What Is An Employee Engagement Specialist And Why Do You Need One

Broadly defined, engagement is the measure of how actively involved and interested someone is in a particular activity. But in the workplace, it can mean many different things. Companies invest in it in pursuit of all kinds of goals, such as increasing employee productivity, improving customer satisfaction, and increasing overall employee retention. Staff engagement can also be measured in a variety of ways, from progress against predetermined objectives to qualitative feedback.

This often calls for the help of a professional - someone whose sole job is to focus on creating and maintaining team culture. Someone like an employee engagement specialist.

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What Is an Employee Engagement Specialist?

An employee engagement specialist, sometimes referred to as an employee engagement manager, is an individual responsible for designing and implementing programs to improve workplace morale and engagement. Their role sits within HR but remains hyper-focused on the idea of engagement and involvement - in other words, how actively interested an employee is in their role, the company’s mission/vision, or any number of other factors.

This individual works closely with a range of stakeholders to ensure that employees are supported and engaged throughout their time with the organization. Not only do they focus on producing a positive employee experience, but they also address any issues that may arise and act as a bridge between management and staff.

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What Employee Engagement Specialists Do

Employee engagement specialists aren't your average HR professionals. They don't typically do payroll or write termination letters. Instead, they invest most of their time in planning and administering initiatives that pursue an organization's greater cultural objectives.

In practice, that may involve designing team-building activities, creating employee recognition programs, and facilitating opportunities for workforce development. They also monitor staff ‘pulse’ surveys as a way to measure the success of their initiatives and identify areas where further improvements could be made.

Spelled out, the key duties of an employee engagement specialist could include:

• Developing and executing initiatives to promote a positive workplace culture
• Introducing processes that monitor employee satisfaction and track progress
• Conducting meetings with staff at all levels to gain feedback, solicit suggestions, and tackle
• Establishing and maintaining relationships with other departments to ensure cooperation
• Collaborating with management on the development of strategies for achieving desired outcomes
• Working closely with teams to identify potential conflicts or issues and adjusting as needed
• Developing recognition programs to reward excellence
• Organizing events and activities that promote a sense of community among staff
• Creating reports and presentations summarizing survey results, progress, and overall success metrics

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Why Hire an Employee Engagement Specialist?

Being a particularly unique role, not many companies have an employee engagement specialist on their HR team. However, having someone dedicated to staff involvement can bring tremendous value to businesses of all sizes and industries.

Here are three great examples:

Simplified Problem Solving

Employee engagement specialists are experienced in understanding the nuances of various workplace cultures. They can quickly identify issues and suggest effective solutions that get results without disrupting other business operations.

Improved Communication

Good communication is key to any successful workplace. An employee engagement specialist can help ensure that all staff are kept in the loop about important company news, changes, and objectives.

Increased Staff Morale and Retention

Employee engagement specialists are responsible for creating a positive work environment – one that fosters camaraderie, encourages collaboration, and motivates teams to reach their full potential. When maintained consistently, these create a positive environment that reduces employee turnover and encourages them to stay.

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Why Employee Engagement Specialists are Critical In 2023

Hiring an employee engagement specialist today can mean a world of difference tomorrow. Working collaboratively with leaders and key stakeholders, these individuals are perfectly suited to address a range of emerging challenges as they emerge in real-time.

Their help is already proving invaluable to many businesses in the domains of:

Remote Work

COVID-19 may be behind us, but at this point, it's safe to say that remote work is here to stay. Now more than ever, both existing staff and job applicants expect the ability to work from home or under a hybrid arrangement. Giving them what they want isn't necessarily a bad thing - so long as productivity and team culture can be maintained from afar.

Employee engagement specialists are the glue that helps keep an entire organization together.

They enhance communication protocols, maintain morale across different working models, create professional development plans tailored to virtual work environments, and develop strategies to ensure that remote teams feel connected and empowered.

Diversity and Inclusion

Employee engagement specialists are uniquely qualified to lead conversations on sensitive topics such as racism and unconscious bias, both of which have been hot topics of conversation over the past few years. Having a calm, neutral, and knowledgeable professional to handle the discussion can go a long way in helping employees feel safe and respected.

Workplace Culture

Cultural issues remain one of the biggest causes of stress in many organizations. Whether it is because of generational differences, gender inequality, or simply poor communication, employee engagement specialists ensure a solution is found. They examine existing workplace dynamics in order to identify areas of tension, develop strategies that reduce or eliminate these tensions and implement practices that foster an open dialogue between staff members.

Technology

With new technology comes new expectations. Employees must be trained on how to use new software and tools, learn best practices for virtual communication, and adjust their workflow processes accordingly. Employee engagement specialists can help bring employees up to speed by providing guidance on digital collaboration platforms - like Qualee - and assist with troubleshooting technical issues as they arise.

It's no secret that the work landscape has undergone a massive shift over the past few years, especially with regard to employee management. Emerging trends and never-before-seen challenges pose a risk to organizations that are used to going about things 'business as usual' - those who fail to adapt to meet the new needs of staff will lose talent to those who do.

Learn more about Qualee's advanced solution for employee engagement today!