Like most concepts in the business world, employee engagement is complicated. Engaged employees are more productive, have lower levels of absenteeism, and are less likely to leave. Because of this, engaged employees are more profitable. Clearly, it's in an organization's best interest to achieve high levels of engagement, but there is a great deal of confusion about how to get there. First, it’s important to ensure that goals are aligned. Getting all team members on the same page should be the priority and begin on an employee’s first day. If expectations are set early, employees will have a sense of ownership of their decisions and their outcomes. Another way to boost engagement that runs counter to what pop-psychology might suggest, is to foster co-dependency. When workers support one another’s efforts and become invested in those effort’s successes, everyone ends up winning.