---
title: 5 Proven Keys to Employee Engagement and Collaboration
description: These are 5 keys to employee engagement that if implemented consistently, have proven results in building a culture of collaboration and engagement.
---

[Insights to collaboration & working together | ORG Blog](https://www.orginc.com/blog)

# [5 Proven Keys to Employee Engagement and Collaboration](https://www.orginc.com/blog/cultivate-collaboration-with-these-5-keys-to-employee-engagement)

 Written by [Vicki Kelsey](https://www.orginc.com/blog/author/vicki-kelsey) | 4/4/17 2:56 PM

### Employee engagement. Seems that every time I look at Twitter, LinkedIn, or any leadership site someone is talking about it.

Yet with all this chatter, up to 88% of employees and 80% of leaders reportedly still do not have passion for their work.

Below are 5 keys to employee engagement that, if implemented consistently, have proven results in building a culture of collaboration and engagement.

##### **5 KEYS TO EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT**

###### 1. Involve everyone

- Employees and leaders need to clearly understand [the vision](https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/research/publications/building-your-companys-vision) and see their role in it.
- Provide clearly stated, measurable outcomes and ensure employees understand why they are important.
- Allow employees who do the work every day to solve problems and create solutions for achieving outcomes.
- Recognize that everyone is necessary for success. Treat all workgroups, unions, and contractors as respected partners. 

###### 2. Create structures to support and sustain

- Establish work teams to address specific concerns and practice continuous improvement. Assist teams in their development through chartering, removing barriers, and communication protocols.
- Provide an [online workspace](https://www.creativebloq.com/design/online-collaboration-tools-912855) for team collaboration and communication.
- Build a corporate structure that can commit the resources necessary for change, facilitate and support engagement, and mediate elevated concerns.
- Ensure there is a corporate commitment to the new way of working - using structured problem solving to improve the business, efficiency, quality and the work environment.
- Commit corporately that no one will suffer job loss as a direct result of team efforts to create a more efficient workplace.
- Stay the course. Understand that lasting change requires attention and there will be setbacks.

###### 3. Prepare and equip leaders

- Different approaches require different leadership behaviors. Explain the new expectations and provide leaders with training in the skills needed to lead differently.
- Leaders must model courage and commitment and reinforce expectations throughout the organization.
- Reinforce and sustain behavioral change with on-going coaching and [feedback](https://hbr.org/2016/10/give-your-team-more-effective-positive-feedback).
- Pay attention to the middle – front line leaders are often overlooked in engagement efforts. Recognize their specific concerns and provide training, support, and encouragement.

###### 4. Create competency

- It's not enough to tell employees that they are empowered to solve problems and make decisions – they will need to learn new skills.
- Provide just-in-time learning so employees can quickly put new behaviors into action.
- Develop internal "champions" to be trainers and supporters to maintain momentum. Identifying and embedding peers as 'experts' in the new process will accelerate the acceptance and implementation of new concepts.
- Involve employees in designing the training to ensure it is relevant to their work.

###### 5. Share the story

- Celebrate and share successes throughout the process.
- Ask employees to identify and work on 'quick wins' then highlight them to generate excitement about the change.
- Educate employees about the business and metrics so they can evaluate their own progress.
- Provide on-going and honest communication about challenges.  Remember, with your new approach employees are partners in running the business so communicate with them as such.
- Identify employees from all workgroups and train them to be active participants in creating messages that will resonate with their peers.

 Discover how the FAA saved $17 million annually using the 5 keys for employee engagement**.**

*Vicki Kelsey is a member of the consulting team at Overland Resource Group and President/CEO of VKAL, Inc. She can be reached at **[v.kelsey@orginc.com](mailto:v.kelsey@orginc.com)**.*

Read other posts from Vicki.

- [Voices, Votes, and External Influence: Labor-Management History Repeats Itself](https://www.orginc.com/blog/2014/10/24/voices-votes-external-influence-labor-management-history-repeats)
- [The Interest-Based Leadership Checklist: A Crucial Tool for Effectively Guiding Difficult Conversations](https://www.orginc.com/blog/2014/02/17/interest-based-leadership-checklist-crucial-tool-effectively-guiding-difficult-conversations)
- [Equal and Different-Leaders Can Value Both Using Interest-Based Leadership](https://www.orginc.com/blog/2013/11/11/equal-and-different-interest-based-leadership)
- [A Tale of Two Leaders: How Interest-Based Leadership Affects Employee Engagement](https://www.orginc.com/blog/2013/10/21/a-tale-of-two-leaders-interest-based-leadershi)

[View full post](https://www.orginc.com/blog/cultivate-collaboration-with-these-5-keys-to-employee-engagement)

```json
{
  "@context" : "http://schema.org",
  "@type" : "BlogPosting",
  "author" : {
    "@type" : "Person",
    "name" : "Vicki Kelsey"
  },
  "dateModified" : "2019-04-25T12:47:36.605Z",
  "datePublished" : "2017-04-04T14:56:41Z",
  "headline" : "5 Proven Keys to Employee Engagement and Collaboration",
  "image" : {
    "@type" : "ImageObject",
    "height" : 600,
    "url" : "http://www.orginc.com/hubfs/Blog/ORG_Blog-Image_Employee-Engagement_2016-03-01.jpg",
    "width" : 1500
  },
  "mainEntityOfPage" : "https://www.orginc.com/blog/cultivate-collaboration-with-these-5-keys-to-employee-engagement",
  "publisher" : {
    "@type" : "Organization",
    "logo" : {
      "@type" : "ImageObject",
      "height" : 60.0,
      "url" : "https://www.orginc.com/hubfs/ORG_2017_Q1/ORG_Brand_Logo_215x102-01.png",
      "width" : 126.4706
    },
    "name" : "ORG Blog"
  }
}
```