Similarly, motivators of employee engagement also cannot be the same across organizations.

There are indeed some essential components of employee engagement. However, policies and practices for two companies will not necessarily bear the same results.

Every organization should, therefore, run its internal employee surveys and brainstorm strategies. Factors like location, demographics, diversity, etc., play an essential role.

Myth 8: High Engagement Means Retention

Reducing employee turnover is a prime concern for every organization. Employee engagement can be a significant player in a reasonable retention rate. However, you cannot take it as a sure-shot way to increase employee retention. Engagement is not simply a problem that you need to solve.

There can be many attributes to your employees leaving. While sound engagement strategies will help you tackle some hurdles, others will be beyond your control.

Creating an employee-friendly work environment and offering an overall good employee experience should be the ultimate aim of your employee engagement efforts.

Myth 9: Employee Recognition Is Not Correlated with Employee Engagement

All human beings have an intrinsic need to be appreciated and applauded. Today, job opportunities are plentiful, and job-hopping is common among millennials. Therefore, the need for employee recognition is huge. Employee recognition has a direct correlation with motivation at work. Which directly affects the quality and efficiency of work.

Myth 10: Introverts Can't Be Engaged Employees

There is a big myth that your introverted employees are not engaged in the workplace. Just because they do not socialize does not mean that they do not work.

Yes, the collaboration might be less, but they can be engaged and do their work well.

All they need is to open-up with the right team-building activities, increase camaraderie, and foster good workplace relationships.

It all depends on how you, as a leader, strategize your approach and make them comfortable to blend in with the workforce.

Myth 11: Remote Work Kills Engagement

Since the inception of remote work, there is this constant talk about remote employees not engaged in their work. On the contrast, 78% of remote employees report high engagement.

Numbers never lie and this is good myth breaker that remote workers in fact work more than on-site workers.

As a leader, you need to constantly work on strategies that will help them mitigate burnout and keep them motivated. At the end of the day, they also form an integral part of the workforce.

Myth 12: Technology is the Answer to Engagement

Yes, technology plays a crucial role in engagement. But everything comes down to how humans can leverage it. The main thing is fine tuning technology to the needs and requirements of the organization.

Technology is here to help and assist you. It will streamline your efforts and give you easier access to the ways through which you can enhance your engagement.

All you need to do is pinpoint the grey areas and fit in the pieces accordingly.

Mrinmoy Rabha is a content writer and digital marketer at Vantage Circle. He is an avid follower of football and passionate about singing. For any related queries, contact editor@vantagecircle.com