by Christine Lewis | Jun 4, 2019 | Employee Retention, Human Resources
Generations Y and Z will become the largest living
generations in 2019, having already have surpassed Generation X in the workplace,
and by next year will represent half of all workers globally. With so many
working for you, understanding what makes them tick – and stick with you – is
essential to attracting and retaining the best available talent to support your
business goals.
You’ve got your work cut out for you: the younger
generations don’t have a very high opinion of business. The 2019 Deloitte
Global Millennial Survey found a decreasing percentage of Gen Y – 55% in 2019
versus 61% in 2018 — believe business has a positive impact on society and
that 67% of businesses “have no ambition beyond wanting to make money.” That’s
important because Generations Y and Z often put purpose before their paycheck.
But despite their reputation as job hoppers, Generations Y
and Z are slightly less likely to leave a job after a short time than
Generation X. In 2018 about 50% of Gen Y reported working for their current
employer for at least five years, and 80% said they had stayed at their job at
least 13 months.
Jobvite noted a 20% drop in workers who say they change jobs
every one to three years (16% in 2018 versus 20% in 2017). However, despite job
satisfaction at 68%, workers say they’re still open to other opportunities.
With unemployment at record lows, these workers have more possibilities if they
choose to leave.
What’s driving them away? Gallup’s 2017 “State of the American
Workforce” report noted 91% of the thousands surveyed said they left their last
job because there wasn’t a compelling reason to stay. And Deloitte found that
almost half would quit their current job within two years if they had a choice.
It’s well past the time to rethink your recruiting, hiring,
and retention practices to keep Generations Y and Z in your workforce.
In this post, we will discuss the state of employment in
2019 as well as what the younger generations believe is important at work, what
Gen Y and Gen Z don’t value at work, and strategies to keep these employees
working for you. We’ll cover:
What’s not important to Millennials at work:
- Perks such as free food and games
- Certain benefits, such as 401(k), are less
important
- Being told the company holds their values –
without backing it up with action
- Maintaining the status quo
What’s important to Millennials at work:
- Company values and transparency
- Work-life balance, including flexible work
hours, working from home
- Diverse and inclusive culture
- A variety of benefits
Strategies to keep Millennials working for your
organization:
- Create a company culture with their input
- Develop their talent
What’s not important to Gen Y and Gen Z at work
Pointless Work Perks
The startup and tech culture of the West Coast perpetuated
the idea that free cereal bars and fancy coffee machines in the breakroom,
foosball and ping pong tables in the hallways, and artsy open concept office
spaces were all that was needed to attract and retain workers. This is not so. Gen
Y and X employees know that perks like these don’t equal benefits – or say much
about the true nature of a company’s culture.
Lip-Service-Only
Values
If your recruiting materials and HR discuss a company
culture that embraces diversity and inclusion, but leadership at all levels
doesn’t support those ideals, Gen Y and X will figure that out quickly – and
they don’t appreciate these inconsistencies. In fact, about two-thirds of those
surveyed by Deloitte said business leaders only give lip service to diversity
and inclusion in the workplace.
Retirement-Focused
Benefits
The younger generation saves for retirement and wants you to
contribute to their 401(k). However, this cash-strapped generation saddled with
student debt also emphasizes other financial benefits available to them now and
emphasize financial wellness such as access to financial education platforms,
budgeting tools, and financial coaches.
Change-Adverse
Workplace
A “this is the way we’ve always done it” philosophy
perpetuated by managers and staff resistant to change will turn off younger
employees. They want to be heard, and have their suggestions taken seriously.
They have spent their lives adapting to ever-changing technologies and expect
to use technology to enhance work productivity.
What is important to Gen Y and Gen X at work
Company Values
How they spend their time, who they work for, and what they
do is often more important to Gen Y and X than earning a big paycheck. These generations
do not only expect their employers to strive for financial success, but also
want the organization to make a positive impact on the world. Working for an
organization that supports charitable causes and gives back is also important
to 75% of job seekers.
They’ll also expect you to maintain transparency by
communicating about finances and leadership. Generations Y and X want to learn
about challenges and mistakes made by their organization from leadership, not
the rumor mill.
Work/Life Balance
Flexible schedules and work-from-home options are no longer
benefits offered to favorite employees. Employees from the younger generations
understand that technology makes it easy for them to work remotely and they
don’t want to commute to the office every day. They expect you to treat them as
adults and understand they will be productive from home and outside of the
traditional 9 to 5 working hours. This isn’t a new concept: the 2015
AfterCollege Career Insight Survey noted 68% of Gen Y wanted the option to work
remotely.
The United States isn’t exactly known for work/life balance:
employees are expected to work long hours, take work home, and skip vacations. But
the AfterCollege survey noted that 68.78% of entry-level job seekers value
work/life balance more than any other factor after salary. A flexible work
schedule was No. 4 on the list, with 53.8% noting flexibility as an essential
factor.
Diverse and Inclusive
Culture
It won’t take employees from Gen Y and X long to learn
whether you back up your diversity and inclusion policies with real action.
They will review your leadership – C-suite and corporate board – for diversity
of race, ethnicity, age, gender identity, and more. In the era of the Me Too
Movement, these employees won’t settle for an organization that’s mostly-male
with a top-down management style.
Good Benefits
Don’t be mistaken, a focus on values and flexible work
schedules does not mean Gen Y and X are willing to forego traditional benefits.
Gen Y and X are more cash-strapped than previous generations because of student
loan debt, and many entered the workforce during the Great Recession. In
addition to flexible work schedules, traditional and non-traditional benefits
that are important to Millennials include:
- Financial wellness and literacy programs
- Student loan repayment assistance
- Unlimited PTO plans
- Opportunities for advancement
- Health and wellness benefits
What you can do to keep Gen Y and Gen X working for you
Company Culture
Gen Y and X want to work for companies that understand and
support their values and understand their differences and the challenges they
face. Generally speaking, generations Y and X are better educated than previous
generations – and a higher percentage of women have degrees than men. But they
also have more student debt. They are more racially and ethnically diverse.
Many delay marriages and creating a home longer, often living with their
parents. More would rather travel and experience the world than buy a home. And
they’re delaying parenthood.
Diversity and
Inclusion
There is a correlation between Gen Y and Xers who want to
stay with their current employer and their belief that the organization
supports diversity and inclusion. How they define diversity and inclusion
varies from typical demographics to ideas/ways of thinking, and tolerance,
inclusiveness, and openness in the workplace, Deloitte’s global survey noted.
Share how your leadership defines diversity and inclusion.
To understand what your workforce values under diversity and inclusion, ask
them. Then develop policies that support these values and train all levels of
employees as these definitions evolve.
Work/Life Balance
These generations often value experiences over financial
gain and possession. However, they also want to be paid for the work they do
rather than work long hours in salaried positions that cause their work/life
balance to suffer.
Because they’re choosing to delay becoming parents, flexible
and work-from-home work options help retain Gen Y and Xers who want to keep
working for you but still be close to their kids.
These generations also want the flexibility to work a
schedule that supports vacation time for travel. And employers are responding:
the State of American Vacation 2018 found that employers are beginning to
encourage vacation cultures and as a result, employees are feeling more
confident about using earned time off. For three years in a row, the amount of
vacation time used increased. Still, 52% of American workers didn’t use up all
their vacation time in 2017. The younger generations are likely to decrease
that number.
Talent Development
Career growth opportunities rank No. 1 on the list of
factors most important to job seekers surveyed for a 2019 report by Jobvite.
The same survey noted only 17% of those who left their jobs within the previous
12 months did so for more money.
Accurate Job
Descriptions
Providing Gen Y and X with clear expectations of their work
begins during recruitment and hiring. A Jobvite study found that 43% of new
hires who left within their first 90 days did so because their job duties were
different than their expectations based on job descriptions and interviews.
Training that Adapts
Nearly two-thirds of employees are concerned about the
impact of AI and robotics on the workforce. Although generations Y and X are a
tech-savvy generation, many feel unprepared for Industry 4.0. They expect their
employer to provide the training they need to be productive and successful.
Just because purpose may be more important to many younger
workers than the size of their paycheck, don’t think that means Gen Y and X aren’t
ambitious: Deloitte found that more than half strive to be high-earners.
They’ll seek out opportunities for training and advancement at work, and if
they don’t find what they want, they’ll move on. They are more comfortable than
other generations in striving for jobs for which they don’t have all the
required skills if training is offered.
Key Takeaways
The great news is that making your workplace more friendly
for Gen Y and X will benefit your employees of all ages. Offering flexible work
schedules and work-from-home options not only appeal to younger workers but
also Baby Boomer caretakers of aging parents and grandchildren. Supporting a
variety of community organizations better ensures your employers will feel you
value what’s important to them. Developing the talents and strengths of every
employee while training them to adapt to ongoing changes in technology
increases productivity and adds to your bottom line.
![A Simple Yet Effective Employee Engagement Survey You’ll Actually Use [Template]](https://www.launchways.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Employee-engagement-survey-template-1.png)
by Gary Schafer | May 4, 2018 | Employee Engagement, Employee Retention, Human Resources
Employee engagement is key to your employees’ morale and productivity, which has an important impact on your bottomline. Understanding what employee engagement is and how to leverage effective employee engagement surveys is a great place to get started with creating a more engaged workforce. In this post I’ll explore why employee engagement is important, then outline a highly-effective employee engagement survey template, and finally provide step-by-step instructions on how to get started with quantifying and improving your company’s employee engagement.
What is employee engagement?
Employee engagement is the level of enthusiasm, dedication, and connection employees have to their organization and their work there. Employee engagement measures how motivated employees are to exceed performance expectations and indicates how committed employees are to staying with the organization for the long-term. Employee engagement is the direct results of company culture, management practices, and the overall work environment created.
Why is employee engagement important?
Employee engagement is important because engagement can have a big impact on your workforce’s productivity, which affects your bottomline. Several studies have correlated an engaged workforce with a multitude of business benefits. A survey of over 24,000 businesses conducted by Gallup found that companies in the top quartile of engagement average 18% higher productivity and 12% higher profitability than companies with poor engagement. An additional survey of over 600,000 employees conducted by the UK government found that companies with high employee engagement increased income by 19.2% while companies with low engagement saw revenue drop by 33% over the same period.
Research by CultureAmp also indicates that engaged employees are 20% more likely to recommend their employer on Glassdoor—a critical component to attracting top talent. Their research also showed that engaged employees are 30% less likely to be actively looking for another job.
Engaged employees:
- Have higher job satisfaction
- Are more committed to the company and its long-term goals
- Are more likely to become high-performers
- Are less likely to turnover
- Want to succeed and want the organization to succeed
- Are more willing to go the extra mile to help the company
- Support the company’s mission and believe in the vision
Companies with high rates of employee engagement enjoy results like:
- Decreased turnover rates
- Increased productivity
- Increased efficiency
- Increased profits
- Better ability to attract and retain top talent
Even with all the above benefits, many companies are not doing a great job at creating an engaged workforce. Studies by Gallup found that only 33% of employees are engaged at work. They also uncovered that organizations with a poorly engaged workforce experienced 30-50% higher turnover rates than companies with engaged employees. The good news is that there are several steps you can take to improve employee engagement at your company. This process begins will implementing highly-effective engagement surveys.
How to Get Started With Employee Engagement Surveys
Engagement surveys get a bad rap for being ineffective. This is usually because they’re too long, poorly designed, ineffectively distributed, or lack high-impact questions. However, with the right approach, engagement surveys can provide increased insight into your workforce’s engagement, productivity, and job satisfaction. Effective engagement surveys transform anecdotal employee experiences into hard data, which will allow you to strategically approach, monitor, and refine your employee engagement efforts.
Before customizing your survey questions, your first step should be to identify benchmark engagement levels. Data without the context of industry-relevant benchmarks will not provide useful insights. Because employee engagement varies widely with company industry and size, take these into account when researching benchmarks.
When designing your questions, remember there are several facets that play into an employee’s overall engagement level. These include employee opinion on management, overall work environment, relationships with coworkers, opportunities for advancement, and understanding and belief in the company mission. A good employee engagement survey should include questions that determine satisfaction in each of these areas.
Don’t forget that an employee engagement survey only matters if you plan to act on the results. In advance of conducting your survey, establish buy-in from leadership and put time on the calendar to review survey results.
Here are some key things to keep in mind when designing your employee engagement survey:
- Before designing your survey, pinpoint industry-relevant employee engagement benchmarks
- Establish buy-in from leadership before conducting an engagement survey
- Include questions that cover all facets of employee engagement
- Opinion on management
- Work environment
- Relationship with coworkers
- Job enablement
- Opportunities for advancement
- Understanding company mission
12 High-Impact Employee Engagement Survey Questions (And Why They Work)
1. On a scale of 1-10, with “1” being very unlikely and “10” being very likely, how likely are you to recommend [Company Name] as great place to work?
A Net Promoter Score is a single-digit figure that summaries a customer’s satisfaction with your company. In the context of an employee engagement survey, you can reframe this question to uncover your employee workplace satisfaction, therefore creating an “internal” net promoter score. An employee’s likelihood of promoting your company as a good place to work is a strong indicator of their overall engagement level.
2. I receive recognition for a job well done.
Receiving praise and recognition is one of the strongest influencers of workplace satisfaction and employee engagement. It’s important to help employees understand how their work impacts the rest of the organization. This question can gauge employee satisfaction with the amount and quality of recognition they receive.
3. I trust my immediate supervisor/manager.
Trust is a crucial foundation for any productive manager/employee relationship. Employees and managers don’t have to be friends—but for it to be a positive relationship there must be a basic level of trust. Employees who don’t trust their manager will struggle to perform optimally and become engaged.
4. I trust the upper management/leadership team.
Similar to the previous question, an employee’s trust in upper management is critical for an engaging work environment. A high level of trust in company leadership indicates employees believe in the leadership team’s company vision and their ability to achieve it.
5. My coworkers are committed to doing quality work.
This question indicates an employee’s perception of the overall work culture. Environments where all employees are held accountable and motivated properly are the best for employee engagement. If employees perceive that their coworkers are not being appropriately held accountable, this can create a toxic work environment. The above question will gauge your employee’s perception of the work dynamic between employees.
6. My coworkers respect each other.
This is another question to help gauge the work environment. It’s important that your team is establishing mutual respect. If your workplace is filled with gossip, harassment, or other negative sentiments it can quickly create a toxic work environment. Use this question to gauge how positive the relationships between employees are.
7. In two years, I still see myself working at [Company Name].
This question can give some insight around your employee retention rate. If employees don’t envision a future with your organization, this indicates unhappiness with the workplace environment and an absence of transparent future career opportunities.
8. [Company Name] motivates me to go above and beyond what I would in a similar role elsewhere.
This question gets at your employee motivation levels. In organizations with high employee engagement, employees are motivated to go above and beyond because they believe in the mission of the organization and understand their important part in achieving this vision. If your employees do not feel motivated to go above and beyond you should identify opportunities to increase performance.
9. I have access to the tools, resources, and training I need to do my job well.
This question gets to the heart of job enablement at your organization. The point of this question is to understand if employees believe they have the resources they need to perform their job at the highest level.
10. I understand what I need to do to be successful in my role.
This question pinpoints if your employees’ job expectations are clear. If employees have a clear understanding of their success metrics, it gives their day-to-day work direction and purpose. It also instills a feeling of upward mobility which helps keep employees on board. If employees indicate their job expectations are unclear, this can indicate a poor relationship between management and employees.
11. I believe there are good career opportunities for me at [Company Name].
This question also hones in on employee perception of future opportunities. If employees perceive good future opportunities for themselves at your company they’re more like to be high-performers and much less likely to look for another job. If employees do not believe there are good opportunities for them then there could be a lack of transparency around growth opportunities or underinvestment in employee training and development.
12. Is there we could be doing better at [Company Name]?
In an employee engagement survey it’s always important to provide an open-ended question. The point of this question is to provide employees an opportunity to give candid, anonymous feedback. While this feedback won’t be quantified, it can provide some anecdotal evidence towards areas of your engagement strategy that could be improved.
How to Use This Employee Engagement Survey Template
- Customize the questions with your company name. Also feel free to further customize the questions, omit ones that you don’t believe are relevant to your workforce, and add your own questions. Just remember to keep the survey relatively short (15 or less questions is ideal for maximum impact).
- Determine how you will distribute your survey. The easiest way to distribute an engagement survey is digitally. Google Forms or SurveyMonkey are both great options for distributing your survey and analyzing the results.
- It’s important to note that the most effective engagement surveys are completed anonymously. If the surveys are anonymous, employees are more likely to be honest and give candid feedback. No matter which platform you opt to send your survey through, make sure your survey does not require employees to entire their name or email address.
- Distribute your survey via email. Including a note from the leadership team about the purpose of the survey can help drive forward your engagement vision. Make sure to follow-up with your employees several times to remind them to complete the survey.
- After you’ve collected responses, analyze the results. Gather your leadership team to discuss the findings from your survey. Compare your engagement levels to industry benchmarks. Based off the results to specific questions, identify the biggest areas of opportunity for improvement. Create a plan of action as to how you’ll address these areas.
- Set a timeframe for when you will distribute another engagement survey to measure changes in engagement (three to six months is ideal).
Key Take-aways
As you can see, employee engagement surveys can be effective if they’re done right and include high-impact questions. Here are some key take-aways from today’s post:
- Employee engagement creates a happier, more productive workforce.
- Establish buy-in from your leadership team about the importance of employee engagement.
- Always compare your engagement data against industry benchmarks.
- Use short, high-impact surveys (and make sure they’re anonymous to receive honest feedback).
- Use the results of engagement surveys to discover areas of opportunity and create an action plan for increasing employee engagement.
Do you already use an employee engagement survey? Will you start regularly distributing and analyzing engagement surveys? How important do you think employee engagement is in the modern workplace? I’d like to hear your thoughts—drop them in the comments box below.
