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Employee engagement and its impact on workplace dynamics have been a topic of great interest among HR leaders and people managers. As organizations navigate the post-pandemic landscape, understanding the current state of employee engagement is crucial for creating a thriving work environment.
While HR leaders perceive a decline in employee engagement, a recent SHRM research report called The Next Pandemic: Loneliness and the Power of Casual Collisions challenges this notion. The report reveals that employees have a more positive outlook, with the majority believing that engagement levels have remained stable.
This disconnect between HR perceptions and employee perspectives highlights the need to explore the nuances of employee engagement further.
Employee engagement is not necessarily slipping.
While HR leaders believe there is less employee engagement than before the pandemic, most employees are not seeing things the same way.
- 30% of HR leaders are seeing less engagement now, but only 14% of workers believe there is less engagement.
- Painting an even more optimistic picture, nearly 80% of HR professionals believe the workforce is equally or more productive than before the pandemic.
Loneliness is not increasing, but more than one-third of employees are lonely.
The “loneliness pandemic” peaked in 2020, according to the SHRM. However, 38% of U.S. employees say they feel lonely at work at least monthly. The SHRM report highlights the following insights:
- In 2022 compared to 2019, 51% of U.S. adults said it’s about the same when asked about loneliness at work. 27% reported feeling less lonely, and 22% said they feel more lonesome now.
- The feelings of loneliness are more significant for younger workers. 24% of Generation Z workers feel lonely at least weekly compared to 13% of all workers.
Remote workers are more likely to feel increased isolation, but “they are not more likely to believe they are disconnected from work colleagues or are not included in important work conversations,” according to the SHRM report.
Collaboration is about the same as it was pre-pandemic.
Half of HR professionals and 62% of employees feel collaboration levels are unchanged since before the pandemic.
- Few people believe their workplaces are less collaborative now, but remote employees are twice as likely to report a reduction in collaboration.
Work/life balance feels most encouraged in hybrid settings.
“When asked whether, compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic, they feel employees are more often encouraged to sustain a healthy work/life balance, about half say the situation has not changed,” according to the SHRM report on loneliness.
- What HR leaders believe: 51% of HR professionals believe their employers “very much” encourages work/life balance, and 44% of HR professionals believe work/life balance has improved since the pandemic.
- What employees believe: While 53% of employees believe their work/life balance is equally encouraged now compared to before the pandemic, 36% report that work/life balance is more encouraged now.
- Employees of hybrid workforces are more likely to feel encouraged to have a positive work/life balance than employees of remote or onsite workforces.
Younger employees (Generation Zs and Millennials) connect work/life balance with mental health more than older employees. Generation Z employees are most likely to be stressed due to a perceived work/life imbalance.
Fully remote employees feel less burned out than hybrid or onsite employees.
Recognizing and addressing burnout and mental wellbeing is crucial for creating a healthy work environment. Here are the key findings from the SHRM Research report:
- More than one-third of employees report more significant burnout than before the pandemic, with burnout rates varying little by age.
- Burnout is more prevalent for onsite workers than for remote and hybrid workers. 38% of remote employees report feeling less burned out now compared to just 18% of onsite employees.
- Similarly, 22% of remote workers report feeling more burned out now compared to 37% of onsite employees.
- Hybrid workers are split. 34% report less burnout, while 40% report feeling more burnout.
Learn how to drive a high-performance culture – without the burnout
Casual collisions are not highly regarded or in demand.
While casual collisions (defined as spontaneous social interactions) are considered necessary by many leaders, most HR professionals do not believe they significantly impact collaboration or people development.
- Only 17% of HR professionals believe casual collisions substantially impact career advancement, and only 28% believe casual collisions are essential for moving projects forward.
- 42% of HR professionals believe casual collisions are critical for building work relationships.
Employees also downplay the importance of casual collisions. Similarly, most employees report no change in their coworker network size, the quality of their workplace relationships or how “in-tune” they are with coworkers.
Prioritizing employee wellbeing and engagement is always beneficial.
The findings of the SHRM report on loneliness highlight the importance of aligning HR perceptions with employee perspectives and addressing key factors that impact engagement, such as loneliness, collaboration, work/life balance and burnout. By prioritizing strategies that promote employee wellbeing, meaningful connections and positive work culture, HR leaders can create an environment where employee engagement flourishes, driving productivity, satisfaction and organizational success.
https://www.electives.io/resources/chaione-partners-with-electives-to-offer-monthly-learning-as-employee-benefit
Check out this IRL example of how live learning can impact engagement
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Welcome to the new era of team development — where shared ideas and language lift engagement, connections and productivity to new heights.
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