If you think employee engagement is on the decline, you aren’t alone.
A recent Gallup survey found that employee engagement has hit a new low. Just one in three U.S. employees report feeling “actively engaged” at work, according to the survey, while nearly one in seven (14%) report feeling actively “disengaged.” (2022, Gallup.com)
Gallup says it collects this data by asking random samples of the working population about “organizational outcomes, including profitability, productivity, customer service, retention, safety and overall well-being.”
Managers Are Most Disengaged
An interesting and important side note to this survey is that managers are among the employees who report feeling the most disengaged at work, with manager engagement declining by seven points since the last survey. In particular, managers report sharp decreases in the subsets “believing they have clear expectations” and “feeling someone encourages their development.”
This decline in manager engagement leads to an obvious assumption. If so many managers are feeling disengaged, is it any wonder that employees are also mentally checking out?
What to do? Gallup recommends going “back to the basics'' by establishing clear employee communications.
Improving Engagement
We know remote work has opened up new opportunities for many businesses, and not every corporate culture loans itself to a full-time, in-office environment. But if you do have an in-office set up, we recommend you make it an energizing one that is designed to engage and motivate employees.
In-Person Meetings
We also believe in the power of in-person meetings. Leadership teams who get together to strategize, socialize and communicate in person on a regular basis are the ones with the strongest employee engagement.
“In-person meetings provide a sense of intimacy, connection and empathy that is difficult to replicate via video. It’s much easier to ask for attentive listening and presence, which creates the psychological safety that people need to sense in order to engage and participate fully.”
–Paul Axtell, corporate trainer and author of the book Meetings Matter
Consider how in-person gatherings work in your personal life.
Have you ever heard anyone make the case that Zoom is an excellent replacement for Sunday dinner, backyard barbecues, weddings and the after-school play? Of course not.
The same is true for work gatherings.
The side discussions alone are invaluable. They help build trust and allow the team to fully get to know one another. They also often lead to idea sharing that helps foster business growth and success.
Importantly, eight in ten employees say they want in-person meetings.
We know that in-person meetings are not always possible on a frequent i.e. weekly, basis especially for companies that are fully virtual. Whether you are an in-person business, fully virtual or hybrid operation, it is critical to bring together leadership in strategic, in-person quarterly and annual planning meetings. These meetings should be held in a private, dedicated space that minimizes the risk of interruptions and allows the entire leadership team to fully engage in the strategy of growing and improving your business.
Good for the Economy
In the Business Value of Meeting Face to Face, the U.S. Travel Association reports that employees believe in-person meetings help them advance their professional growth, reinvigorate their engagement and productivity and foster better stronger leadership skills
In-person meetings are also good for the economy. The in person gathering can require everything from local catering to air travel and overnight stays. Across the U.S. in-person meetings support 800,000 American jobs and generate nearly $50 billion in local, state and federal taxes.
Set a Regular Meeting Cadence
If you do bring your executive team together, amplify the results by planning regular meetings–at least quarterly–and set specific agendas and goals for each meeting.
Nothing kills the positive effects of a great meeting than the loss of steam as “real world” deadlines and expectations start to take precedence. Knowing that a follow up in-person meeting is already on the books will help keep everyone on track, as they consider how their day-to-day actions will affect the bigger picture.
Demonstrate the importance of these quarterly leadership gatherings by scheduling them at least a year in advance.
By giving your team plenty of time to schedule their own life events around the high-level meeting schedule, you let your employees know that you value their time which in turn will improve attendance and participation rates.
Getting into a regular rhythm may take some work as you get everyone on board, but ultimately, your team will be grateful for the ability to plan around the schedule.
If you’d like more information on building successful in-person leadership meetings, contact us today.
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Meeting in person is great for personal leadership growth as well. Read more about the awesome benefits of coming together at our PFD Group Alaska Summit here.