Employee Engagement Trends: What’s Changing in 2022
Heidi Zwart
employee engagement trends

The workplace landscape has changed. Work today is not the same as it was two years ago. Employers are still adapting to the new world and fighting to keep their businesses afloat. Employee engagement and productivity is at stake and, as a result, it’s important for employers to stay up-to-date on the employee engagement trends that are leading the way in 2022.  

Flexibility

An agile businesses is an organization that “can respond quickly and effectively to opportunities and threats found in its internal and external environments (be they commercial, legal, technological, social, moral, or political).” The ability to “pivot” became increasingly important and businesses that had already adopted agile practices were better equipped to do so quickly and effectively with the onset of the pandemic. Employees felt more stable during tumultuous times because they had more confidence in their companies ability to make necessary changes in the marketplace. As an employee engagement trend, agile businesses are better equipped to handle the unknowns and retain their employees. 

Wellbeing support

A good employee wellness program has a direct impact on employee engagement. Gallup research has long supported this idea and is being increasingly accepted and adopted by other organizations as a result of the pandemic. Virgin Pulse found that 85% of companies say wellness programs support employee engagement and about 42% of those who implemented one did so to improve employee engagement. Holistic health support will help employers create a culture employees love and is one of the top employee engagement trends of 2022. Leading in a hybrid workplace means recognizing the employee population is different today and intentionally equipping them for success. 

Talent development

The world was already facing a pre-pandemic talent shortage as technology improvements changed the type of worker organizations needed. As a result, some employers relied on signing bonuses to gain fresh new talent. While the strategy may have brought candidates to the table, it’s yet to be seen if they stay long term. An unforeseen fallout of this strategy is that faithful and skilled employees went under-recognized and under-rewarded for their loyalty. Investing in the development of both new and existing talent is a necessary and overdue employee engagement trend that will build a better business for now and for the future. Developing and reskilling employees is important for retention, engagement, and surviving the great resignation. 

Asynchronous work

New Horizons Global Partners explains that asynchronous, or ‘async’, work is a term used to describe a working style in which tasks, communication and processes are not time-bound in a linear way. It focuses on goals instead of activity and on contribution rather than physical presence. Working hours may vary and the workplace culture shifts from expecting instant communication or real time response to one with more flexibility. With more employees working remotely and across different time zones, this employee engagement trend can reduce the reliance on meetings, promote deeper thinking and autonomy, support better onboarding experiences, and reduce workplace stress.   

Employee engagement trends will likely continue to shift as the world emerges from the pandemic. Businesses that thrive will do so by responding to these changes while expecting that additional adaptations to these trends are necessary in their future, too. 

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