4 Exciting Employee Engagement Trends for 2018

No matter what side of the aisle you’re on, we think it’s safe to say that 2017 was a weird, and somewhat volatile, year. Shocking became the norm – both good and bad. Stocks rose to new heights. The US sued AT&T to block their purchase of Time Warner. Consumer protection is out the window and Uber is walking, perhaps driving, the tight rope.

On the employment side, 2017 saw the job market get even stronger, though wages remained ridiculously flat. Now that we’ve passed the hump into 2018, there are some unexpected and exciting trends when it comes to employee engagement in 2018.

1. 50 is the new 30. Are Gen X employees back in style? Well, yes. Statistics show that re-engaging an “older” workforce can be less expensive than sparring for new talent with the famous millennials. Stability, experience, and a longer life-span are just three reasons why organizations should consider older workers. A Forbes article addresses why hiring older workers adds incredible value to an organization, including something as simple as the fact that “[o]lder or mature workers know their strengths, address their weaknesses and are not afraid of their own shadow. They are team players, know how to lead, can drive business needs and create sustainable outcomes.” Don’t pass over that resume just because of numbers.

2. The age old work-life dilemma. Flex hours, flex vacation time, working from home, daycare, kid rooms, library spaces, un-plugging after six have all become more a norm than exception. We’re not there yet all the way, but creating spaces where work and life are both separate and synchronized have made the workplace more vibrant and alive. So, the tendency is to continue toward this idea of bringing life to work, and keeping work from infiltrating every second of our lives. Have you evaluated your company policies regarding work/life balance?

3. Creating life and career paths by providing training, continued education, mentoring, and teaching employees a manager mindset is a critical to keeping employees engaged. Giving employees the necessary tools to succeed and grow, both personally and professionally, has become an integral key to employee engagement. What are you doing to help your employees grow?

4. Humanizing the workplace by creating meaningful workplace connections has become a critical piece of employee engagement. When employees are dissatisfied with their managers, production plummets. By fostering positive relationships between managers and their direct reports, organizations set a standard for positive connection. Communication, transparency, respect are all part of this puzzle.

Employee engagement isn’t an overnight fix, instead a strategic and organization-wide culture to engage, recruit, and retain the best employees. 2018 promises to be just as exciting as 2017. As an organization, create a stable workforce with these exciting employee engagement trends.

Happy New Year!