The concept of organizational culture has never been more important than it is today. Organizations that invest the time and resources in building and maintaining a strong, healthy culture tend to be more successful than those that don’t. One way to gauge the health of your organization is via employee engagement surveys. These anonymous surveys are a great way to gather feedback, assess the needs of the employees, review results and, most importantly, implement solutions.
The impact of ignoring organizational culture can cost companies millions of dollars each year. In 2022, organizations were faced with quiet quitting, where disengaged employees did the minimum required for their jobs; thus "quitting" the idea of going above and beyond their duties. In 2023, 50% of all U.S.-based employees were not engaged (quiet quitting). Unfortunately, this downward trend continued into the first quarter of 2024; engagement dropped to 30% among full- and part-time employees. Taking this a step further, a recent Gallup study found that in the U.S., employees were increasingly detached from their employers, were less satisfied with their organization, had less of a connection to their company’s mission or purpose and had less clarity relative to their roles.
How can organizations avoid having a disengaged workforce? While there is no one-size-fits-all response, we believe leveraging engagement surveys is a great place to start. At Next League, we have been conducting quarterly engagement surveys, each with less than 10 questions. All questions touch on important topics like role alignment, trust in senior leadership, growth and development, culture and inclusivity (also one of our core values).The results of these surveys have led to the creation and implementation of critical programs like manager trainings, career ladders, individual career development programs, and various systems and processes to help our team members maximize their potential, both personally and professionally.
In addition to conducting these surveys, we challenge ourselves to reach a specific engagement score. I am incredibly proud of Next League which, in only its fourth year, is exceeding our company goals and yielding higher engagement scores than top-performing companies. In 2023, this metric was 70%. Our 2024 Q4 engagement score was 87%, which we look to increase upon this year.
While I believe that the first step of any organization is to build and implement an engagement survey strategy, there's another crucial step companies must take to reinforce the importance of employee engagement: they must share the results of these surveys with their employees. Many companies emphasize transparency regarding their financial performance, reporting on things like quarterly earnings and revenue growth. By publishing engagement scores alongside financial metrics, companies can demonstrate their people are as valuable an asset as their profit margins.
When employees are engaged, they are more productive, innovative, and committed to the company's success. Research has repeatedly shown a direct link between high engagement and increased profitability. In contrast, disengagement leads to reduced productivity, higher turnover, and lower customer satisfaction—all of which can erode a company's bottom line over time.
There are many ways to define employee engagement; most, if not all, are centered around a common theme - the feeling of purpose within an organization. As the Senior Director of People & Culture, I am thrilled our employees feel so strongly about our culture and share that both privately, via our employee engagement surveys, and publicly. Our employees - and the feedback and insights they shared - are the reason we were recently named one of 2024’s Best Places to Work (via Sports Business Journal).
As we kick off 2025, there is lots to be excited by and proud of. I am immensely proud of our culture which, as our CEO David Nugent mentioned in a recent piece, “[...]is nourished through the positive and productive interactions of the team, as well as a genuine affection for and trust in each other.” There is always room to grow and improve and we certainly look forward to doing just that.
