7 Best Employee Engagement Training Programs (2026)
Reviewing the seven best employee engagement training programs for managers and HR leaders. Compare formats, costs, and outcomes to find the right course.
Jess DeVore
Published:
September 6, 2023
Last updated:
October 8, 2024
We’ve rounded up the seven top training programs that will help boost morale, foster collaboration, and increase productivity for your staff. From interactive workshops to online employee engagement courses, these programs offer something for everyone.
Whether your team is new or experienced, office-based or deskless, there are plenty of options available to help create an engaged workforce.
So let's dive into what the best employee engagement training programs are, what they offer, and how they can benefit your organization.
Choosing the best employee engagement training courses
A great employee engagement course should provide teams with a comprehensive understanding of how to create an engaged workplace environment.
It may include a range of topics covering effective communication practices, problem-solving strategies, team-building exercises (that don’t make employees squirm), and more strategies that create highly engaged employees.
They may also offer special features such as a dedicated tutor support service, unlimited online email support, certification upon completion, real-time feedback on learning, resources to help employees create tangible goals and objectives, and interactive tools that can be used in the workplace.
To choose the right employee engagement program for your organization, you should assess and compare who the course is made for and what the content of the course is, alongside the:
Cost
Length
Location
Credit awarded
By assessing these four elements, you can make a more informed decision about which program is best suited to your team’s needs.
What to look for in employee engagement training for managers
Before you can select a training program for managers, it’s important to know what factors to consider for your leadership team. Employee engagement training is essential for even the most high-performing managers, especially frontline managers, as their impact has the unique advantage of cascading effects throughout their entire team.
Cost varies greatly, especially given the number of remote learning and development options available. While eLearning courses are typically more affordable and easily worked into a manager’s schedule, in-person courses offer the benefit of interaction, personalized feedback, and, often, more in-depth practice.
It’s also important to consider whether you, your C-suite, management teams, and HR professionals value certification or credit hours for the time undertaken. The accreditation may add value and incentive for course engagement, as well as the name of the institution offering the training.
Two common HR management organizations that accept credit hours for professional certification are SHRM and HRCI.
You should also consider whether your managers will feel more compelled to complete the learning experience offered by a big name like Harvard to make up for the additional expense.
Additional considerations for choosing an employee engagement program
If you have a frontline workforce, be sure to look for a program that can be easily accessed on mobile devices or through an app with audio lessons available. This will ensure employees can access the course anytime, anywhere, helping you bridge the frontline connection gap.
Additionally, consider the size of your organization and budget. If you have a large team, you may want to look into programs with bulk discounts or offering free training resources. On the other hand, if you’re a smaller business without many resources, eLearning courses may be more cost-effective due to their convenience and lower investment needs.
With digital inclusion now crucial to the modern workplace, it's important to assess the ease of use and accessibility of any courses you choose. Are they easy for team members to access and navigate, or do they require any specific software?
Now that you know what to consider before selecting a program for management let’s go over some of the best employee engagement training programs available today.
The 7 best employee engagement training programs
1. Gallup engagement champions
Workplace advisory and polling group Gallup offers a Creating an Engaging Workplace for Engagement Champions course to help anyone in a leadership position foster a more engaging workplace and support higher productivity.
The course's primary focus is educating higher-level leadership on how to best help their mid-management increase team engagement. There are also practical takeaways for HR professionals or managers themselves.
Cost: $3,000.
Length: Two days.
Location: In-person and virtual.
Credit: The in-person course earns professional credit hours from HRCI (14.5) and SHRM (14.5).
The six-hour course focuses on actions managers can undertake that inspire workers to put forth their greater discretionary effort. The emphasis is on practicing emotional empathy that delivers a long-lasting culture of engagement.
Cost: $699.
Length: Three two-hour sessions.
Location: Virtual.
Credit: It offers professional credit hours — 5.5 HRCI (5.5) and SHRM (5.5).
3. LSA Global
LSA Global’s employee engagement training personalized course focuses on accountability, change-readiness, and engaging purpose (ACE) as the foundation for a greater level of engagement and business clarity.
Cost: Available upon request.
Length: Two-day workshop.
Location: In-person.
Credit: None.
4. DecisionWise
Engagement technology provider Decision Wise offers an online engagement training program called Engagement Magic.
The training covers the importance of employee meaning, autonomy, growth, impact, and connection for engagement and educates learners on fostering these attributes through various employee engagement strategies.
There is a large emphasis on building positive company culture through effective communication and conflict resolution.
Cost: $2,895.
Length: Two consecutive days.
Location: In-person.
Credit: Credit towards Harvard’s Certificate of Leadership Excellence in Leading Teams.
6. eCornell
Cornell’s online educational division strategic engagement course is ideal for managers looking for more training in the quantifiable aspects of employee engagement.
The course teaches methods of measuring employee engagement, like employee engagement surveys, and guides managers through building engagement initiatives to combat disengagement based on organizational data.
Cost: Available upon request.
Length: Two weeks, two-to-five hours per week.
Location: Virtual.
Credit: Credit towards Cornell’s Strategic Human Resources Leadership Certificate.
7. LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning offers various employee engagement training courses for managers through its catalog of user-generated lessons.
Self-paced pre-recorded lessons like this one on Employee Engagement are a highly accessible training resource for organizations of all sizes.
Cost: $34.99 for a single course or $19.99/month.
Length: Varies.
Location: Virtual.
Credit: Online certification and continuing education credit to SHRM (1.25) and HRCI (1.25).
The value of employee engagement training for managers
According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2023 Report, just 31% of employees in the US and Canada are engaged – and that's the second-highest in the world! As such, it makes sense for implementing engagement strategies to be one of your organization’s largest retention priorities.
Typically, most think of across-the-board engagement tactics like benefits, salary, and advancement opportunities. But when it actually comes down to increasing everyday engagement and profitability, as Gallup explains, the best bet is focusing on some of the most critical players in your team: your managers.
They understand each employee’s career goals, strengths, and opportunities for improvement. Managers help shape the culture that can make or break an employee’s experience.
Despite their essential role in increasing the number of engaged employees, few managers are naturally good at navigating the nuances of managing people.
Why? Well, we know that many managers make their way to a management role because of experience in their industry (as practitioners) rather than their experience leading people.
They might be a very experienced warehouse manager, but if they haven't got years of experience managing other warehouse managers, then this kind of training can add a huge amount of value in increasing team-wide employee engagement.
With nearly 70% of frontline leaders expressing interest in developing their leadership skills, a lack of this training can cause growing leadership development gaps in your organization.
On top of this, without training to improve the specific leadership skills required to be a strong manager, there can be potentially disastrous consequences when it comes to engagement and overall employee retention.
In fact, after surveying 3,000 American workers,GoodHire found that 82% of them said they would potentially quit their job because of a bad manager. For that reason alone you may want to consider management employee engagement training as part of your wider L&D efforts.
After all, if you can train managers to increase employee engagement, then you can unlock all the key business benefits that come from having a more engaged workforce, making employee engagement training for managers well worth the investment.
What’s next for frontline managers?
Choosing the right employee training method and investing in the right technology are crucial actions for business leaders wanting to boost engagement.
Hopefully, this guide gave you a better understanding of the considerations to keep in mind when selecting an employee engagement training program and highlighted some of the best ones available today.
After equipping your employees with the right training programs, the next step is to seek the best tools in the industry. Blink’smobile-first frontline engagement super-app is the perfect all-through tool for any organization wanting to boost employee engagement.
With a suite of features designed to connect your entire workforce, Blink can help your business drive optimal performance and engagement from every member of your team.
With Blink’s Content Hub, employees and managers can access any training documents and company procedures from the palm of their hands, making any employee engagement training initiatives more effective and accessible for you in the long-run.
What is the purpose of employee engagement training?
The purpose of employee engagement training includes how to succeed with employee engagement initiatives, strategies to combat disengagement, and how to foster a culture of engagement and productivity, amongst a range of other topics.
The overarching goal of employee engagement training is often to improve employee engagement within the organization, with specific quantifiable metrics including the percentage of engaged teams and the level of employee turnover.
Why is employee engagement important to HR?
Alongside improving employee health, workplace engagement, total learning hours completed, and employee retention, one of the most important benefits of employee engagement training is how it can positively impact HR management.
Employee engagement training helps managers understand their employees better, which in turn makes it easier to set goals for developing workforce skills, create an environment that encourages productivity and collaboration, and foster a culture where each individual’s contribution is valued - and earned.
Moreover, HR teams can use employee engagement training to communicate the value of employees and their contribution to the organization’s success. This can help build trust in the workplace and strengthen relationships between HR and other departments within the organization.
What is included in an online employee engagement course?
Depending on the program, online employee engagement training can cover topics such as understanding drivers of engagement and disengagement, measuring employee engagement, developing an employee engagement strategy, creating a positive culture, building trust between managers and employees, fostering collaboration and communication in the workplace etc.
In addition to this, the best programs also provide participants with real-time feedback on their learning, resources to help them create tangible goals and objectives, interactive tools that can be used in the workplace, and training on how to measure progress and develop an ongoing cycle of continuous improvement.
Digital tools are transforming the way organizations build and sustain employee engagement. Platforms like Blink, Workvivo, Staffbase, and Reward Gateway are helping teams stay connected, improve communication, and bring company culture to life — wherever employees work.
But with so many employee engagement tools on the market, choosing the right one can be tricky. The wrong platform can waste time, hurt adoption, and even reduce engagement.
Getting it right matters. Companies with highly engaged teams are more productive and see up to 23% higher profitability. The best employee engagement software goes beyond simple communication — it connects people, recognizes great work, and supports a shared sense of purpose.
Every organization is different. The tools that work for a remote or office-based workforce may not suit a frontline team. That’s why it’s important to align your engagement goals with the right platform.
You’ll find software built for:
Frontline employees — mobile-first apps like Blink that keep workers connected on the go
Remote teams — tools such as Asana and Slack that combine communication and project management
Office-based teams — platforms like Culture Amp and OfficeVibe that measure engagement and feedback
And others that specialize in areas such as:
Communication and collaboration
Feedback and performance
Wellbeing and productivity
Rewards and recognition
Choosing the right solution depends on your people and your priorities — because engagement software only works when it works for everyone.
For frontline organizations, this is especially true. Most engagement platforms are still built with desk-based employees in mind. Only 1 in 10 frontline workers says they have access to the tools and technology they need to connect and advance at work — even though they make up 82% of the global workforce.
Without easy access to company updates, communication, and recognition, frontline employees can quickly feel disconnected and undervalued.
That’s why your employee engagement solution needs to work for all employees — wherever and however they work.
In the next section, we’ll look at the best employee engagement software for 2026 — from all-in-one employee apps like Blink to specialized tools for communication, wellbeing, and recognition.
Let’s take a closer look.
Best employee engagement app for frontline organizations
Frontline employees are the backbone of many industries — from transportation and retail to healthcare and hospitality. But engaging this workforce comes with unique challenges. Many frontline employees don’t have regular access to company systems, email, or desktop devices, making it harder for them to stay informed and connected.
That’s why mobile-first employee engagement software has become essential. The best platforms for frontline teams combine communication, recognition, and real-time updates in one easy-to-use app.
These tools close the gap between head office and the field, helping every employee — regardless of location — feel included in company culture.
Below are some of the best employee engagement tools for frontline workers in 2026, starting with Blink, a leading all-in-one platform designed specifically for deskless and distributed teams.
Best employee engagement software for frontline workers
Blink
When it comes to engaging a dispersed, frontline workforce, few tools match what Blink delivers.
Blink is a mobile-first employee engagement platform built to help organizations connect with every worker — whether they’re in the field, on the factory floor, or on the move. Used by teams across industries such as transport, healthcare, logistics, and construction, Blink turns everyday communication into connection.
Employees can easily chat with colleagues, access company updates, view schedules, and complete essential tasks all in one place. The result: better communication, stronger engagement, and a more unified culture.
Managers benefit, too. Blink’s analytics dashboard helps leaders track engagement and performance trends, identify communication gaps, and celebrate wins through built-in recognition tools.
Key features include:
All-in-one communication: Peer-to-peer chat, team groups, and company-wide updates keep everyone aligned.
Employee recognition: Built-in recognition features highlight great work and reinforce culture.
Engagement surveys: Pulse surveys provide quick, actionable insights into morale and satisfaction.
Analytics and insights: Track usage, engagement, and content performance to inform strategy.
Seamless integrations: Connect scheduling, HR, and project management tools for a single digital workspace.
Mobile-first design: Works on any smartphone — no corporate email required.
With Blink, your entire workforce can access the same tools and information, creating a seamless digital experience that keeps everyone connected, informed, and motivated.
Request a demo today to see how Blink can transform engagement across your frontline teams.
Best employee engagement software for desk-based remote workers
If you're looking for employee engagement software platforms suited to desk-based remote workers, here are some excellent options.
Google Chat
Source: Google Chat Capterra Reviews
Google Chat is a communication platform that includes features like video and voice calls, and group chat. It's a great option for workplace communication and it's free to use.
As you’d expect, this tool integrates with the rest of the Google suite, including Google Calendar, Drive, Groups, and Gmail. But it lacks some of the advanced features you tend to get with paid tools.
Reviews from Capterra note that Google Chat is easy to use. It also provides good collaboration tools. However, the interface can be frustrating, message delivery can be an issue, and notifications can be challenging to navigate.
Pricing: Monthly pricing for Google Chat for business starts at $6 per user.
Discord
Discord is a chat app designed for gamers. But it’s recently been used for workplace communication, too. It includes features like voice and video chat, so you can easily connect and communicate with colleagues.
You can use Discord for free, making it a basic but cost-effective tool for internal communications, especially in a remote working environment.
Pricing: Many of Discord’s features are free to use. For businesses that want to invest in extra perks, Discord’s premium tier, “Nitro,” is available for $99 per year.
Asana
Asana is a popular project management tool that can also be used for employee engagement. With Asana, you can easily create and assign tasks, track task progress, and set team priorities. You can also use Asana to create custom projects for easy employee collaboration.
Source: Asana Capterra reviews
Asana makes a great option for remote teams, in part because it offers a mobile app for easy access to tasks and progress data. This helps to ensure that employees are working cohesively and effectively wherever they’re based.
Reviews from Capterra note that while Asana offers a clean, intuitive, and integrated interface, notifications are often missed, automatic opt-in to email notifications can be annoying, and the different projects and access features can be confusing.
Pricing: Monthly pricing for Asana starts at a basic free plan. A business plan costs $24.99 per user per month when billed annually.
ClickUp
ClickUp is a cloud-based collaboration and project management tool and it’s a good option for those looking to improve remote employee engagement.
Key features include task assignments and statuses, alerts, and a task toolbar. But while ClickUp does well in terms of task management, it doesn’t offer a full range of employee engagement tools.
This platform lacks features relating to real-time communication, employee recognition, and social interaction. So you’re likely to need additional software.
Pricing: ClickUp offers a free version. Monthly pricing for a Business plan costs $12 per user per month.
WorkTango
WorkTango is an employee experience platform with a number of solutions for employee engagement. It provides tools like employee surveys, real-time analytics, rewards, and recognition.
You can also see how your engagement scores rank against other WorkTango customers to get a better sense of how you’re doing.
On Capterra, users say that anonymous feedback and anonymous employee chat allow for truly honest conversations. Clients also praise recognition features. However, some users would like better reporting tools and easier platform navigation.
Leapsome is a good employee engagement tool for goal setting and employee development.
It’s designed to support organizations to create high-performing teams. You can use Leapsome to track and collaborate on goals, run 360-degree reviews, and create personalized learning pathways.
With lots of tools for remote teams, Leapsome helps maintain employee progress even when employees aren’t in the office. The software also offers video conferencing tools, which make it easy to collaborate on agendas and align action plans.
Pricing: Pricing starts at $8 per user per month, with the option to add on the extra features you need.
Slack
Source: Slack Capterra Reviews
Slack is a great productivity tool for remote office workers. It helps you to organize teams and their work, with the help of channels, huddles, and a workflow builder.
However, it's worth noting that Slack doesn't provide much in the way of scheduling, performance tracking, or survey features. If these tools are essential to your organization, you’ll need to use Slack plus another employee engagement platform.
Reviews from Capterra note that Slack’s user interface is easy to use. They like channel and plugin features. They also appreciate having all work conversations in one place.
However, reviews also note that it can be a confusing platform to use, with lots of channels across different teams. Adoption can also be difficult if people are not familiar with the software.
Pricing: For multiple employees, monthly pricing for Slack starts at $6.67 per user.
Best employee engagement software for desk-based office workers
Now, let’s take a look at the tech tools best suited to office worker engagement.
OfficeVibe
Source: OfficeVibe Capterra Reviews
OfficeVibe is a “people-first” employee experience platform, with a number of employee engagement features designed for the office.
It helps employers to assess and improve employee engagement levels with robust measurement tools. It also provides an app so you can track progress on the go if needed.
Reviews from Capterra note that OfficeVibe is an innovative tool that helps organizations better understand employee happiness. The company also provides strong customer service.
However, managers complain that survey questions can’t be customized and that insights don’t go deep enough. They also say that the Slack integration doesn’t work too well and that setup can be confusing.
Pricing: Monthly pricing for OfficeVibe ranges from a free version to a $5 per user Pro Plan.
SurveyMonkey
By using employee satisfaction survey tools like SurveyMonkey, you can collect regular feedback from employees on their engagement levels. This real-time feedback can help you to identify problem areas and take steps to improve employee engagement in your organization.
As well as survey templates, SurveyMonkey offers reporting and analytics features that help you spot data trends and insights. It also uses AI to reveal employee sentiment.
Pricing: For over three users, monthly pricing for SurveyMonkey starts at $31.83 per user.
Doodle
Employee polls are a quick and easy way to collect anonymous feedback from employees on a range of topics. You can use employee poll tools from Doodle to gather feedback on everything from engagement levels to job satisfaction.
But Doodle does more than polls. It also provides meeting, video conferencing, and scheduling tools. You can even poll meeting attendees to find a time that works for everyone and improve attendance.
Pricing: Monthly pricing for Doodle Professional starts at $6.95 per user.
Monday.com
Monday.com is a project management tool that can also be used for employee engagement.
With Monday.com, you can create and assign tasks, track progress, and more. You can also use it to create performance tracking templates for employees. This can help you to identify areas where employees need improvement and take steps to address them.
On Capterra, Monday.com users say that the platform’s project management tools are excellent. But others complain that the backend of the platform is complicated and involves a steep learning curve.
Pricing: For more than two employees, monthly pricing for Monday.com starts at $8 per user per month.
Culture Amp
Culture Amp’s employee engagement platform provides over 40 science-backed survey templates. You can use these surveys to find out how employees feel about engagement, belonging, inclusion, and more.
The platform also uses AI-powered insights to summarize employee engagement findings, supporting your business to make data-backed decisions.
Reviews from Capterra say that Culture Amp has a user-friendly user interface. They also praise the platform’s ready-to-go survey templates.
But users don’t like having to rely on the Culture Amp support team to update some parts of the platform. They also say that — while survey features are strong — features like the objective and key results (OKR) module aren’t as well-developed.
The following tools specialize in one area of employee engagement. As such, they make a great add-on to your chosen staff engagement tool.
At Blink, our App Marketplace integrates all the tools you need to manage your employee engagement in one place. If we don't already integrate with your app, just ask!
Kudos
Kudos is an add-on app that allows employees to give and receive recognition in real time. With Kudos, you can create a culture of recognition where employees feel appreciated for their hard work.
Pricing: Monthly pricing for Kudos starts at $3.25 per user.
Friday
Friday is an app that makes it easy to give employees recognition for a job well done. With Friday, you can give employees badges, points, and rewards to show your appreciation.
Pricing: Friday has a free version. Monthly pricing goes up to $100+ for company plans.
Bonusly
Bonusly is another dedicated employee recognition tool. Bonusly supports peer recognition, allowing employees to give each other bonuses in the form of points that can be redeemed for rewards. By using Bonusly, you can create a culture of appreciation and recognition throughout your workforce.
Pricing: Monthly pricing options for Bonusly starts at $2.70 per user.
Limeade Wellbeing
Employee wellbeing programs, like those on offer from Limeade, go hand in hand with employee engagement programs. Because when employees feel healthier, happier, and less stressed, they have the headspace they need to engage with their work.
Limeade provides customized employee wellness programs. These programs encourage participation and deliver essential wellbeing resources via one handy tool.
With this tool, you can also listen and respond to your workforce in real time through anonymous surveys, polls, and quizzes. All that’s really missing from this system is strong employee communication tools.
WeThrive is an employee engagement tool designed to support the mental health of desk-based workers. With this platform, you can create surveys to assess employee wellbeing and then take action to improve it.
WeThrive analytics allow you to segment survey results by team, tenure, location, department, and manager. This makes it easy to identify the root causes of poor wellbeing and identify areas for improvement.
Reward Gateway is an employee engagement solution that offers employee discounts, employee rewards and recognition, and tools for employee communications.
This combined platform is a great tool for office-based employers looking to boost employee recognition, with features such as discounts and rewards accessible in one place.
Reviews from Capterra note that Reward Gateway is flexible and easy to use. But it can be glitchy, with reporting features sometimes not running properly and some features failing to run as smoothly as others.
Pricing: Monthly pricing for Reward Gateway starts at $10.19 per user.
Weekdone
For structured goal setting, Weekdone is an excellent choice. It’s a top-rated OKR platform that allows you to track weekly plans and progress, provide feedback, and get everyone pulling in the same direction.
OKR software can also be used to ensure that remote employees have clear objectives, with performance reviews and goal tracking.
Pricing: For more than three employees, monthly pricing for Weekdone is $8 per user.
Awardco
Awardco is another bonus tool that makes recognizing and rewarding people easier and more effective.
With Awardco, employers can set up reward and recognition programs that their employees can access from any device. You can tailor incentives to your teams, ensuring the prizes on offer act as real motivation.
This tool is a good option for office-based companies of all sizes looking to increase employee satisfaction and engage with their workforce to boost productivity.
Pricing: Pricing for Awardco ranges from $2,500 to $4,000 per year.
QuizBreaker
QuizBreaker is a virtual team-building tool. It works well for both office-based and dispersed teams, bringing a bit of gamification to the work day.
Key features of QuizBreaker include:
a scheduled icebreaker quiz that helps employees get to know each other better
escape games and 1,000+ trivia quizzes for fun team-building events
employee profiles that reveal work style, unique strengths, and fun facts
pulse surveys to help you get regular feedback from employees
QuizBreaker isn’t an all-in-one employee engagement tool. But this platform helps teams to bond and brings a little fun to your workplace culture.
Capterra score: Not found in Capterra database. Pricing: Monthly pricing for QuizBreaker starts at $3 per user.
Motivosity
Motivosity is employee recognition software that makes it easy for managers to give recognition and rewards.
Motivosity’s “Thanks Matters” card is an innovative way of rewarding employees. Like Bonusly, you assign points for great performance. These points directly translate into cash, which employees can access via a special Visa debit card.
They can choose from hundreds of reward options. You can even add your own gifts such as branded swag or lunch with the CEO. Employees can also choose to forgo cash rewards in order to make charitable donations.
Key employee engagement software features to prioritize in 2026
When choosing the right employee engagement software for your organization, focus on the features that will help you overcome your biggest engagement challenges. The right combination of tools can improve communication, morale, and productivity across every level of your workforce.
Channels and chats
Communication is the foundation of engagement. Real-time chat features — including group channels, private messages, and announcements — ensure employees stay in the loop and can collaborate quickly, wherever they work.
Surveys, polls, and content analytics
Platforms with built-in surveys, polls, and analytics help you measure engagement levels, gather employee sentiment, and identify emerging issues before they become major problems. This data ensures every employee has a voice and helps leaders take action with confidence.
Employee recognition
Recognition tools — such as kudos, badges, or points systems — make it easy to celebrate achievements and highlight great work. This simple feature goes a long way toward strengthening motivation, morale, and a sense of belonging.
Analytics and dashboards
For organizations managing distributed or frontline teams, analytics functions are essential. They allow you to measure engagement, retention, and satisfaction while uncovering insights into how employees interact with leadership and one another. These insights drive continuous improvement in your employee experience strategy.
A main feed or hub
A centralized hub — or main company feed — brings all updates, videos, documents, and announcements together in one place. This consolidation creates a single source of truth, keeping employees informed and aligned with your company’s goals.
At Blink, our frontline employee app brings all of these features together. With tools for chat, recognition, surveys, analytics, and communication, Blink helps you overcome common engagement challenges and connect every employee — from the frontline to the office.
The business benefits of digital employee engagement tools
Digital engagement tools require an upfront investment — both financially and in time. But the return on that investment is substantial. The right software encourages participation, builds connection, and creates a culture employees want to be part of.
Below are the five key business benefits of using digital employee engagement software.
#1. Reduce employee turnover and save on recruitment costs
Engaged employees are more likely to stay with your organization, reducing the cost of recruitment and training. According to SHRM, hiring a new employee can cost three to four times the position’s salary, making engagement one of the most effective retention strategies available.
Digital tools strengthen this connection by amplifying company culture and ensuring all employees can participate fully — leading to a happier, more loyal workforce.
#2. Strengthen company culture through digital engagement platforms
In today’s competitive labor market, salary alone isn’t enough to retain top talent. Engaged employees are motivated by purpose, belonging, and appreciation.
Digital engagement tools help reinforce these pillars by improving communication, supporting growth, and enabling public recognition. The right platform makes culture tangible — connecting leadership, values, and everyday work.
#3. Improve internal communication with employee engagement software
Two-way communication is critical for engagement. Modern tools help you deliver the right message to the right people — whether through audience segmentation, targeted updates, or role-based notifications.
These platforms also make it easier to track the effectiveness of communication. With built-in analytics, you can see how employees interact with content and refine your messaging to increase engagement and clarity across the organization.
#4. Use analytics to understand and improve employee engagement
Feedback is the backbone of a strong employee engagement strategy. Without it, leaders can’t identify what’s working or where improvements are needed.
Employee engagement software with advanced reporting provides actionable insights. You can see how satisfied employees are, how frequently they engage with company updates, and where there are communication or experience gaps.
With Blink, for example, you can access detailed data on engagement, satisfaction, and retention — helping you identify frontline challenges early and respond faster.
#5. Boost productivity with connected employee engagement platforms
Disconnected tools slow teams down. Employees lose valuable time switching between apps, searching for information, and handling repetitive admin tasks.
A unified engagement platform streamlines these processes. By digitizing workflows, automating basic tasks, and connecting every workplace app in one place, you free up employees to focus on meaningful, high-impact work.
Blink’s connected platform helps teams stay organized and productive — from digitized HR processes to mobile-friendly task management — improving both individual and organizational performance.
MJ Moore has been paving the way at Blink for over three years, bringing her Workday consulting background to build our entire Implementation function from the ground up. Now, as VP of Implementation in our London office, she’s led lightning-fast launches and established a team that customers can’t stop raving about.
We chatted with MJ about what drew her to Blink in the first place, the culture she thrives in, and why she’s more energized than ever to keep driving innovative solutions for frontline workers around the globe.
What is your position at Blink?
I’m the VP of Implementation.
How long have you been at Blink?
Just over three years. I celebrated my three-year anniversary in February.
What initially attracted you to join Blink?
I think I simply loved the technology. I came from a Workday background, doing Workday consulting, and was looking for that early-stage buzz again — something I felt Blink had in spades. The technology was at an exciting point in the market, and I wanted to be part of a company that had tons of potential for growth.
What's a project you are proud of from your time at Blink?
That’s a tough question because there are so many highlights! One of the biggest is building the Implementation team from scratch. When I first joined, there wasn’t an official Implementation function at all. Now, we’ve got a robust team of people working together with clear processes, methodologies, templates — everything we need. They’re incredibly self-sufficient, and our customers love them, which is such an awesome feeling.
Another standout moment was launching Blink to 6,000 users in Mexico in under eight days. We were a lot smaller at the time, so I ended up running almost the entire project on my own. The client was facing serious union issues and worried about potential factory closures, so they needed Blink ASAP to keep everyone informed and hopefully avoid a strike. It was crazy stressful, but we pulled it off, and in the end, they were able to communicate everything in time. They actually avoided the strike altogether, which was a huge relief for them — and for us, knowing we helped make that possible.
How would you describe the company culture at Blink in three words?
Energetic, challenging, and supportive: There’s a lot of energy in the team; we set high expectations for ourselves; and everyone is there to help each other succeed.
What's one thing you're excited about for the future of Blink?
Honestly, it’s thrilling to think about how much opportunity lies ahead. We’re in an industry where Blink could become essential to so many different sectors — frontline workers, office-based teams, you name it. We’ve barely scratched the surface of what we can do, and each new market or customer segment opens up possibilities we haven’t even explored yet. That level of untapped growth is exactly what makes Blink so exciting to be part of. It’s the kind of momentum that drives you to keep innovating, knowing there’s still so much room to make a real impact.
Can you tell us about a recent initiative or program launched at Blink that you found particularly exciting?
I really love the “Adopt a Customer” program because it encourages everyone in the company — even those who don’t usually interact with customers — to take a deeper interest in who we serve. Our biggest goal is driving customer happiness, and this initiative pushes each person to learn about one specific customer’s journey, challenges, and needs. When you have to present your findings at an All Hands meeting, you naturally dive into researching their background, business goals, and how they use Blink. That extra effort is not only fun, but it also fosters empathy and understanding. It’s awesome to see colleagues who haven’t had much customer exposure suddenly become champions for “their” customer, sharing insights that might otherwise go overlooked.
Why do you work for Blink?
I’m here because Blink’s mission speaks to me on a really personal level. There’s something powerful about the tools we provide — especially for frontline workers who haven’t had anything like Blink before. It has the potential to fundamentally change how they do their jobs, and that’s exciting to be a part of.
I’ve also been given a lot of responsibility and freedom to make an impact, which is something I really value. In previous roles, I sometimes felt disconnected from the end users, but here, I get to see real reactions to our tech — people lighting up because it makes their work lives easier. That’s a genuine thrill and it reminds me why I do what I do every day.
Employee engagement: The goal every company is chasing. And for good reason.
When people feel connected to their work and supported by their organization, you can count on more energy, productivity, and loyalty.
But engagement isn’t something that just happens. It’s built, little by little, through everyday workplace experiences.
That’s where engagement drivers come in. These are the things that shape how employees feel about their jobs, their teams, and your company as a whole. From safety to tech tools to progression to workplace friendships — they all add up.
And to really move the needle on employee engagement, these are the foundations you need to put in place. With them, you’ll find it easier to inspire, motivate, and retain your teams.
Ready to learn about the key drivers of employee engagement? Let’s go!
Why you need to know the drivers of employee engagement
Globally, just 23% of employees are engaged at work in 2025. That means the majority of workers are either disengaged and eyeing their exit, or sticking around just for the paycheck. Neither outcome is good for your business.
As we’ll see in a moment, many of the drivers of employee engagement are linked to connection, company culture, and access to the right workplace tools. And this is why frontline employee engagement is a particular challenge.
When employees work away from HQ, with patchy comms and limited co-worker contact, they’re a lot less likely to report high levels of engagement.
So let’s take a look. Which drivers of engagement should you be keeping tabs on in 2025?
What are the key drivers of employee engagement?
A driver of employee engagement is a workplace factor with the power to motivate and inspire employees. Together, these elements create a culture where people want to do their best work.
The 16 key drivers of employee engagement are:
A safe working environment
Tech tools
Internal communication
Psychological safety
Fairness
Management
Autonomy
Progression
Leadership
Work-life balance
Purpose
Well-being support
Two-way feedback
Peer-to-peer relationships
Company culture
Recognition
In this guide, we’ll break down why each of these drivers matters — and how you can put them into practice to boost employee productivity, satisfaction, and retention.
Physical drivers of employee engagement
Physical employee engagement drivers relate to the workplace environment and the tools employees are expected to use.
#1. A safe working environment
A safe and comfortable working environment isn’t just a legal requirement. It’s a signal that your organization values its people — and it allows employees to focus on doing their best work.
But recent research reveals that 56% of employees don’t feel completely safe at work. They say that poor communication, inadequate safety training, and weak safety reporting processes are putting their well-being at risk.
For customer-facing teams, there are other safety concerns to consider — a shocking 46% of UK workers have experienced customer aggression at work.
How to drive engagement with the work environment
Lots of things contribute to a feeling of safety in the workplace — good air quality, ergonomic desks, the right safety equipment, good hygiene measures, and robust safety protocols.
Here are some other things you can do to improve workplace safety:
Make safety info easy to access. Employees shouldn’t have to track down a dog-eared paper manual to get up to speed on safety processes. Make process and policy documents available digitally on your company’s content hub.
Provide streamlined reporting tools. Your teams should also have easy and effective ways to report their safety concerns. For frontline teams, that might mean using digital forms rather than paper processes, so it’s easy for them to report hazards on the go.
Ask employees what they think.Conduct an employee engagement survey to find out what employees want from their physical work environment. It may be as simple as turning down the air-con or improving access to personal protective equipment (PPE).
#2. Tech tools
Digital tools now form a huge part of the employee experience. Most organizations use software for internal communication, HR self-service, learning and development, and company operations. They even use tools for employee engagement.
When these tech tools are intuitive and integrated, they help workers to achieve a state of flow. When they’re outdated and clunky, they create friction and frustration.
How to drive employee engagement with tech tools
To drive worker engagement with tech tools, the software you choose needs to meet the following criteria:
Intuitive. The best tech is easy and intuitive to use. It doesn’t require extensive training and achieves high levels of adoption organically.
Consumer-grade. When it comes to tech, employees have high expectations. The tools you use in the workplace should mirror the consumer-grade experiences they enjoy on apps like WhatsApp and Instagram.
Integrated. A complicated tech stack can feel overwhelming for employees. So the best tech tools integrate with one another, creating a joined-up system, with tools ideally accessed from one centralized dashboard.
Mental drivers of employee engagement
Mental employee engagement drivers are the psychological factors that shape how employees feel about your organization.
#3. Internal communication
Internal communication is one of the most important drivers of employee engagement. Because if people don’t know what’s going on, they feel disconnected from your company.
The best comms keep people informed, aligned, and motivated. They give employees the context they need to do their jobs well and feel part of company culture.
Driving employee engagement with internal comms
If you’re still using a clunky old intranet or relying solely on email for internal communication, there are lots of ways to improve engagement with comms:
Centralize your channels. A single, mobile-first hub for news, updates, and resources means no more scattered messages — and communication channels that everyone can access, even hard-to-reach frontline employees.
Make it two-way. When comms are just a C-suite broadcast, they don’t tend to drive engagement. So allow employees to comment, react, share their ideas, and even create their own internal comms content.
Be open and authentic. Transparent communication builds trust. It helps to create a culture of psychological safety (more on this in a moment). And, when you go beyond the corporate memo to write like a real-life human, employees are much more likely to remember your messages.
Go social. The best internal communication tools provide a modern social experience. They give comms teams the tools they need to create rich, multi-media content that catches audience attention. Think images, short-form video, live streams, and infographics.
#4. Psychological safety
Psychological safety means employees feel comfortable speaking up — sharing ideas, asking questions, admitting mistakes, and even challenging the status quo — without worrying about a backlash.
But unfortunately, only 42% of employees strongly agree that they feel psychologically safe at work. And just 35% say they can voice their opinions without fear of repercussion. That silence comes at a cost. Without psychological safety, people hold back — and innovation, collaboration, and employee engagement suffer.
How to drive engagement through psychological safety
Psychological safety starts at the top of your organization. Here’s how:
Set an example. Leaders and managers need to communicate openly, admitting their mistakes and asking employees to share their ideas.
Recognize employee input. When employees do speak up, they should be praised, not punished. Highlight employee contributions so others feel empowered to have their say.
Create a dialogue. Use anonymous employee surveys, quick-fire polls, listening tours, and leader Q&As to start a conversation with employees.
Keep comms channels open. Beyond big, feedback-gathering initiatives, use instant messaging tools and adopt an open-door policy. That way, when employees have a concern or a bright idea, they know exactly where to go.
#5. Fairness
Fairness is another important employee engagement driver. It’s the sense that employees are being treated equitably — with regard to pay, workload, recognition, opportunities, and access to workplace tools.
Sometimes inequalities in the workplace go unnoticed by leadership. For example, did you know that for every 100 men promoted to manager, only 81 women move up the ladder? Or that two in five frontline employees say they’re viewed as inferior by employees in the office?
People notice when promotions go to favorites, when workloads aren’t balanced, or when policies aren’t applied consistently. And when things don’t feel fair, resentment and disengagement set in.
How to drive employee engagement through fairness
You can promote fairness in the workplace by:
Create clear policies. Put policies in a shared content hub so employees can access them. And stick to these policies consistently, across all teams and levels of the organization.
Be open. Transparency is another essential. Be open about pay — and about how compensation and promotion decisions are made.
Ensure equitable access. Make training, internal comms, and workplace tools accessible to all employees. For frontline workers, that might mean replacing desktop-based systems with mobile-first tech.
#6. Management
The relationship between employees and their managers is one of the strongest drivers of workplace engagement. According to Gallup, managers account for 70% of the variance in team employee engagement.
A good manager supports, coaches, and clears roadblocks, inspiring loyalty and productivity. A bad manager drives people out the door.
For deskless teams, especially, managers are a vital link between HQ and the frontline. They’re the ones who share information, set expectations, and deliver recognition. Their leadership can make or break the employee experience.
How to drive employee engagement through management
You can have the best employee engagement strategies in the world. But if your managers aren’t on board, those initiatives simply won’t cascade down to your workforce. To support employee engagement, managers need time, the right tools, and the right training.
Here’s what you can do to help:
Recognize their role. Acknowledge managers as engagement champions. Give them space to focus on their team, not just on tasks and KPIs.
Train them. Managers don’t always have the soft skills they need to promote employee engagement. So train frontline leaders in active listening, empathy, and coaching. Dedicated employee engagement training may also come in useful.
Provide the right tools. Overstretched managers need efficient systems. Streamlined mobile-first tools for communication, HR self-service, and recognition make it easier for them to support their teams and drive engagement.
#7. Autonomy
Driving engagement means giving employees autonomy. Employees should have the freedom to take ownership of their work — because when employees feel empowered to make decisions and solve problems without constant oversight, engagement and productivity get a boost.
In contrast, micromanagement stifles creativity and erodes trust. It contributes to a “bare minimum” mentality, where employees tick tasks off their to-do list, never feeling truly invested in their work.
How to drive engagement through autonomy
Creating an environment where autonomy thrives means balancing freedom with clear direction and support. Here are a few ideas:
Set clear expectations. Employees are more likely to embrace autonomy when they’re clear on the boundaries. Clear goals and guidelines give them the confidence to act without seeking manager approval.
Provide the right resources. Easy access to information and resources empowers independent work. Use a content hub to store policies and procedures — and provide self-service tools and templates.
Encourage problem-solving. Cultivate a culture where employees feel safe to try new approaches and share ideas without fear of failure. Show that you trust employees and they’ll feel empowered to take ownership of their work.
#8. Progression
A lack of career growth opportunities is the number one reason people give for changing jobs. And organizations that don’t provide skills-building opportunities are 72% less likely to have employees saying they want to work there in a year’s time.
When employees see a clear path forward within your organization, they’re more motivated, productive, and loyal. But, for frontline workers in particular, progression can feel out of reach. They’re often overlooked for training opportunities and career paths aren’t always made clear.
How to drive engagement through progression
Give employees the space and support they need to grow, learn, and progress, and you boost engagement while reducing employee turnover. Here’s what you can do to help employees see a future at your organization:
Shine a light on career paths. Use internal comms and manager 1:1s to share clear routes for progression, including promotions and skills-building opportunities.
Invest in training that fits the frontline. Mobile-first microlearning makes it easy for employees to grow on the go. They can complete bite-sized modules without stepping away from their roles.
Create growth opportunities beyond promotions. When a new role isn’t available, use stretch assignments, job shadowing, and lateral moves to help employees develop new skills and experience new challenges.
Offer mentorship. Pair employees with more experienced co-workers who can offer skills development and career support.
#9. Leadership
Leaders set the tone for your organization. When leaders are visible, authentic, and inspiring, employees feel proud to be part of the company. They also have a clear understanding of where the company is headed and how they contribute to its success.
But leaders aren’t always great at sharing their vision in a way that lands with employees. Less than half (49%) of internal communicators say their leaders are effective at communicating with employees.
Reaching the frontline is an even tougher task. This segment of the workforce might never meet senior leaders face-to-face, so they often feel disconnected from the C-suite. This can leave the feeling like just a number, rather than part of something bigger.
How to drive employee engagement through leadership
To create a trusting and engaged workplace, good leadership comms are essential. So what can leaders do to create this kind of culture?
Be visible. Use video updates, town halls, and frontline-first comms channels to make leadership more accessible to every employee.
Be human. Leaders should use the comms platforms employees use. They can also humanize their comms by demonstrating empathy, ditching unnecessary jargon, and sharing relatable stories.
Lead with transparency. Don’t just share decisions. Share the why behind them. Honest communication builds trust, even when talking about difficult topics.
Lead by example. Leaders should live and breathe the values they expect employees to demonstrate. Authenticity inspires engagement.
#10. Work-life balance
Work-life balance has become one of the biggest workplace talking points in recent years. Employees don’t just want a paycheck — they want the flexibility to manage work and their personal lives without burning out.
Give people the flexibility they crave and they’re more likely to be engaged and stay working for your organization, too. 80% of workers say their loyalty towards a company increases when it offers flexible work options.
Of course, flexibility looks different for different sectors of your workforce. Office teams may be able to work from home a few days a week — or work flexible hours. For shift workers, achieving flexibility requires a little creativity, but it’s absolutely possible with the right approach.
How to drive engagement with work-life balance
Work-life balance is a top priority for employees. To ease stress and support flexibility, you can:
Plan ahead. Give staff advance warning of shifts, provide access to shift swap software, and try to accommodate their shift preferences wherever possible.
Provide practical perks. On-site childcare, a gym, or the option to buy extra vacation days all help employees manage life beyond work.
Create clear boundaries. Make sure people aren’t under pressure to check emails or company comms outside of their working hours.
Set realistic expectations. Ensure workloads and shift patterns are sustainable, so employees aren’t pushed past their limits.
Foster open communication. When managers know employee needs and preferences, they can create schedules and solutions that make a real difference.
#11. Purpose
Purpose connects day-to-day tasks to the bigger picture. When employees understand how their work contributes to the organization’s mission, they work with commitment and pride — particularly when that mission makes a positive difference beyond the four walls of your organization.
But purpose isn’t always clearly communicated. Almost one in five employees say they have zero clarity on company strategy, performance, or their contribution.
Driving engagement through purpose
Want to align your workforce behind the company mission? Here are a few ideas:
Communicate the mission. Use storytelling, internal channels, and team meetings to regularly repeat your company’s mission.
Link tasks to impact. Show employees the real-world outcomes of the work, whether through data, customer feedback, or social impact stories.
Celebrate contributions. Recognize and share examples of work that align with company values.
Empower employees to contribute. Give employees opportunities to lead projects, share ideas, and help shape the company mission.
#12. Well-being support
Between the state of the world, a cost of living crisis, and the stressors of modern life, employees are feeling the strain. And that’s before we even consider what their workday looks like.
Only 57% of employees report good holistic health, which includes mental, physical, spiritual, and social well-being. And they want help — 83% say that companies have a responsibility for the health and well-being of their people.
There are lots of very good reasons to invest in employee well-being. When employers support physical, mental, emotional, and financial wellness, employees are more resilient, less likely to burn out, and more likely to bring their A-game.
How to drive engagement through employee well-being
Offer mental health resources. Provide access to counselling services, mental health apps, and training for managers so they can recognize the signs of stress. Regularly signpost these resources across internal comms channels so employees know what’s available.
Promote physical well-being. Consider desk ergonomics and safety equipment. You may also like to offer healthy eating options, fitness classes, or subsidized gym membership.
Support financial well-being. Help employees overcome money worries by offering salary advances, financial planning workshops, or benefits that ease cost-of-living pressures.
Ask employees what they need. Use employee surveys and manager 1:1s to find out what your workers are struggling with most. Then, tailor support accordingly.
Social employee engagement drivers
Social connection is another significant driver of employee engagement. The contact employees have with co-workers, managers, leaders, and company culture impacts their productivity and commitment.
#13. Two-way feedback
Employees should get regular feedback from their managers. Research from Gallup shows that employees who get valuable feedback about their performance are five times as likely to be engaged as those who don’t.
But feedback should never be one-way. Employees should also have the opportunity to share their ideas, concerns, and opinions — on everything from internal comms to employee experience to the brand of coffee you stock in the break room.
Giving employees a voice helps them feel valued. It also helps you craft a more engaging workplace experience going forward.
How to drive engagement with two-way feedback
When gathering feedback from employees, bear the following tips in mind:
Make feedback easy. Use mobile-first tools so all employees, including frontline staff, can respond to surveys and polls — and contact their managers via chat tools.
Be consistent. Don’t wait for the annual employee engagement survey. Use pulse surveys and quick-fire polls to take the pulse of your organization at regular intervals.
Take action. Employees quickly lose faith in the process when their feedback doesn’t lead to meaningful change. So create a plan of action based on what you hear.
Close the loop. Let employees know what actions are being taken as a result of their feedback. They’ll see that their input matters and be more likely to respond to your next survey.
Strong workplace relationships are one of the top components of employee engagement. Having a work bestie also leads to better collaboration, productivity, well-being, and company loyalty.
So how do you help your staff to make friends? These days, bringing people together IRL isn’t always easy. Frontline and remote teams rarely set foot in the office. So to build peer-to-peer relationships across your organization, you have to be intentional.
How to drive engagement with peer-to-peer relationships
To encourage strong peer connections, you can:
Provide communication tools. Dispersed teams don’t get much opportunity for camaraderie. So ensure they have mobile-first communication channels, like direct messaging and video call tools, that help them stay in touch no matter where they’re working.
Create online communities. Encourage like-minded co-workers to get together by supporting the creation of communities around hobbies and shared interests.
Create a digital water cooler. Use the company news feed to bring co-workers together. Share photos from the latest social event, celebrate an employee’s work anniversary, or launch a hashtag competition to get people talking.
Organize virtual get-togethers. A virtual coffee morning, co-working, or lunch break brings dispersed teams together. This informal setting is an opportunity to go beyond the work agenda and get to know co-workers better.
#15. Company culture
An inclusive company culture is one where every employee feels valued, respected, and able to bring their whole self to work. This is really important for engagement.
8 in 10 people say a sense of community helps them perform better at work — and 55% would quit if they felt they didn’t belong.
Despite this desire for belonging, only 2 in 10 workers say they feel connected to company culture. Frontline workers, in particular, have few opportunities to engage with their workplace community — and can be left feeling disconnected and isolated.
How to drive engagement with company culture
Many of the other points on this list contribute to a positive and inclusive company culture. But here are a few extra ideas for building a workplace community that everyone feels part of:
Make comms accessible. Internal communication sits at the heart of company culture. So use mobile-first tools to ensure every employee can access the latest culture-building content.
Translate your content. If you have a large multilingual workforce, translate internal content so everyone can understand it. The best employee engagement apps come with built-in translation features.
Celebrate company values in action. Highlight real examples of employees living your company values through stories, recognition posts, or internal awards.
Training and awareness. Equip leaders and employees with training on unconscious bias, inclusive language, and accessibility — so nobody feels left out of the company conversation.
#16. Recognition
Only 22% of employees strongly agree that they get the right amount of recognition for the work that they do. And over half say the recognition they receive isn’t authentic, personalized, or equitable.
But we know that employee recognition is another important driver of employee engagement. When employees are recognized and rewarded for their hard work, they’re more likely to give their all. And recognition doesn’t have to be grand. Small, consistent, and sincere acts of recognition show employees that their work matters.
How to drive engagement through employee recognition
Whether you’re marking a work anniversary, the success of a big project, or an employee’s dedication to going the extra mile, here’s how to make recognition more effective.
Make it timely and specific. The most meaningful recognition is given soon after an achievement and explains clearly what was done and the impact it had.
Make it equal. The same recognition and rewards should be available to all members of staff. Digital employee recognition tools can help you reach employees who don’t work at HQ.
Encourage peer-to-peer recognition. The act of giving recognition makes employees more likely to stay working for your organization. So encourage co-workers to comment with their congratulations on recognition posts.
Tailor rewards. Ask employees what rewards they want to see for top performance. You can then tailor your rewards program so it truly incentivizes your workforce.
Ready to drive employee engagement at your organization?
For frontline employees, that often starts with the right workplace tech. An employee app like Blink puts connection, company culture, and vital workplace tools into the palm of every employee’s hand.
Using secure single sign-on technology, teams can use their personal smartphones to catch up on company news, congratulate co-workers, respond to polls, and send digital forms.
Thanks to strong integrations, they can also use the Blink dashboard to access other workplace software, like HR self-service, training courses, and shift swap tools. And your HR team can keep track of employee engagement metrics with the help of in-depth analytics.
Blink brings your whole organization together, so engaging employees gets a whole lot easier.
London, 1 November 2023 – Bus operator Abellio London has rolled out Blink, a mobile app that connects management with frontline, or deskless, workers.
Abellio, which operates bus services on behalf of Transport for London and serves 430,000 customers across Greater London every day, will connect its 2,800 employees across six depots and Transport UK Rail Replacement services through Blink’s super-app. Employees can connect, share information and communicate with each other wherever they are which, until now, had been impossible.
Abellio’s investment in Blink gives every worker digital connectivity to the organisation and each other, improving convenience, flexibility and inclusion. This investment forms part of Abellio’s ongoing initiatives to support inclusion within the business and tackle the national bus driver shortage. Transport for London recently revealed they were operating with a shortage of 2,510 drivers, and nationwide, many operators are still experiencing significant staff shortages, with bus vacancy rate at 6.8%, resulting in recent calls for bus drivers to be added to the Shortage Occupation List so operators can recruit drivers from abroad.
Due to the nature of their work, frontline teams – such as bus drivers – are often subject to manual processes and paperwork. They might not have immediate access to some of the tools or information that support them to deliver a positive experience to customers. Across the UK, frontline teams can feel disconnected from the rest of the workforce and, in some cases, undervalued: recent research found that only 39% of frontline workers feel heard, and that 42% are considering quitting their job.
Blink tackles these issues head-on. Beyond communication, the Blink app provides seamless, always-on access to external applications across any device. Abellio’s bus drivers only need to sign into Blink once via secure Single Sign On in order to gain access to all the key systems and information needed for their roles, including the driver allocation system (DAS); payslip information and payslips; and company updates and information that have traditionally been shared by depot notice boards, social media groups or via their line managers.
Previously, drivers needed to access multiple systems to complete certain aspects of their role which was time-consuming and required different passwords and/or access to a computer. Mobile-first with desktop capabilities,Blink brings everything together in one super-app for Abellio’s drivers and management team. Drivers can complete their day-to-day tasks or reports via their phones in real-time and are kept in the loop at the same time as everyone else in the organisation. Crucially, they are able to directly communicate and share feedback with their senior leadership team, giving them a greater say in what’s happening.
“Abellio actively champions inclusivity, as a business that employs 43 different nationalities, we have always prided ourselves on our inclusive culture,” commented Abellio Operations and HR Director, Lorna Murphy. “Differences are very much valued, and our company's success depends on it. We needed an inclusive and simple way to bring our teams together and wanted to offer greater access to information and process for our frontline drivers.
“Blink fosters inclusiveness because everyone in the organisation has a mobile phone, meaning they can log in and access everything they need from wherever they are. It enables two-way conversations and brings connectivity to everyone in the business.”
Sean Nolan, CEO and Co-Founder of Blink, added: “Abellio London is on a mission to put a stop to the frontline worker gap and bring a sense of belonging to employees wherever they are. It recognises just how much an engaged frontline directly impacts how successful they are as a team. Amongst our customers we have seen that by fostering a more engaged and inclusive culture, productivity, quality, care, commitment, and retention will surely follow.
“The company is doing this by putting better company information at their drivers’ fingertips, while giving managers real-time access to frontline intelligence on employee performance and engagement. This will save them hundreds of hours, which they had been previously losing to disparate communications channels.”
The Blink app will also replace all the paper-based forms that currently require drivers to return to depot to complete. Thanks to the app’s intuitive interface, drivers can manage their schedules, payment information, and form-filling from wherever they are and whatever their technical ability.
Murphy added: “Using Blink, Abellio bus drivers can access a system of simple pathways that makes it easy for them to report issues, start a conversation with management or colleagues, or go about their day-to-day tasks such as checking shifts and accessing payslips, reconnecting them back to the organisation they work for via one simple, easy-to-use app.
“At a time when recruitment and retention in the industry is paramount, we hope that Blink, and tools like it, will support teams to feel connected to the business. Blink will help us to create a vibrant and open culture that champions better employee engagement, and give our drivers a channel through which they can voice their queries, ideas and concerns.”
As well as providing company-wide communications, Abellio can use Blink to create specific groups for supported work conversations, something that has been proven beneficial for employee wellness. Blink’s frontline intelligence and analysis capabilities will also help the leadership team to understand what employees need to perform, and how best to deliver it.
Blink has been proven to reach 95% of employees and reduce employee turnover by 26%. It also triples response rates, sees five times the number of adoption of tools thanks to its single sign-on(SSO), and gets a nine out of ten ‘ease of use’ rating from end users.
Press contacts
For more information or interviews, please get in touch with kate@transatlanticent.com | 07980 921961.
About Abellio
Abellio London is part ofTransport UK and operates 55 bus routes in the capital on behalf of Transport for London (TfL), plus rail replacement and event services across the UK.
The business operates around nine percent of London’s bus network, running over 800 vehicles and employing 2,500staff across six depots in Central, South, and West London. Abellio is a pioneer in EV public transport, operating over 100 no-emission fully electric buses in London.
Abellio London was a double winner in the 2021 Bus and Coach Awards and is a finalist in the British QualityFoundation’s EFQM Excellence awards, following a 5-star rating in the BQF Recognised For Excellence assessment. In 2020 it was named Operator of the Year at the London Transport Awards and also helped bring the first Caetano electric single-deck buses to the UK, which were the safest in London with the inclusion of TfL Bus Safety Standard measures. Since 2019 it has held Earned Recognition status with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), which recognises it as an exemplary operator, and in 2023 earned ISO 45001 accreditation across all six depots.
About Blink
Blink is the world's best super-app for deskless workers, with a mission to revolutionise work life for the frontline, closing the digital divide and enabling distributed organisations to communicate effectively and engage together like never before. Blink is used by over 200,000 frontline workers at industry-leading companies including Stagecoach, Elara Caring and Domino’s. Each user opens the app an average of seven times a day, helping lower frontline attrition by up to 25%.
Founded in 2015 and with offices in London, Boston, and Sydney, Blink is a Leader in the G2 Grid® for Best EmployeeEngagement Software and named in the 2022 Deloitte Technology Fast 50.
Blink, the leading employee super-app, today announced a strategic partnership with LineZero, a leading provider of workplace community and culture solutions, and the largest Meta Workplace partner globally. This collaboration leverages the existing relationship between both companies, offering Meta Workplace customers a seamless transition and upgrade to Blink’s employee experience platform following Meta’s announcement to close its Workplace operations.
Meta’s decision to close operations of Meta Workplace by Q3 2025 has left many companies challenged in finding a modern solution that enables a smooth transition of their workforce and data while offering a more innovative approach to deepen employee engagement and strengthen ties between employees and their companies.
“Our goal is to support the thousands of Meta Workplace customers seeking new solutions to drive employee engagement through a great internal comms tool,” said Sloan Kendall, head of global partnerships, Blink. “Partnering with LineZero provides customers with an easy migration of workforce data and technology applications into Blink’s platform. With LineZero’s expertise and Blink’s proven track record, we are excited to empower companies to migrate smoothly from Workplace and upgrade to Blink to enhance their employee engagement experience.”
Blink is a mobile-first, all-in-one communication and collaboration platform designed specifically for frontline workers. It allows companies to connect their entire workforce, regardless of location or device, through a single unified platform. With Blink, employees can stay updated with company news, chat with colleagues, access essential tools, send personalized kudos, complete surveys, and much more. Blink boasts industry-leading adoption rates, reaching up to 95% of employees and decreasing employee turnover by 26% in some cases.
“Blink’s platform is an ideal Workplace replacement for customers looking to modernize the way they engage their people,” said Greg Sugar, president, LineZero. “While organizations valued the similarity between Workplace and Facebook, we often heard there was a need to engage workforces with a tool that better represents how they interact with technology today. Blink approaches the frontline with an employee experience that meets them where they are. We are so excited to help organizations smoothly transition from Workplace to Blink’s platform. This partnership reflects our shared commitment to creating better employee experiences and shaping the future of work.”
The partnership highlights both companies’ commitment to enhancing employee engagement and creating a positive work environment. The collaboration ensures that Meta Workplace customers can migrate easily to Blink’s platform that enhances their engagement strategies and aligns with their long-term goals.
For more details on working with LineZero and Blink for a migration or implementation, visit LineZero’s blog.
Demand for home health aides is higher than ever. The job outlook for home health and personal care aides is projected to be 25% between 2021 and 2031 — meaning that, as a workforce, home health and personal care is expected to grow an incredible 20 percentage points more versus other industries.
This poses a significant challenge for home health care providers, not just in recruiting enough carers to answer to demand but in retaining these staff members as well.
The Great Resignation, high employee turnover, and decreasing job satisfaction are all impacting home health organizations in line with the wider healthcare industry. Tackling these issues starts with addressing the factors that cause them in the first place.
In this guide, we'll walk you through the numerous different factors that can influence employee retention, before diving into exactly how to increase employee retention in home health care.
If you're an HR or Operations leader in a home health care organization, keep reading to learn how you can successfully retain your valuable employees — and improve patient care and business outcomes in the process.
What causes attrition in healthcare?
Staff turnover is a natural and necessary process in all healthcare organizations. However, when turnover reaches high levels it can have a detrimental effect on the quality of care as well as being costly. And it's high levels that we're seeing.
Further problems arise when employees leave not only the organization but the health workforce itself.
By understanding and addressing employee retention and the factors that drive it, home health and personal care leaders can minimize staff attrition and the associated impact on cost of, and quality of, patient care.
Below, we’ll take a closer look at each of these three dimensions and how they affect retention, before diving into actionable initiatives leading to improving employee retention throughout your home health organization.
What's important to remember is that each of these factors overlaps to create engaging, positive employee experiences and ensure retention. It's not a case of nailing just one of these categories but creating meaningful change in all three.
1. Employment quality
Employment quality is a key factor in retention and includes aspects like pay and benefits, job security, and working conditions. Other elements of employment quality relate to home health workers having direct lines of communication with their employer and being able to swap and fill shifts easily in order to support the work-life balance they seek.
Getting employment quality right is a particular challenge for home health and personal care organizations. For one, home health co-workers are typically more distributed than other healthcare teams. These are employees who leave their homes in the morning to visit patients at their homes and may rarely, or never, even step foot in a shared office or HQ.
And yet, home health organizations cannot deprioritize employee quality conditions — they can't settle for simply paying staff more in order to boost retention, as many have tried to do. As Gartner states:
"Monetary compensation is important for surviving, but deeper relationships, a strong sense of community, and purpose-driven work are essential to thriving."
That leads us to the concepts of work and organizational quality...
2. Work quality
Work quality includes the levels of responsibility, autonomy, and stress experienced in the workplace.
Without going into any more detail than that, it quickly becomes clear how essential work quality is for healthcare workers. Few roles carry such a degree of responsibility and demand as much from employees. The scope for stressful situations is limitless — and to make matters worse, home health aides often feel isolated from the rest of their co-workers and the organization at large, meaning that when they start to feel stressed they have no one to turn to for support.
Work quality also relates to the technology provided to health professionals to help them succeed in their roles. With52% of frontline workers claiming they'd leave their job over tech tools, it’s clear to see the impact that the right workplace technology has on work quality and employee retention.
3. Organizational quality
Organizational quality also impacts employee retention: the culture of the organization and the way that employees are managed and rewarded (or not) all play a key role here. Organizational quality can also refer to levels of organizational innovation, such as improvement programs or digitization initiatives.
Blink research shows that health and care workers overwhelmingly feel unheard and undervalued in their organizations. Unsurprisingly, the same research showed 50% are considering leaving, or have recently left, their jobs.
Simply put, organizations with a positive culture, good management practices, and fair reward systems are more likely to retain their employees. On the other hand, companies with poor organizational quality are far more likely to experience high levels of turnover.
7 ways to increase employee retention in home health care
Turning attrition trends around is a big task. Businesses need to think bigger than compensation and make bigger commitments to the overall employee experience.
All roles in health and personal care must get the status and respect they deserve. But how can you, as business and HR leaders, provide that?
1. Collect and analyze data
Up-to-date workforce data should be at the center of an effective retention strategy, helping you better target your employment, work, and organizational quality improvements. By collecting and analyzing data and identifying trends in your home health workforce, you can identify the starting point for your activities.
Understanding the profile of your workforce will help you to assess the risk points and ensure that retention issues affecting particular groups are addressed. For example, are retention issues organization-wide or specific to certain staff groups, demographics, departments, or teams?
For a home health provider, this will likely include looking at retention rates between carers employed directly by your organization vs agency staff vs workers brought in through other schemes like CDPAP. Carers indirectly employed by your organization might feel less connected to the company mission and vision — failing to meet their organizational quality needs as a result.
Getting to know the drivers of employee turnover, and who they impact in your specific organization, can help you create targeted initiatives to improve retention. If the data shows heavy attrition after 30 or 60 days, you might focus on creating an effective, engaging onboarding program to help new hires hit the ground running.
Making it happen
One way to improve employee retention is through the use of regular Employee Pulse Surveys. By conducting regular pulse surveys, you can ensure that you have a constant understanding of how your employees feel about their work.
This will help you address any potential retention issues before they become a major problem or spiral into quiet quitting. Additionally, pulse surveys can help to improve employee engagement and job satisfaction, which can lead to improved retention rates.
You can also use tools like Blink’s Frontline Intelligence feature to collect and analyze critical employee engagement data and metrics, helping you to understand exactly where your healthcare workforce is feeling unengaged and unsatisfied.
2. Offer relevant training and development opportunities
Healthcare organizations that offer relevant training and professional development are more likely to retain their most valuable employees. It cannot be underestimated how valued and invested in healthcare workers will feel when their skills are being developed and their careers are progressing.
This answers to all of the three factors explored:
Employment quality (as it opens the doors to higher pay)
Work quality (through professional development)
and organizational quality (as it creates a culture of progress and support)
Making it happen
Training and development programs for home health and personal care workers might include formal training programs, such as classroom-based learning or online courses. It might also include more customized opportunities, such as one-on-one mentoring or job shadowing.
What's essential to identify, however, is how these programs will be delivered. Technology will be crucial to bridge the gap between HQ and home health aides.
3. Lighten the load
An increasing number of health and care workers are struggling to balance the demands of their job with other aspects of their life, such as parenting or caring responsibilities. This often leads to stress and burnout; an early indicator of disengagement, and ultimately attrition. In some instances, burnout in healthcare staff has also been linked to medical errors and patient safety incidents.
To improve retention in healthcare, organizations must commit to creating a working environment where employees feel supported by their home health co-workers and managers — even if they rarely see them face-to-face — and are not overburdened with inflexible workloads.
Making it happen
Organizations can take a number of steps to lighten a home health worker's cognitive load:
Providing more resources to team members and managers in a mobile and easy-to-access Hub for on-the-go support
Implementing intuitive scheduling solutions and shift-swapping tools that can be used for real-time coordination and employee flexibility
Encouraging work-life balance through a culture of peer support, so that co-workers can easily tap into the knowledge and experience of their peers
4. Consistent communication
Another factor that often impacts your employment quality is the consistency of your communication. Consistent two-way communication is essential for lasting relationships — and it can be one of your most powerful tools for encouraging employee retention.
Blink's research found that close to one-fifth of frontline workers don’t receive relevant communications from their organization. Organizations can create a sense of community and trust among their staff to minimize attrition by ensuring that all employees:
Receive updates relevant to them
Are part of the right team chats
Can easily share their ideas and concerns
You can also use regular communication to obtain direct insight into how specific healthcare workers or teams are feeling about their work. This can help you to identify retention issues and create targeted interventions as needed.
Making it happen
Effective communication needs to be tailored to the specific needs of different staff groups. For home health and personal care aides, it will undoubtedly be about regular mobile updates and using Feed and Chat features to create energy and enthusiasm among your distributed workforce.
Read how Blink helped solve a million-dollar communication challenge for the home health organization, Elara Caring. Through deploying a number of transformative digital initiatives through Blink, 95% of Elara Caring's personal care, home health, and hospice care workers now feel more connected to the organization.
5. Focus on employee engagement
Employee engagement can be a powerful tool for improving retention, as it has been linked to higher levels of satisfaction and commitment among workers.
Healthcare organizations can create a work quality that is more attractive to top performers by getting to know the latest employee engagement trends, providing the right digital tools for key workers to engage intuitively, and regularly assessing the effectiveness of their efforts.
Engaging employees ultimately retains them.
Additionally, research by HBR shows that higher employee engagement levels can lead to a number of improved outcomes, not just retention. These include care costs (including legal action taken by a patient against a provider for negligent complications) and treatment effectiveness and patient outcomes (measured by the rate patients are readmitted).
Making it happen
To increase employee engagement, healthcare organizations should focus on creating a culture that values the opinions and input of employees. This might include activities like surveys or direct feedback, regular communications from leadership, and targeted recognition programs.
One transformative way to improve employee engagement in your healthcare organization is to pave the way with Blink, the powerful mobile employee engagement app that frontline workers love. With a suite of features perfect for healthcare, Blink will help you create a culture of engagement and retention in your organization.
"Meaningful recognition can help to motivate and retain our NHS people. Setting in place a holistic reward package, which is relevant to staff needs, can be key to ensuring your organization, and the wider NHS, retains its staff."
But recognition is more than a pat on the back. Driving real recognition for employees needs to be an ongoing, holistic process that inspires your healthcare workforce to feel valued, motivated, and connected to the company.
Making it happen
While some companies may view the idea of regular rewards or incentives as impractical, Blink is a mobile employee recognition solution that makes it easy to provide targeted and consistent recognition to specific individuals or teams.
With features like real-time feedback, team and group chatting, and, of course, Employee Recognition, your healthcare organization can unlock the power of recognition as a retention tool. And with its wider suite of handy features, Blink is the perfect way to engage employees in your healthcare organization and help you retain talent.
7. Listen and action feedback
Over a third (35%) of frontline healthcare workers feel that their feedback will not be acted on by their organization. Unsurprisingly, half of frontline healthcare staff have changed or considered changing their job.
"By taking the time to listen and communicate, we can create a better and more supportive environment within healthcare," says Sean Nolan, CEO at Blink.
Through more effective communication, leaders feel more connected to their frontline, and frontline employees feel valued and listened to. This results in higher retention, increased productivity, and better two-way conversations.
Making healthcare workers feel heard needs to be a priority for any healthcare organization. By listening to their feedback and acting on it, you will be able to create a more supportive workplace culture that retains top talent — leading to reduced costs associated with employee turnover.
Making it happen
To effectively ensure your team is heard and their feedback is acted on, you need the right tech to manage it all smoothly. With the Blink employee app, you can listen to your employees and act on their feedback in real time, meaning they won't feel ignored or undervalued.
By using the powerful features of Blink, you can help create a culture where frontline workers feel heard and respected while focusing on:
Encouraging two-way feedback through regular surveys and communications from leadership
Ensuring feedback is acted on and implemented into business processes, updating employees on the progress of their feedback so they know they’re being heard
Integrating your mobile app with workplace technologies like HR systems, payroll platforms, and more, to streamline the employee experience and implement feedback effectively across your organization
Listen and action feedback - Regularly collect and act on feedback, update employees on actions taken
Retention next steps
Blink is the industry-leading frontline engagement app that connects management and frontline teams to build stronger organizations. With a proven adoption rate of 92% in care sectors, it’s never been this easy to unify the frontline. At Blink, we believe in empowering frontline organizations by helping you enable, engage and understand your workforce.
Our app provides a host of features that support employee retention in home health, such as employee surveys, polls, secure team and group chats and channels, employee recognition, and healthcare-friendly HR tools.
By using the app effectively, you will be able to create a culture where employees are engaged and respected – ultimately reducing employee turnover costs and driving employee retention up. We are experts in frontline engagement and retention and would love to help you achieve your goals.
%20(800%20x%20450%20px)%20(2).avif)
.jpeg)
