Employee Engagement Roles: Who's Responsible for Employee Engagement?

Who is responsible for employee engagement at your organization? 

That may or may not seem like a simple question, but stop reading and honestly consider it for a second. If you had to identify exactly who determines the success or failure of your employee engagement strategies, who do you point to? Is it leadership, HR, managers, or individual contributors?

Each member of your company has important responsibilities, and if your organization is going to commit and truly make engagement a priority, everyone needs to buy in and do their part. 

Senior Leaders

Organizational leaders are employee engagement advocates. They are the most powerful influencers of the organization’s culture, and their attitude toward engagement trickles down and influences every part of the company. Their example sets the tone for everyone else – if leaders prioritize engagement, the rest of the organization will follow.  

Responsibilities: 

• Demonstrate an enthusiastic attitude toward engagement 
• Craft the long-term vision for employee engagement strategies 
• Communicate changes in strategy 
• Provide large-scale updates on organizational progress 
  

HR

HR is the behind-the-scenes maestro that puts an employee engagement strategy into action. HR takes ownership of engagement initiatives, ensures everything runs smoothly, and irons out potential hiccups.  

Responsibilities: 

• Hold managers and employees accountable for engagement initiatives 
• Choose employee engagement software and train managers and employees how to use it  
• Serve as the go-to source when engagement issues arise  
• Support managers and supply them with useful tools and resources 
  
  

Managers

As the number one touchpoint for employees, managers are responsible for implementing the engagement initiatives determined by leadership and HR. Managers serve as sounding boards for employee opinions and concerns and are responsible for relaying these to HR and leadership. 

Responsibilities: 

• Develop strong, trusting relationships with each team member 
• Recognize and celebrate strong individual and team performance 
• Work with employees to create motivating goals 
• Identify promising individuals ready for new opportunities and roles 
  
  

Employees

It’s impossible to know if your employee engagement strategy is really working without getting honest feedback from those on the front lines. Employees need to understand why initiatives are put in place and how those initiatives will make an impact. Employees should carefully consider what would improve the employee experience and share their ideas. 

Responsibilities: 

• Provide feedback about what is and isn’t working with the current engagement strategy 
• Brainstorm solutions to improve the employee experience 
• Participate in employee focus groups 
• Seek out development opportunities and learning experiences to facilitate personal growth  
• Provide updates on personal goals 
  

Real change can’t happen until everyone involved buys into your employee engagement strategies. Once everyone understands, accepts, and embraces their role, you’ll begin to see improvements in, productivity, turnover, and the customer experience. 

To learn more about how to create an engagement strategy that empowers the entire team, download your free copy of our ebook, The New Era of Employee Engagement.