1. Best practices for employee engagement
IS HERE TO STAY

2. Unlimited gourmet food, lunchtime massages and an on-site gym may be
nice perks, but they often have little direct effect on employee engagement.
Often companies only think of giving employees more tangible objects in an
effort to retain top-notch talent. But a majority of the time what employees
are looking for isn’t an increased salary or more company benefits — they
want a sense of community, opportunity to grow in their field and a culture
that inspires them to shoot for the stars. It’s time for companies to think
creatively about how to engage employees.
Best practices for employee engagement page 2

3. page 3 Best practices for employee engagement
According to a Gallup poll,
70 percent of employees feel
disengaged at work.
“The war for talent is over, and
the talent has won. Essentially
people are looking for a different
experience at work.”
— Josh Bersin, principal at Bersin by Deloitte
70%
LEARN MORE

4. Best practices for employee engagement page 4
Let’s flip the switch and take a
stand to make employees feel
more captivated at work.
Here are 8 strategies:

5. page 5 Best practices for employee engagement
one-on-one with employees
Employees feel more engaged when managers care about an employee’s work
performance and personal life. Plus by talking to an employee on a regular basis, a
manager can better understand an employee’s interests values and talents.

6. Best practices for employee engagement page 6
When employees feel empowered to think outside the box, they have an increased sense
of control, power and ownership of their work.
Take Google’s intrapreneurship program: The tech company lets employees spend
20 percent of their time on personal projects that advance the company’s mission.20%

7. page 7 Best practices for employee engagement
employees to spearhead
a project
Employees that are given the responsibility to own a
project are more likely to put more effort into it and rally
all resources at their disposal to make it the best possible.
Bonus: Managers can discover an employee’s hidden
talents that aren’t used in the current day-to-day job.

8. Best practices for employee engagement page 8
Don’t whisper — scream
about successes
Big wins inspire and motivate employees to perform well. Don’t
wait until a scheduled review to talk about a success — make it
known right then and there, and say it loud!

9. page 9 Best practices for employee engagement
Help employees
Using skills that they’re best at makes employees feel more capable, competent and
confident. But doing the same thing over and over can get redundant and tedious, so
offer continuous opportunities for employees to develop new skills.
In 2008, 55 percent of U.S. companies invested in cross-training employees to develop
new skills. In 2011, only 43 percent. In 2013, 38 percent, according to the Society for
Human Resource Management.

10. Best practices for employee engagement page 10
to what employees prioritize
Show employees that their thoughts are valued by listening to what matters
most to them and putting those ideas into action, whether it’s being able to
work from home on Fridays or having a company softball team.

11. page 11 Best practices for employee engagement
back to the community
Volunteering makes employees feel more invested in their workplace, gives them a
positive view of the company and helps recruit younger generations. Plus, employees can
develop both soft and technical skills by volunteering their expertise.
Need inspiration for where to start? Look to these 3 companies.

12. Best practices for employee engagement page 12
a culture of feedback
Discuss where employees are excelling, as well as opportunities for improvement
or contributions — they’ll likely need training and resources to expand their skills.
Encourage them to always come to you with questions.

13. page 13 Best practices for employee engagement
employees are . . .
likely to do
something good for
the company that is
unexpected of them
more likely to make
a recommendation
for an improvement
more likely to
recommend a friend
or relative apply
for a job with their
employer
2x’s 3x’s 6x’s
according to recent research from the Temkin Group

14. Cornerstone OnDemand is a leader in cloud-based applications for talent management. The company’s solutions help organizations recruit, train,
manage and engage their employees, empowering their people and increasing workforce productivity. Based in Santa Monica, California, the company’s
solutions are used by over 1,700 clients worldwide, spanning more than 14.5 million users across 191 countries and 41 languages. For more information
about Cornerstone, visit csod.com. Read Cornerstone’s blog at csod.com/blog. Follow Cornerstone on Twitter at twitter.com/CornerstoneInc. Like
Cornerstone on Facebook at facebook.com/CSODcommunity.
Learn more at www.csod.com