Employee engagement is in a slump. According to a new Gallup survey, only 31% of U.S. employees are actively engaged at work, showing no improvement from the previous year. Concerningly, the steepest drop in engagement came from younger employees, spelling potential trouble for the future workforce as Gen Z is expected to be the largest generation in the workforce in less than a decade. Workforce leaders need to get their engagement strategy right, and quickly. 

However, the recent Workplace Engagement Report revealed that for many leaders, their organizations are not equipping them to succeed. Over half (57%) of managers and above say they have never received extensive training on how to re-engage their teams, and only 17% say their company provides effective tools to keep teams motivated. This is leaving some managers questioning their leadership positions altogether, with 40% saying they would give up their role completely if it meant their team could be fully engaged.

Re-engaging employees has also arguably become more challenging with the rise of Gen Z as well as hybrid and remote work. Among leaders surveyed, 6 in 10 say Gen Z is the hardest generation to engage, and nearly a quarter of leaders admit they don’t feel confident leading a hybrid or remote team. Likewise, in the Gallup survey, younger employees saw the biggest decrease in feeling cared about at work and having opportunities to learn and grow. These things can often be harder to achieve with distributed teams, where you can’t count on social connection or mentorships forming organically. To reach these goals and engage employees in this new and emerging era of work, leaders must be proactive and design a strategy for our current workplace reality. Get started with these 3 action steps:

Take advantage of technology to foster meaningful connection

In distributed teams, needing to connect virtually is often seen as an obstacle for engagement. This is only true, however, when leaders don’t design activities for a digital environment. Simply recreating traditional face-to-face activities on a video call is nearly guaranteed to yield disappointing results, especially when those activities weren’t very inspiring to begin with, such as a boring slide presentation. Instead, take advantage of the unique options technology can offer. For example, gamification tools can give training sessions, meetings, and events an interactive and engaging format, while video creates more dynamic and immersive experiences. By adopting a digital-first mindset, leaders can optimize activities for how people actually connect and engage in virtual space.

Clarify expectations with better communication

Engagement is not only about boosting workplace morale, but about making sure employees know what excellence looks like and how to achieve it. When people are unsure of what’s expected of them, they’re more likely to stay stuck in ‘freeze mode,’ not wanting to make a mistake. Needless to say, a hesitant and disempowered workforce is rarely an engine of bold innovation. 

To transform internal communication, one of the most powerful tools is interactivity. Designing meetings, presentations, training sessions, and events to be interactive – for example, with quiz questions, polls, brainstorms, and Q&As – can help teams surface information gaps and ensure everyone is on the same page. These interactive experiences can also provide instant feedback on employees’ knowledge, skills, and ideas. This lets employees know when they are on the right track, empowering them to act with confidence.

Invite Gen Z employees to lead

As the first generation of true digital natives, Gen Z’ers know how to connect virtually in engaging and meaningful ways. This experience can offer a wealth of information and inspiration for re-engaging employees digitally, but many organizations leave this resource untapped. Asking Gen Z employees to help shape and lead on virtual employee engagement can result in workforce activities that are not only innovative but relevant and resonant with other younger employees. Simply put, no one knows better how to engage Gen Z than Gen Z. As most leaders find Gen Z the hardest generation to engage, this is key for the overall success of any engagement strategy. 

Leadership opportunities can also motivate younger employees by giving them more of a voice and feeling that they can make an impact. To make it easy and accessible for younger employees to flex their leadership muscles, make user-friendly tech tools available where they can present and share ideas, exchange knowledge, and get creative. If your organization doesn’t yet use tools like this, ask younger employees for suggestions. Gen Z’ers are often early adopters of new technologies, and tools they used in their education may also be applied in the workplace.

The re-engagement challenge is not an easy task for leaders, especially as technology and ways of working continue to evolve. However, with these simple strategies, leaders can transform obstacles into opportunities and begin building a company culture that’s more tuned in, connected, and ready to succeed than ever before.