Although the notion of employee engagement is not new, and there’s no longer any need to demonstrate its importance, it has undergone many significant changes in recent years. 

Between the health crisis, the upturn in business, market tensions, and the arrival of new generations within companies, yesterday’s practices no longer work today. Not to mention, the “big resignation” continues. So, how do you remobilize your teams and ensure their commitment?

Employee Commitment: Rules Changing the Game

While employee engagement is not a new buzzword, it remains relatively vague for many of us. So, when we talk about employee engagement, what are we talking about? 

A committed employee is one who puts all their energy and determination into carrying out their missions to help the company progress and shine, both internally and externally. A Committed employee demonstrates great motivation and desire in their day-to-day work and feels perfectly integrated into the company.

As a general rule, an engaged employee will be more productive, less prone to absenteeism, and will contribute to a significant reduction in staff turnover while also being an ambassador of choice for the company’s employer brand. However, employee commitment doesn’t necessarily come naturally, and it’s important for companies to cultivate it. 

So, how do you encourage employee commitment?

In 2017, the American research firm Gallup published a study demonstrating that employee engagement rests on 4 fundamental pillars organized in the form of a pyramid. 

From the base of the pyramid, the socle, to its summit, we find the following 4 pillars:

  • Basic needs
  • Support and management
  • Teamwork
  • Progression

When we analyze this pyramid, we see that it’s essential to know what your team expects and that communication is a key element in employee engagement.

The arrival of the new generations and their expectations of their working lives has shaken the certainties we had about employee commitment, but this is not the only factor driving change. The consequences of the health crisis have also reshuffled the deck in terms of employee commitment.

The Arrival of the New Generations: What Changed?

By 2025, Generation Z is expected to account for between 30% and 50% of the workforce, according to surveys and studies such as Adobe’s “The Future of Time,” and Dunod’s “Generation Z: From Z Consumers to Z Employees.” Is this hyper-connected generation, which has not known the world without the Internet, so different from millennials and Gen Y?

Yes, they are! 

According to the Ipsos barometer “Talents: what they want from their jobs” published in 2020, Generation Z is particularly interested in their well-being at work and their general quality of life at work, well ahead of salary. To ensure the commitment and loyalty of Generation Z employees, companies will need to be attentive to their expectations and needs. Among these are:

  • The importance of teamwork
  • The need to create a strong social bond at work
  • The performance, fluidity, and speed of connected tools
  • The flexibility of working methods
  • The need for employee recognition
  • Participative management

Generation Z wants to be involved in the life of the company, but also in decision-making, and wants to be able to communicate quickly, simply and by any means with their colleagues, whether face-to-face or remote. Thus, the quality, and multiplicity of internal communication channels is a key factor in employee commitment.

Telecommuting and Its Impact on Working Conditions and Working Methods

Telecommuting is certainly a way of working that offers many advantages for both employees and companies, but it is above all, a way of working that has highlighted the shortcomings of companies in terms of digital communication.

A feeling of isolation and the loss of a collective bond are just some of the consequences of telecommuting, which have a negative impact on employee commitment.

A return to full face-to-face working is no longer an option. For both older and younger generations, the desire for flexibility and freedom in the organization of working time is now firmly rooted in the habits and desires of employees.

Widespread telecommuting, hybrid working, flex-office, etc. are all forms of work that will require organization and adaptability on the part of companies.

Once again, internal communication will be the focus of attention, helping to maintain and improve employee commitment.

What Are the New Tools for Internal Communication?

In order to maintain and encourage employee commitment, companies should not hesitate to multiply their internal communication channels. Not only to ensure that everyone has access to information, but also to prevent communication fatigue.

Some of the most relevant internal communication channels include :

The Welcome Booklet

This is a true compendium of the company’s practices and history. 

The welcome booklet contributes to the successful integration of new employees, and will be useful to them throughout their professional life with the company.

For greater efficiency and constant updating, a digital version can be deployed, thus avoiding the obsolescence of information while contributing to the company’s attractiveness.

Internal Newsletters

Generally inexpensive and easy to implement, the internal newsletter is one of the most effective channels for a company to communicate with its employees.

Distributed digitally, the digital newsletter can be accompanied by graphics, videos, and illustrations, making it more attractive and less tedious to read.

In addition to providing company news and information, it’s also an excellent way of highlighting and recognizing your employees.

Intranet

Relatively cumbersome and costly to set up, not every company can afford its own Intranet.

For those who can invest time and resources, the Intranet has become one of the main means of communication. Presentation of news, creation of storage spaces (job descriptions, training videos, etc.), or company chat. These are just some of the channels that will connect employees to their company and employees to each other.

Instant Messaging

Instant messaging makes communication easier and more fluid at every level. It is less formal than email, and easier to access thanks to mobile applications and the Internet.

Whether you’re sending personal messages, setting up workgroups, or any other type of communication, instant messaging will revolutionize your company’s internal communications.

Collaborative Working Platforms and Tools

In the age of hybrid working, employees need to be able to work whenever and wherever they want. It’s no longer possible to work on files alone in a corner of the office, or to organize a meeting at a fixed time and date.

Collaborative working tools enable document content to be shared in real time, and information to be constantly updated. From annotations to progress measurement, file sharing, and more, the possibilities are endless and will ensure efficient teamwork even at a distance.

Is it Possible to Improve Internal Communication via your Resource Management Software?

Between new ways of organizing work and the gradual and programmed arrival of these new hyper-connected generations, the transformation of internal communication is an essential prerequisite for the success, but also the long-term survival, of companies.

As we have seen, there is a plethora of tools available today for internal corporate communication, combining face-to-face and, above all, digital communication.

But isn’t there a danger of getting lost?

Integrating and developing an intranet is certainly an effective and comprehensive way of improving and disseminating internal communication, but it is also costly and often extremely burdensome for the teams in charge of its creation, content, and maintenance.

So is there another solution? What if an HRIS system could act as an Intranet?

Crosstalent makes it possible. In fact, our module-based HR software lets you personalize your HRIS right from the home portal, by integrating all the applications you’ll need to work: Docusign, LinkedIn, instant messaging add-on, etc. And to take communication with your teams even further, our Administration module offers onboarding, skills and training management applications, and anything linked to personnel administration.

Speak to an expert to change the way you manage your internal communication needs and applications.