How To Successfully Foster Employee Engagement And Retention

If you’re not aware of the employee engagement crisis facing the nation, it’s time to start paying attention. According to research from Gallup, only 31 percent of employees in the U.S. and Canada say they’re very much invested in their jobs and their employers. Granted, this figure is well above the worldwide average, which sits at 15 percent. Yet the fact that more than two-thirds of the country are not engaged or loyal to their company is troubling news indeed.

Given these statistics, it’s highly probable that a significant number of your employees and co-workers are disengaged. Some may even be actively so, meaning they’re working against the organization’s best interests. Clearly, something must be done, but what?

Successfully fostering employee engagement

The subject of solving employee engagement is not new; business advisors have been providing suggestions for years, writing books, articles and op-eds about how to make team members more involved in and satisfied with their work. However, most of these recommendations are limited in scope, providing only a single approach or series of steps to fix a widespread, complicated problem. 

To significantly increase employee engagement long term, you need a comprehensive approach that incorporates multiple strategies – one of which involves increasing employee recognition.

[bctt tweet=”Using credentials to recognize employee accomplishments fosters engagement.” username=”@parchment.com”]

According to a joint survey from the Society for Human Resource Management and Globoforce, companies that create employee recognition programs tend to report better engagement, retention and employee happiness. This statement is also true of employee development – in an article for Forbes, ADP noted that many workers feel it’s the responsibility of their employer to provide learning opportunities.

Now, what if there was a way to combine the concepts of development and recognition into one strategy as part of your multifaceted employee engagement improvement efforts?

Using credentials to boost both development and engagement

Everyone understands the importance of credentials in education. They’re a sign that a student successfully completed a course or understands a particular concept. However, the full potential of credentials is so much greater. When used in the workplace, credentials can engage your workforce by encouraging team members to participate in development or training programs and share the fruits of their efforts with others. 

How does it work? Your business creates development, training or review programs designed to improve or assess employees’ talents and skills. Then, with Parchment Award’s digital credential capabilities, you issue certified proof of their accomplishments. Employees not only feel engaged after having gone through the training program, they also feel recognized after receiving their digital certificate or badge. Furthermore, they can share their achievements on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, showing off their accomplishment to the world. This then makes them feel even better about their talents, their work, and their employer.

Furthermore, you can use these badges and certificates to acknowledge employees for their of service. Gift your team members with digital awards for achieving milestones like five or 10 years tenure with the company.

Solving the issue of low employee engagement is an extensive process, but Parchment can help. With our cutting-edge digital credential tools, your business can better train and recognize the performance of each and every team member. 

Read here to learn more about how partnering with Parchment benefits employers!

There’s always more to learn.