As businesses around the world continue to adapt to the paradigm shift brought on by remote work, executives, Chief Learning Officers, and L&D leaders face a unique yet shared challenge: how to retain top talent and effectively manage remote teams to drive better business outcomes.
Employee engagement is a critical aspect of this challenge, and recent research from Gallop on “The Powerful Relationship Between Employee Engagement and Team Performance” has shed light on this aspect as it relates to productivity and performance. This meta analysis of more than 100,000 teams shows the clear correlation between engagement and business outcomes.
In addition, Gallup’s workplace study on employee engagement for Q2 of 2022 shows that only 32% of workers are engaged in their workplace and a growing number are actively disengaged, meaning they are psychologically detached from their workplace and do the minimum required of them.
Remote Work and the Rise of Quiet Quitting
With the shift to remote work, creating and maintaining employee engagement has become more complex. The lack of physical proximity and face-to-face interactions can result in employees feeling disconnected, isolated, and disengaged. This led to what was coined as “the quiet quitting” trend and describes close to half of the workforce in the US.
The importance of intentional technology in addressing these issues is becoming central to the conversation. One such technology that is gaining traction in the field of employee engagement is Engageli, a purpose-built digital learning platform that is advancing effective remote work and productivity through active and collaborative learning experiences.
Employee Engagement: An Old Challenge With New Stressors
Employee engagement has long been recognized as a key driver of productivity, performance, and retention. Engaged employees are more likely to be motivated, committed, and invested in their work, leading to higher levels of job satisfaction and loyalty to their companies. Human connections, both personal and professional, play a crucial role in fostering employee engagement. Strong relationships and social interactions at work are known to boost morale, create a sense of belonging, and increase employee satisfaction.
A recent LinkedIn study on “How To Use Collaborative Learning To Engage Unmotivated Workers” found the opportunity to “learn and grow” is the number one driver of a strong work culture. Companies that excel at learning and development (L&D) retain employees for an average of 5.4 years, compared to 2.9 years for companies that don’t.
However, in a remote work environment, building and maintaining meaningful connections can be challenging. Team members may be scattered across different time zones and locations, making it difficult to interact spontaneously or build rapport. Traditional communication channels, such as email, messaging apps and video conferencing tools may not always foster the same level of connection as face-to-face interactions.
We have experienced this challenge first hand. Engageli was founded during the pandemic as a remote-first company. We are building our company culture and connections out of at least 6 time zones, all fully remote or hybrid.
The Importance of Purpose-Built Technology
This is where intentional technology, such as Engageli, can play a crucial role. Engageli's cloud-based digital learning technology is specifically designed to create flexible, inclusive, and secure environments that are optimized for employee engagement. The platform provides a range of interactive features in its virtual classrooms such as embedded polls and quizzes, collaborative documents and unique table groups that facilitate collaboration, discussion, and engagement in remote teams.
One of the key strengths of Engageli is its emphasis on creating inclusive environments. The platform is designed to accommodate diverse learning preferences and abilities, ensuring that all team members can participate and contribute. Engageli's virtual classrooms provide opportunities for team members to interact in real-time through video, audio and chat, fostering a sense of presence and closeness even in a remote setting.
In a recent event, an Executive Director of workforce development spoke to the engagement challenge and how he plans to leverage Engageli to strengthen collaboration and engagement across teams: “My role is all about employee engagement strategies,” he said. “We are all trying to figure out how to do this better…Because, the more we connect as humans, when we reach areas of conflict or try to gain alignment, it happens much quicker because now I know you, I know what drives you and what gets you going.”
Engageli also offers features that promote active learning, such as interactive whiteboards, group activities, and real-time analytics. These features encourage team members to be actively engaged in the learning process, which can translate into higher levels of engagement and participation in the workplace as well. Research from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has shown that active learning approaches, such as problem-solving, group discussions, and peer-to-peer interactions, lead to better retention of information and increased motivation among learners.
Make Better Decisions With Meaningful Engagement Data
In addition to fostering employee engagement and active learning, Engageli also provides valuable data and insights for managers and L&D leaders. The platform offers analytics and reporting features that allow executives to track engagement levels, monitor participation, and measure the effectiveness of learning initiatives. This data-driven approach can help leaders identify areas for improvement, tailor learning experiences to individual needs, and make data-backed decisions to optimize engagement and retention strategies.
In conclusion, as remote work becomes increasingly prevalent in today's global workforce, the challenge of employee engagement and talent retention has become more complex. Creating meaningful connections between team members is critical for fostering engagement and retention. Intentional technology can be a valuable tool in addressing this challenge. Leveraging tools like Engageli can empower business executives, Chief Learning Officers, and L&D leaders to effectively navigate the complexities of a remote global workforce and drive meaningful business outcomes.
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