Employee engagement score: what it is & how to calculate it
Employee engagement score measures your workforce's commitment, motivation, and emotional investment. This metric directly impacts productivity, retention, innovation, and overall business performance. Low scores (below 50) signal serious issues like poor morale, high turnover, and weak trust. High scores (70+) correlate with stronger collaboration, loyalty, and company growth. To improve engagement, measure current levels, benchmark against industry standards, gather employee feedback, and implement people-centric practices that address real needs.
What is an employee engagement score, and how is it measured?
The employee engagement score is a metric that calculates the level of commitment, motivation, and emotional investment your employees have toward your organization. Typically derived from survey data, the score often reflects responses to questions related to job satisfaction, alignment with company values, and workplace enthusiasm.
You can use this score to assess your workplace environment and identify areas for improvement in your management practices. Focusing on this aspect is crucial to increase employee satisfaction, well-being, productivity, retention, and overall business performance.
7 employee engagement measurement tools to find out your score
Many ready-to-use surveys and tools are available online. We have selected seven of the most famous and well-rated ones:
The 12 employee engagement indicators used by the Gallup survey
If you don't know which employee engagement measurement tools to choose, we recommend you look at the 12 employee engagement indicators used in the famous Q12® Gallup questionnaire. Ensure the tool you opt for includes as many of the following aspects as possible:
- Knowing what's expected
- Materials and equipment
- Doing what you do best
- Receiving recognition
- Someone caring at work
- Someone encouraging development
- Opinions counting at work
- Mission/Purpose
- Commitment to quality work
- Best friend at work
- Talking about progress
- Learning and growing
How does your staff engagement score influence your company's success?
Can having an engaged team really impact your business's growth and success? Employee engagement has a snowball effect. Obviously, it's better to have it in a positive than a negative way.
The benefits of having a high employee engagement score for your organization (between 70 and 100)
If you manage to get an employee engagement score that is close to or above 70, you can consider you have a really good level of engagement among your workforce. Having very engaged teams often means an increase in:
- Workplace connection
- Motivation and productivity
- Collaboration
- Problem-solving and innovation
- Talent attraction
- Employee loyalty and resilience
- Company image
The impacts of having a low employee engagement score on your business (between 0 and 50)
You've sent your employee engagement survey, and the results are below 50? Improving this aspect of your workplace is not an option. It is a must if you want your staff to thrive and your company to grow. Having a team of disengaged employees impacts all the advantages mentioned above. Yet, it also tends to have the following consequences:
- Low employee morale and well-being
- Weak level of trust in the workplace
- Poor work quality
- Quiet quitting
- High employee turnover
- More frequent absenteeism and sickness
- Increased HR costs (recruitment, sickness, absenteeism, etc.)
How can you truly improve the level of engagement of your workforce?
Do you have an idea about what could influence the level of engagement of your team members? Before setting up a strategy, you need to analyze what's going on. We've provided a step-by-step guide to help you increase your employee engagement score by focusing on the real needs of your workforce instead of making assumptions.
1. Analyze the current engagement level in your workplace
Find out your employee engagement score
Start by measuring your employee engagement score using a specific tool, such as an employee engagement survey. This questionnaire provides quantifiable data that enable you to identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement.
Understanding the extent of your workforce's current engagement is essential for creating effective strategies. Without this first step, you don't know where you're starting from, and you cannot assess if your actions are working in the long run.
Get employee engagement score benchmarks in your industry
Benchmarking employee engagement scores within your industry is vital as it gives you a comparative perspective of your company's standing against competitors. This process reveals industry standards and norms for engagement.
Benchmarking this aspect helps you identify how well your employees are connected to their work and how you rank in attracting and retaining top talent. Understanding your position in the market allows you to pinpoint specific areas that require your attention and adopt the best practices to boost engagement. This is essential to ensure that your strategies are competitive and effective.
Survey your employees about their expectations
If your employee engagement score is below 70, it certainly means your team members are missing something and that their expectations aren't totally fulfilled. Getting your workers' feedback is essential to knowing what could tip the balance.
Directly ask them about their needs to get valuable insights into what drives their motivation and commitment. This allows you to develop initiatives that resonate with your staff's actual needs and desires, ensuring relevance and efficacy.
Such a strategy not only boosts employee empowerment but also fosters a sense of being heard and valued. This is fundamental to enhancing morale, increasing productivity, and ultimately achieving a happy and engaged workforce.
Implement people-centric practices to increase your employee engagement score
Answer your employees' expectations
Having gathered employees' expectations, it's time to convert this feedback into concrete actions. By addressing their needs, you demonstrate that you value your workforce's voice, which is pivotal in improving employee engagement.
When people see their suggestions being implemented, it reinforces their sense of accountability within the company, fostering loyalty and a deeper commitment to their roles. Consequently, meeting your workers' expectations enhances job satisfaction and promotes a culture where they are more eager to contribute to the company's success.
Train your managers
Managers' influence on engagement is real. They are the primary touchpoint between employees and the company's leadership. Effective managers drive engagement by inspiring, supporting, and recognizing their teams.
It is essential to train leaders in these skills and encourage them to attend specific training about employee engagement. This equips them to create a positive work environment and leads to a domino effect of increased employee satisfaction, retention, and productivity.
Investing in manager training is not just an investment in people but in the heart of the organization's engagement strategy.
Focus on employee experience on-site and off-site
Employee experience, both on-site and off-site, profoundly impacts engagement levels and, consequently, the employee engagement score. A rewarding and positive experience for all (focus on DEI in the workplace) in every environment ensures your team members feel connected and valued, regardless of their physical work location.
Positive experiences enhance a sense of belonging and workplace connection, which translates into higher engagement scores. However, neglecting off-site experiences, especially in remote work setups, can lead to a feeling of isolation and disconnection. Therefore, creating a cohesive experience is vital for sustained engagement and overall organizational health.
Share clear expectations
The absence of clear expectations and guidelines can significantly erode employee engagement, leading to confusion, frustration, and a lack of direction. According to a Forbes study about The state of communication, 50% of respondents mention poor communication affects job satisfaction, and more than 40% say it impacts trust toward leadership and colleagues. This uncertainty impacts employees' ability to perform and engage effectively with their work.
Conversely, clear expectations provide employees with a solid understanding of what is expected from them and where their focus should be. This fosters a sense of purpose and empowerment. To learn more about this topic, we strongly encourage you to read the Gallup article "U.S. Employee Engagement Needs a Rebound," which provides valuable insights.
Offer career evolution
Being able to develop new skills is very important for today's workforce. So, why would employees go the extra mile all the time if they don't have any perspective on professional growth? People are now looking to be continuously stimulated in their jobs by learning new things and knowing they can climb the ladder, too.
This can truly influence your employee engagement score and should be considered when looking for strategies to improve your workforce's engagement. Career opportunities are not only vertical shifts; they can also be a horizontal evolution, enabling your team members to widen their skill set and explore something new!
Consider the impact of office layout
Lastly, your office layout can also influence how engaged your team is, especially in a hybrid work environment. You need to ask yourself and your coworkers: Does the office space answer their needs? Are they happy about the office resources you provide, or would they rather work from home? Is it easy to collaborate with colleagues when coming to work on-site?
To create a work environment that boosts engagement, you need a layout that is as flexible as your working policies. Tailoring an agile office layout by including quiet zones for concentration and communal areas for brainstorming is the best solution, as it can support various work styles. Again, regularly soliciting feedback helps you make necessary adjustments to meet your staff's evolving needs and promote a thriving work environment that leads to higher engagement levels.
How does deskbird help you improve your employee engagement score?
deskbird implements a modern and employee-centric approach to work
Through its intuitive workplace management software, deskbird facilitates the adoption of a modern, employee-centric approach to work which is designed to streamline hybrid and flexible work arrangements.
By allowing employees to book desks and meeting rooms effortlessly, our software enables them to organize their workday to fit personal preferences and needs. This degree of autonomy and flexibility not only caters to individual work styles but also promotes work-life balance, thereby fostering a more engaged and content workforce on top of modern work dynamics.
deskbird supports you in creating a more people-centered office environment
Our workplace management software also helps hybrid offices thrive thanks to its workplace analytics. This data is a goldmine of insights into employee office usage and preferences. Companies can use these insights to design a people-centric office environment, tailoring the space to cater to actual employee needs and workflows.
By adjusting the workspace layout, amenities, and work policies based on these analytics, you can significantly increase employee satisfaction and engagement. You ensure that the office is not just a place to work but a space that truly supports and makes your team members thrive.
deskbird boosts your employee experience
Frustration is truly an emotion to avoid when willing to increase your employee engagement score. Unfortunately, this feeling often appears in workplaces when shifting to a hybrid work model without investing in the right tools.
At deskbird, our goal is to enhance the hybrid work experience by developing user-centric features that truly help employees, streamline workspace bookings, and simplify collaboration. Our intuitive platform allows your staff to effortlessly reserve desks, rooms, and resources, aligning with their schedule and in-office colleagues.
This accessibility reduces logistical hurdles, minimizes scheduling conflicts, fosters in-person interaction, and supports socialization as well as teamwork. By smoothing the transition between remote and onsite work, the deskbird app empowers employees to work more effectively within a flexible model, thus boosting overall job satisfaction and engagement!
Create a people-centric workplace
Understanding and action go hand-in-hand in the search for a great employee engagement score. Measuring engagement levels is the starting block. It acts as a compass directing you towards a purposeful strategy that resonates with your team's aspirations. As we've explored, from the undeniable influence of management to the physical layout of the workplace, each aspect plays a critical role in cultivating an environment where employees thrive.
Among these variables, deskbird is a great ally, offering tools that answer the demands of modern and flexible working with the personal touch employees crave. Start a free trial of our workplace management software to discover how we have supported thousands of hybrid teams since 2020.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good employee engagement score, and what counts as “low”?
A “good” employee engagement score depends on your survey method and industry, so the best benchmark is your own trend over time plus internal comparisons across teams. As a rule of thumb, anything consistently near the bottom of your historical range, or far below other departments, signals a problem worth investigating. Extremely low scores (like single digits on a percent-favorable metric) usually point to a major trust or leadership issue, not a small morale dip.
What should we do first if our engagement score drops suddenly?
Start by segmenting the results to find where the drop is coming from (team, manager, location, tenure group), then read the comments to identify the specific issues behind the numbers. Follow up quickly with a short listening session or pulse survey to validate the top 1–2 causes rather than guessing. Choose one or two actions you can deliver within 30–60 days and communicate progress visibly.
How do you improve employee engagement scores without just giving perks?
The highest-impact levers are usually basics: fair pay practices, manageable workloads, and managers who recognize good work consistently. Pick one actionable area (like recognition or communication), set clear expectations for managers, and measure change with the same questions over time. Improvements stick when employees see follow-through, not when they get a one-time event or swag.
If certain managers have very low engagement scores, what’s the best way to handle it?
Treat it like a performance and support issue: confirm the pattern is consistent (not a one-off) and look at the specific categories driving the low score, such as recognition or trust. Provide targeted coaching with concrete behaviors to change, and set a short timeline with check-ins and pulse surveys to see if the team experience is improving. If there’s no improvement, you may need to adjust responsibilities or take formal performance action.
What are the biggest concerns regarding employee experience in hybrid offices?
The most common issues are uncertainty (who's in when), inconsistent policies and disconnected workplace culture that creates segregated employee experiences across teams or individuals. A mix of transparent scheduling and booking guidelines including workplace management platforms, a people-centric office setup, and continuous feedback loops so the workplace adapts to what employees actually value.
How do workplace management tools like deskbird help create an inclusive workplace experience?
Workplace management tools like deskbird empower inclusion by giving equal access to workspaces and resources: everyone can book desks, rooms, and parking through the same system, regardless of office presence. With filters and accessibility options, employees with specific needs (e.g. ergonomic desks, quieter zones) can find spaces that work for them.
Create a hybrid office experience your team will love
deskbird lets employees plan their week, book a space, and show up with confidence in office days to boost collaboration and engagement.
