HR Pulse

12 significant trends in employee engagement

The South African employee engagement sphere is an exciting space to work in as we accommodate both international trends and local nuances. A growing awareness of the need for integrated employee engagement practices, and corporates’ increased willingness to step out of their comfort zones, makes stimulating and groundbreaking working possible for employee engagement specialists.

1.    Infobesity

The approximate number of advertising messages that the modern consumer sees in a day is 350 000. And your internal marketing messages are added onto that. So make sure your messages are short and sharp messaging.

2.    Simplosion

Make an impact by keeping communication clear, single-minded and simple.

3.    Pic your messages

Graphic messaging is growing, moving steadily from leisure-time social media into corporate messaging.

4.    Digit-all
 
Employers are recognising that cross-device digital participation is essential to reach on-the-goers and generations Y and Z. It is the most effective way to reach employees in a non-alienating way, in their private space and downtime.

5.    Democratise

Effective and engaged internal communication means integrating the function across all departmental silos and allowing messaging to be organically disseminated.

6.    Toss the cookie cutter

This need has grown beyond the tailored-communication savvy under 35s to most employee groups. Horizontal and vertical message customisation has become strategically essential across job level, age, technology adoption and line function.

7.    Face to face

In the face of the reality of distance communication, electronic contact and mass messaging in all its forms, engaged employees value 'me-time': having their voices heard in a real-life context.

8.    Breaking news

Employers cannot be perceived as slow in providing information - it's a race against Twitter, Facebook, BBM... Wikileaks has nothing on employee grapevine information.

9.    Socialise

If you're not in, employees will believe you are 'out'. Honest, effective, 360-degree integrated communication across all social media is more of a necessity than a 'nice-to-have'.

10.    Intrapreneurship

A growing engagement trend is encouraging employees to innovate and grow their own business ideas alongside their mainstream duties, giving them permission and support to grow.

11.    Hardcore

Soft issues have become core issues - and hard issues. Employee engagement is being seen as a necessity and being placed high on executive agendas as a strategic imperative.

12.    Measurement

ROI impact is widely recognised and now more actively and accurately measured as a cross-section of industries adopts employee engagement as a priority.