Well, increasing the employee engagement level in your company can be a challenging or tricky task. All the HR managers need to make sure that all the employees or members of a team are highly passionate about the jobs. They also need to ensure that the employees are coming to the office enthusiastic to begin their work.
Sometimes, a bad situation can arise, and your employees may suffer the blues. But that shouldn’t create a major impact on them when it comes to working towards the organizational goals. You should constantly take note of your employee engagement level and apply different methods to keep up the level.
What do you mean by employee engagement?
In general, employee engagement is about the emotional and mental connection of the employees towards the job, organization, or their team. The employee engagement level can greatly affect the crucial aspects of the organization, like customers experience, revenue, profitability, turnover period of the employees, etc.
As per some studies, more than 90 percent of HR managers think that well-engaged employees can perform better, increasing the business’s outcome. So, no matter what is the financial standing or size of the business, the HR manager should work for employee engagement. Some benefits of employee engagement are:
- There will be a great increase in employee productivity.
- The employee retention level will go up.
- You will enjoy less absenteeism.
Now, let’s discuss how you can improve your company’s employee engagement.
Enhance the efficiency in the workplace
Well, if your employees are using old and outdated tools or technologies, then their work quality will be affected. Some studies have proved that inefficient processes can affect more than 25 percent of the total working day of an employee. If you have a better and advanced document management process, the workload will be much easier to handle, and they manage the task efficiently. Another example is using the Leave tracker.
The modern Time off tracking tool, like the Day off leave tracker, enables them to apply for leave with a few simple clicks. This way, they save time and concentrate more on their work. Besides, they can also see their balance leave and all the important data in one place without requesting their HR manager to mail the data.
Always focus on onboarding
You all know that first impression is very important and also applies to the workplace. Remember that your onboarding process will set the tone for how the new employees will see the company as well as its position. Onboarding is a great way to properly connect the employee with the values, vision, and mission of the company.
On the other hand, it helps them to know their roles and responsibilities. So, utilize the onboarding process to show the employees what are the factors that make your organization’s culture unique. Offer information directly about the roles. Don’t forget to let them know about your leave policy. You can use an employee leave tracker app to send them the rules and regulations.
Encourage a decent level of flexibility
One of the important secrets on how to improve your employee engagement is by offering them a better level of flexibility. This will provide them with the freedom to adjust their location or job schedules to match their requirements. Not many HR managers trust their workers in getting the task done without the intervention of the managers. Well, you can give them a surprise. It has been proved that, when offered flexible hours, employees become more productive, engaged, and happier. So, think about it.
It’s time to prioritize wellness
As per “Management Journal Employee Engagement Survey of Gallup, more than 60 percent of engaged employees think that work positively can affect physical health. Another study has proved that disengaged workers generally feel anxious at work, more than around 59 percent than the engaged workers.
When it comes to employee wellness, it can cover both mental and physical wellness. Remember that wellness plays a great role in employee engagement. Before one can think about other needs, it is important to consider the normal factors like nutrition to stability. Is your organization promoting healthy living? Are they comfortable in the workspace? Do you offer them a flexible work schedule? There are more such things that you need to consider if you want to increase your employee engagement level.
A friendly leave policy
Every company has a leave policy that sets rules and regulations related to leaves. If you have a strict leave policy and are not offering the leaves that they deserve, then your employees will feel demotivated and may not work properly. While HR managers want their employees to work more, they should allow them to take a leave from work so that they can relax and attain their personal work. So, create a flexible leave policy. Besides, deploy a professional Employee time off the tracker, for example, Day off, so that your employees can easily apply for a leave. Besides, they can also know the status of their leaves using the software.
Always remain authentic
Keep in mind that a sincere relationship between the HR management and employees can motivate a solid trust and will develop teamwork. So, don’t falsify the relationships and create a trusting workplace for all. When your employees believe that the workplace is neutral, everyone has the right to enjoy their work; they will automatically feel that there is no need to hire things from their colleagues.
Invite feedback from the employees and also act on it
Modern technologies have made it easier for managers to seek and analyze employee feedback regularly, for example, through online surveys. However, such tools may not offer you the desired results if you don’t work on the feedback or views. So, after getting the feedback, analyze it and see if you can apply those views without affecting the company’s existing policy.
While applying these tips, don’t forget to use a free vacation tracker to keep your employee engagement level high. Technologies have simplified different processes, and every organization should use those software programs. So, go on and get a free time off tracker now.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about Employee Engagement
What exactly is employee engagement (and what isn’t it)?
Engagement is the emotional and mental commitment employees have to their work, team, and organization. It shows up as discretionary effort, problem-solving, and staying power when things get hard. It isn’t the same as satisfaction (liking perks) or burnout-masked hustle. True engagement blends purpose, autonomy, mastery, and fair treatment.
How can we measure engagement without a massive survey?
Pair a light quarterly pulse (8–12 questions) with a few hard metrics:
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eNPS and “I would recommend this as a great place to work”
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Manager effectiveness (clarity, coaching, care)
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Voluntary turnover and regrettable attrition
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Absenteeism and PTO utilization (under-use can signal burnout)
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Participation rates in 1:1s, learning, and recognition
Use a short, consistent cadence and trend the results, direction matters more than a single score.
What quick wins boost engagement in the next 30 days?
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Ship a simple recognition ritual (weekly team shout-outs tied to values + a monthly peer award).
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Publish a clear PTO guide and make requests self-service in your leave tracker; normalize using time off.
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Standardize manager 1:1s (biweekly, agenda shared, action items captured).
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Launch a “friction log” form where employees flag one process that slows them down, and fix the top three publicly.
How does a PTO/leave tracker improve engagement?
Clarity reduces anxiety. A tracker makes balances visible, requests simple, approvals fast, and policies consistent across teams. It also surfaces patterns, chronic weekend-adjacent “sick days,” unused PTO, or overlapping absences, that managers can address early. When time off is predictable and guilt-free, people return sharper and more engaged.
What should a great onboarding experience include?
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A 30/60/90 plan with outcomes, not just tasks
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A buddy/mentor and two standing 1:1s (manager + buddy) in the first month
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Essential tools and access ready on day one
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Culture and norms primer (how we communicate, decide, and give feedback)
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Early wins: a small project shipped in the first two weeks
Use your leave tool to brief new hires on PTO rules and how to use them, clarity early prevents confusion later.
How do we offer flexibility without losing accountability?
Define the outcomes and response-time norms, not the micromanaged hours. Document:
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Core hours for collaboration (if any) and async expectations
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Turnaround times for customers and internal partners
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How coverage works during PTO and who is backup
Review results in 1:1s; if outcomes are met, flexibility stands. If they aren’t, adjust the plan, don’t default to one-size-fits-all rules.
What wellness actions actually move the needle?
Right-size the basics before fancy perks:
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Reasonable workloads and explicit prioritization
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Meeting hygiene (fewer, shorter, with agendas)
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Protected PTO (no “quick pings” during leave)
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Access to counseling/EAP and manager training to spot burnout
Track signals like after-hours messages, unused PTO, and survey stress levels; intervene early.
How do we make our leave policy feel “friendly” and fair?
Write it in plain language with examples. Cover eligibility, notice periods, documentation, blackout dates, and carryover, then enforce it consistently via your tracker. Encourage managers to prompt employees with large balances to schedule time off. Fair and predictable beats “unlimited” but unclear.
How can managers build trust and authenticity with teams?
Keep regular 1:1s, share context (the “why” behind decisions), and close the loop on feedback (“we heard X, we’ll try Y by Z date”). Admit misses, give credit generously, and model healthy boundaries (use your own PTO). Trust compounds when words and systems match.
How should we collect and act on feedback?
Use three channels: anonymous quarterly pulses, structured 1:1 prompts, and periodic stay interviews. Publish themes and 2–3 committed actions with owners and dates. Track progress openly. Silence after asking for input erodes trust faster than not asking at all.
What role does technology play beyond surveys?
Automate the frictions people complain about: clunky approvals, unclear PTO, lost onboarding steps. Tools for leave, task flow, recognition, and learning free time and signal respect. The tech isn’t the culture, but it’s the rails that make good habits easy.
How do we sustain engagement during tough quarters?
Tell the truth about constraints, narrow focus to fewer priorities, protect recovery (no-meeting blocks, real PTO), and celebrate progress, not just outcomes. Recognize extra effort publicly and redistribute load where needed. People stay engaged when goals are clear, work feels meaningful, and leaders have their backs.