Every year companies spend hundreds of millions of dollars on employee engagement programs; however, year after year, employee engagement levels remain consistently low. The main reason? Most of these expensive initiatives amount to nothing more than a shot in the arm. Perks and programs introduced to improve scores can, and do, boost them for a period of time, but eventually the novelty wears off and scores decline. New perks can be introduced, scores go back up, but they will fall again. The cycle does not create sustained engagement, and to long-term employees, it can create cynicism. These individuals see the short-term fixes for what they are and begin to feel manipulated. Where organizations see long-term, sustainable gains in engagement is when they think in the long term. Employers need to look beyond what engagement scores tell them in the moment and redesign their entire employee experience. They have to create a place where people want to work, rather than need to.