Ping-pong is fun, but a ping-pong table does not create employee engagement. This fact seems to be lost on many managers trying to improve employee engagement at their organizations. On the lists of best places to work, pictures of these companies often show modern open offices, edgy furniture, and hip young employees smiling over their MacBooks. But those employees aren’t smiling because of the on-site dry cleaning or dog-friendly policies the office provides; they are smiling because their employers take an active interest in their personal and professional growth. Mark Levy, former head of employee experience at Airbnb, says you have to focus on experience to increase engagement. “Anything that sets employees up for success or improves our culture should be a part of EX (employee experience),” he says. Employees want greater ownership of their experience within their roles and a say in areas that are important to them. One way to improve EX is to give employees regular feedback as well as create avenues for them to voice their opinion in meaningful ways. Forget about the annual employee review with formulaic, generalized feedback and the disingenuous surveys where employees voice their concerns and nothing is ever done. Employees need a stake in their day-to-day life if they are to be truly engaged.
