What's better than happy employees? Engaged ones

McLean & Company has released findings underscoring the importance of prioritizing employee engagement and the overall employee experience in shaping the future of work.  

The firm's HR Trends Report 2025 preview highlights retaining employees and controlling labour costs as top priorities for HR in 2025. 

A recent research snapshot provides a concise overview of actionable insights from McLean & Company’s Analyze and Act on Employee Engagement Data resource.    

The research demonstrates a clear link between employee engagement and performance. Findings reveal that 93 percent of engaged employees consistently exceed role expectations, compared to only 46 percent of disengaged employees.  

According to McLean & Company, effectively collecting, analysing, and acting on employee data is essential to achieving positive performance outcomes for both employees and organizations.   

McLean & Company cautions against assuming priorities without engaging the voices of employees.  

Survey data can guide action planning but failing to include employee input risks poor decisions and wasted resources.  

Amanda Chaitnarine, senior director of HR Diagnostics, Advisory and Data Insights at McLean & Company, highlights the importance of involving employees in the engagement process, stating, “Without asking employees what will engage them, you’re only getting half the story.”  

She further explains that collecting qualitative data helps to capture the employee voice, adding a human element to the data and illustrating the organization’s engagement story.    

Chaitnarine highlights that engagement action planning should address both priority engagement drivers and organizational needs.  

She adds, “The best engagement actions address both priority engagement drivers and organizational needs. This allows for quick wins and buy-in for actions that help propel engagement initiatives forward.”    

The research snapshot outlines a three-step process for HR and organizational leaders to act on employee engagement survey data:   

• Analyse Results: Identify organizational priorities and establish the right approach to action planning. 

• Develop Insights and Actions: Equip managers to conduct qualitative analysis and determine appropriate actions. 

• Build and Implement Plans: Develop and execute action plans based on insights from the first two steps.