Employee Engagement Action Plan: 6 Steps + Free Template

Why does every organization need an employee engagement action plan?

Why did we build this comprehensive guide to help turn your engagement strategy into an action plan?

Surveys show that employee disengagement is at an all-time high! In 2023, only one-third of employees who participated in the survey claimed they were engaged at work.

This data is beyond terrifying considering all the benefits of having an engaged workforce.

Engaged employees are much more productive in their jobs. High engagement also, lowers absenteeism, reduces turnover, and boosts employee retention.

While there are plenty of widespread employee engagement practices, in today's landscape where employees are getting more and more actively disengaged, it is key to build definitive action plans around your employee engagement strategies.

In this guide, you will find a step-by-step roadmap into how you can build the right action plan to improve employee engagement in your organization.

We've also included a helpful employee engagement action plan template that you can download for absolutely free.

So let us dive right into how you can build a long-term employee engagement strategy and build a workplace teeming with engaged employees!

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What is an employee engagement action plan?

Before we discuss building our engagement plan, let's cover some of the basics. What an engagement action plan is and most importantly, what it isn't.

An employee engagement plan is a roadmap organizations create to boost engagement and improve the overall employee experience in their organization. The engagement action plan has to include but shouldn't be limited to:

• Engagement goals: Clearly defined objectives that focus on increasing overall engagement.
• Initiatives: Targeted programs and strategies to address areas of low engagement or challenges in the workplace.
• Timelines: A schedule for when each initiative will be implemented and completed.
• Metrics: A predetermined set of employee engagement metrics or measures that track progress and effectiveness.

The action planning process should not be confused with standalone employee engagement initiatives. An engagement plan is more often than not composed of multiple initiatives, all striving to achieve the common goal of building an engaged workforce.

Why You Need an Engagement Action Plan

An engagement action plan is essential for building a workplace where employees are truly invested in their work and committed to the success of the company.

Without a plan in place, it’s easy for engagement efforts to be reactive, inconsistent, or ineffective. As discussed above, some of the ways having an engagement plan helps your organization include but aren't limited to:

Boosting Productivity

Engaged employees are more productive, as they feel a sense of ownership and pride in their work. A structured plan ensures that your company is consistently fostering the right environment for high levels of performance.

Reducing Turnover

High turnover rates are costly for businesses. An engagement action plan addresses the root causes of employee disengagement, helping to retain top talent and reduce hiring and training expenses.

Improving Company Culture

Engagement initiatives improve communication, recognition, and collaboration, leading to a stronger company culture and a more welcoming working environment.

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Download a Free Engagement Action Plan Template

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We wanted to include a free template for you to use when building your engagement strategy. The template you download is filled out to serve as an employee engagement action plan example for you to model your strategies after.

Step 1: Define Your Engagement Goals

Before you can improve employee engagement, you need to know what you're aiming for. To create an employee engagement action plan, you need to have a clear set of goals and engagement metrics you need to hit.

• Measure Employee Engagement Levels: The glaringly obvious first step is to be aware of your current engagement scores. Conduct engagement surveys to understand just what your current engagement situation is.

• Review Current Engagement Levels: Follow this up by analyzing employee engagement and satisfaction survey results, 360-degree feedback, Net Promoter Score and other data sources. Identify areas where engagement is low or specific challenges that your employees face.

• Set SMART Goals: When setting engagement goals, you need to follow the SMART Criteria. For example, if your employee surveys reveal communication issues, a SMART goal might be: "Increase internal communication satisfaction by 20% within six months."

Examples of Employee Engagement Goals:

• Improve employee-manager communication.
• Increase participation in employee recognition programs.
• Boost employee involvement in decision-making.

When measuring employee engagement, it is key to use an engagement survey tool that is integrated into your main communication and collaboration platforms.

If you are using Microsoft Teams or Outlook on a regular basis then the best solution for you is Teamflect! It is the highest rated survey tool in the Microsoft Teams app-store for a reason!

Teamflect allows you to:

• Access an extensive library of customizable survey templates.
• Automate engagement surveys at any interval of your choice.
• Analyze survey results using AI.
• Generate relevant survey questions with AI.
• Use a wide array of question types including NPS, Ranking, Rating, Likert Scale, and more!

The best part is, that Teamflect is completely free with full functionality for up to 10 users, making it incredibly easy for you to try. You don't even need to create an account! Log in with your Microsoft account and you're good to go!

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Measure Employee Engagement in Microsoft Teams!

Try Teamflect for Free

No credit card required.

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Step 2: Identify Key Drivers of Engagement

Understanding what drives engagement in your company ensures that your plan addresses the most critical areas. Engagement drivers vary across organizations and can range from career development opportunities to company culture.

The drivers of engagement you determine here will be your key employee engagement metrics when evaluating the success of your engagement initiatives.

• Analyze Surveys and Feedback: Review survey data and employee feedback to identify common themes and issues. You can also conduct focus groups to gain deeper insights.

• Segment by Groups: Engagement drivers may differ across departments, job levels, or demographics. Segment your data to understand these differences and tailor your approach.

Common Key Engagement Drivers:

• Leadership and vision,
• Work-life balance
• Career development and opportunities for growth
• Recognition and reward systems

Step 3: Develop Engagement Initiatives

Not all engagement initiatives are created equal. By tailoring initiatives to address specific engagement challenges in your organization, you can create targeted solutions that have a bigger impact.

The most important thing to do when deciding on employee engagement initiatives is to make sure each initiative addresses some of the key engagement drivers you’ve determined in the previous step.

• Use Data-Driven Insights: Utilize the feedback gathered from employee surveys or focus groups to create initiatives that respond to the actual concerns of your workforce. Avoid blanket solutions; instead, focus on initiatives that solve real issues employees are facing, such as improving communication channels or providing more learning opportunities.

• Tailor to Different Departments: Engagement levels and challenges can vary across different teams. Customize initiatives based on departmental needs, especially in large organizations where different functions may have unique drivers of engagement.

• Make Initiatives Actionable: Create specific, actionable steps for each initiative, ensuring that they are both realistic and achievable. For example, if career development is an area of concern, set up mentorship programs or offer leadership training courses to enhance employee growth.

Sample Engagement Initiatives

• Employee Recognition Programs
• Employee Wellness Initiatives
• Flexible Working Arrangements
• Teambuilding Activities

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Step 4: Create a Timeline for Implementation

A clear timeline ensures that engagement initiatives are executed efficiently and that progress can be tracked over time. Without deadlines, initiatives may stall, losing momentum and interest. ,

Having a designated timeline for your action plan not only makes each step within the plan more achievable but also increases accountability for all parties involved.

As milestones are met, the team can evaluate their progress, adjust where necessary, and maintain focus on the overarching goals. The timeline acts as a roadmap, providing clarity on what needs to happen next, keeping everyone on track, and ensuring that no step in the plan is overlooked or delayed.

• Set Milestones for Each Initiative: Break each initiative down into smaller tasks with clear deadlines. For example, if you’re launching a new recognition program, your first milestone might be selecting a platform, followed by training managers to use it. Set deadlines for each phase.

• Assign Ownership: Make sure that someone is accountable for each initiative. Whether it’s a department head, HR leader, or a designated engagement champion, accountability will keep the plan moving forward.

• Ensure Flexibility: While deadlines are important, allow for flexibility in case certain initiatives take longer than expected. Continuous communication and reassessment can keep the project adaptable.

Step 5: Communicate the Action Plan

Clear communication is key to getting employees on board with the engagement action plan. If employees don’t know about the initiatives or how they’ll be affected, the plan is less likely to succeed.

Communicating the action plan should go beyond merely informing employees; it should involve actively engaging them in discussions, allowing for feedback, and addressing any concerns they may have.

This two-way communication helps to clarify expectations and creates a sense of ownership among employees, making them feel like active participants in the process rather than passive recipients.

• Use Multiple Channels: Share the plan through a variety of communication methods such as emails, meetings, company newsletters, or internal forums. Ensure that all employees, regardless of their level or location, are informed.

• Explain the 'Why': Don’t just communicate what the plan is. Explain why it’s being implemented. Help employees understand that their feedback was the driving force behind the plan and that it will benefit them in their day-to-day roles.

• Provide Ongoing Updates: Engagement efforts shouldn’t be a one-time announcement. Keep employees informed about progress, milestones, and changes. Regular communication helps maintain momentum and demonstrates that leadership is committed to improving engagement.

Step 6: Monitor Progress and Measure Results

Tracking the success of your engagement plan allows you to make data-driven decisions and adjustments as needed. Monitoring the progress and measuring results guarantees that you’re on track to meet your goals and helps identify areas for improvement.

• Conduct Regular Check-Ins: Schedule regular reviews of the engagement initiatives. For example, quarterly engagement pulse surveys or bi-monthly check-ins with team leaders can help assess whether the initiatives are on track and making an impact.

• Collect Feedback from Employees: Beyond metrics, gather qualitative feedback from employees to understand how they perceive the initiatives. Use focus groups, surveys, or one-on-one discussions to collect valuable insights on what’s working and what needs adjustment.

• Adjust as Needed: Be ready to refine your engagement plan based on the results. If certain initiatives aren’t achieving the desired outcomes, re-evaluate and adapt them to better meet employee needs.

In Conclusion

An employee engagement action plan is more than just a series of steps. It’s a strategic roadmap designed to foster a more connected and motivated workforce.

This is achieved by taking steps to comprehend the expectations and desires of employees, developing appropriate strategies to meet these goals, and creating time constraints for the implementation of the strategies.

By putting the time in to develop a comprehensive employee engagement strategy, you create accountable sets of initiatives that will result in a more driven and engaged workforce.

In that journey, you will need all the assistance you can get. That is why we would love to have you over for a quick call, to discuss how the best employee engagement software for Microsoft Teams and Outlook can help you engage your employees! Let’s schedule a call!

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