Employee engagement surveys are one of the most common and useful tools for HR to measure engagement. Conducting periodic anonymous surveys allows employees to provide confidential feedback on their workplace experiences, how supported and valued they feel, their willingness to advocate for the company, and their overall satisfaction. Care should be taken to ensure the questions are meaningful and provide actionable data. Some examples include using a scale to rate agreement with statements about feeling pride in work, willing to go above and beyond, supported with training and resources to do their job well, treated fairly regardless of personal characteristics, etc. Comparing survey results over time can reveal improving or worsening trends. Benchmarks against other organizations in the same industry can also provide useful context.

Focus groups and exit interviews are another valuable qualitative method. Selecting a representative sample of employees for confidential small group discussions or one-on-one exit meetings allows deeper exploration of drivers of engagement. For example, participants could discuss what specific actions by managers, supervisors or the company most influence how they feel about their jobs. Common themes across responses can highlight organizational strengths to capitalize on and weaknesses to prioritize for improvement. Direct quotes from participants regarding their experiences also personalize the data in a compelling way to motivate action.

Tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) related to engagement such as absenteeism/tardiness rates, turnover rates, number of employee recognition awards, participation in optional development/training programs, can provide objective metrics of how engaged employees are feeling over time. Significant decreases in absence or turnover, or increases in recognition and development participation could suggest engagement initiatives are having a positive impact on employee behaviors and retention. These metrics are also useful for benchmarking against industry/competitor standards, or comparing different departments within the organization.

Monitoring internal communication channels is another effective way for HR to gauge engagement. For example, looking at viewership/readership rates of company newsletters, website, intranet, videos, etc. can provide valuable engagement indicators, particularly if there are year-over-year upward trends. Tracking mentions/shares of company posts on internal social networks demonstrates active participation, two-way communication and advocacy. HR may also consider conducting occasional employee Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys asking how likely employees are to recommend their employer to others – this can be a useful metric of discretionary effort and engagement levels.

Tracking key performance indicators related to the initiatives themselves is important too. For example, if the company has implemented a formal employee recognition program, HR should monitor metrics like the number of monthly/quarterly recognitions awarded across different teams/levels, compliance rates for managers in taking part, employee feedback about impact of recognition received. Analyzing utilization and dropout rates of any wellness/development programs introduced can also provide insights. Comparing pre/post engagement survey results can help determine impact, with statistically significant improvements directly tied to implemented initiatives.

Finally, HR should also consider some external validation of engagement efforts through third party employer branding surveys. Tools like Indeed’s annual ‘Employer Award’ rankings, Comparably’s workplace culture/compensation ratings, LinkedIn Top Companies lists etc. allow benchmarking engagement against peer organizations as perceived by both employees and job seekers. Significant jumps in external reputation ratings could reflect growing employee pride and advocacy for the employer brand – key outcomes of improved engagement.

Utilizing a blended approach incorporating surveys, focus groups, tracking of objective metrics, monitoring of internal communications, and external validation can provide HR with meaningful multi-dimensional data to benchmark, identify strengths/weaknesses, and truly understand the impact of employee engagement initiatives over time at their organization. With the right measurements in place, HR is better positioned to continuously enhance engagement strategies and optimize the employee experience.