Why Do Engaged Employees Still Leave? Exploring Retention Strategies for Talent Leaders

Employee Engagement and Retention Strategies

Senior talent executives may be surprised to learn that a sizable number of people who are highly engaged at work don't intend to stay with their company for long. Talent leaders don't have to just wave a sad goodbye to their employees, however. Offering career enhancement and work opportunities, as well as performance-based rewards, can act as effective retention tools and foster high levels of engagement to ensure not only that employees stay at a company, but they give the organization their all.

High engagement can be a critical component of a company's success. The typical employee engagement definition includes elements of commitment to the employer, willingness to interact to help reach the company's objectives or goals, and full involvement in and dedication to individual work responsibilities. But engagement goes deeper than that. According to research and consulting company Scarlett Surveys, "employee engagement is a measurable degree of an employee's positive or negative emotional attachment to their job, colleagues, and organization, which profoundly influences their willingness to learn and perform at work."

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Goals and the Engaged Employee

While meaningful work, performance-based rewards, and attractive career opportunities are useful retention tools, companies have additional opportunities to foster that emotional attachment through employee commitment, interaction, and involvement. The two biggest influences on employee engagement levels are the clarity of company goals and regular communication.

Employees who know what the company is committing to, how their actions and responsibilities influence those goals, and how the company measures employees based on the achievement of those goals are typically more engaged people who deliver more value to the organization. Open communication channels, such as weekly, quarterly, or annual meetings, show an organization's commitment to keeping employees aware of and involved in company issues. When leaders also take the opportunity to listen to employee suggestions, concerns, and ideas, they open the door for further engagement by encouraging interaction and showing respect for the individual.

An engaged employee intentionally helps the company reach its goals. To do that, employees need to be crystal clear on what those goals are, which makes communication a critical consideration when building retention programs or promoting specific behaviors. Managers cannot expect an employee to stay engaged in reaching a goal that is ever-changing, out of touch with the market, or artificially created to mask some other agenda. The objectives employees work toward need to make sense so they can contextualize their efforts in goal achievement.