# Enhancing Employee Engagement Through Skills Development and Technology
Employee engagement remains a critical challenge for HR leaders worldwide. Despite being a proven driver of productivity, job satisfaction, and retention, engagement initiatives often fall short of expectations. In today’s post-pandemic workplace, characterized by phenomena like the Great Resignation and Great Detachment, organizations need innovative approaches to strengthen employee connections to their work.
According to Carina Cortez, Chief People Officer at Cornerstone OnDemand, the solution to this engagement puzzle has two essential components: focused skills development programs and strategic technology implementation that connects employees to their purpose.
## Why Employee Engagement is Declining
The “Great Detachment” stems primarily from employees feeling stagnant in their careers. Cortez explains:
“People are not feeling invested in by their current organization. Throughout my career, the number one reason in exit interviews or engagement surveys for why people leave or disengage is usually about career development.”
This insight aligns with recent workforce trends showing that **skills development opportunities** directly correlate with higher engagement levels. When employees see a clear path forward in their current company, they’re more likely to remain motivated and committed.
Key signs of employee disengagement include:
– Decreased productivity
– Higher absenteeism
– Reduced collaboration
– Minimal participation in optional activities
– Lack of initiative
## The Critical Role of Skills Development
Investing in employee skills development offers a powerful solution to engagement challenges. Cortez emphasizes that offering learning opportunities gives employees “something tangible to work toward in their careers” which ultimately “contributes to overall business success.”
Modern skills development strategies should include:
### Mentorship Programs
Cornerstone implements what Cortez calls “Cornerstar Resource Groups” (similar to employee resource groups) that facilitate mentoring relationships. These groups create opportunities for knowledge transfer across different employee populations.
“There’s an opportunity with the younger workforce coming in for generations to learn from each other,” Cortez notes. “As older workforces are starting to retire in that ‘silver tsunami,’ we need them to help pass down those skills.”
### Skills Mapping
Successful organizations are increasingly mapping skills across their workforce against role requirements. This strategic approach:
1. Identifies critical skill gaps
2. Creates targeted development opportunities
3. Facilitates meaningful mentoring connections
4. Helps prepare for succession planning
For recruitment firms, implementing skills mapping for clients can provide additional value beyond traditional talent acquisition services.
## Technology as an Engagement Enabler
Modern engagement strategies must leverage technology effectively, especially when working with younger generations who are digital natives and value efficiency.
Cortez highlights the importance of finding the right balance: “Making sure that technology is integrated into all of our processes, especially from an HR perspective, is essential. But you have to strike that balance—automation and still having human intervention.”
### Innovative Tech Solutions
Cornerstone has implemented several technology-driven approaches to boost engagement:
**Extended Reality (XR)**: Creating immersive learning environments that allow employees to progress in their careers through simulated experiences.
**Metaverse Environments**: Cornerstone developed a metaverse platform where employees could interact through avatars, learn about company initiatives, and connect with colleagues regardless of location.
“We put an experience together in the metaverse. We recorded videos by leaders, and employees could ‘transport’ to this environment. We put together an expo hall where they could learn about different parts of the new employee value proposition,” Cortez explains.
This innovative approach yielded tangible results: “As a result, we actually improved our engagement score on connection to our purpose as a company.”
## Measuring and Responding to Employee Feedback
Effective engagement strategies require robust measurement and response mechanisms. Cornerstone employs a multi-faceted approach:
1. **Regular engagement surveys** with particular attention to verbatim comments
2. **Focus groups** to dive deeper into specific issues
3. **Transparent communication** about actions taken based on feedback
4. **Multi-modal communication** to reach employees with different learning styles
“The important thing is to always talk about what we’re doing and then keep communicating, ‘We’ve done these things as a result of the feedback that we’ve received from our employees,'” says Cortez.
Cornerstone has increased their engagement survey frequency from twice yearly to three times annually, allowing for more timely responses to employee needs.
## Being “Customer Zero”: Testing HR Tech Internally
As an HR technology provider, Cornerstone has a unique opportunity to be what they call “customer zero”—implementing and testing their own products before releasing them to clients.
This approach has evolved from simply testing functionality to ensuring alignment with their overall people strategy. Cortez describes how they implemented their talent marketplace internally:
“We relaunched it, and we now have everything behind it so people can see their career path, the paths they can take; if I wanted to go into marketing or customer service, I can see what that looks like and I can tie that into my check-ins with my manager, into my development conversations, see who can be a mentor to me.”
## Key Takeaways for HR Leaders
1. **Focus on career development** as the primary driver of employee engagement
2. **Implement formal mentoring programs** to facilitate knowledge transfer between generations
3. **Leverage technology mindfully** to create engaging experiences while maintaining human connection
4. **Establish comprehensive feedback mechanisms** with regular communication about improvements
5. **Create visible career pathways** that help employees visualize their future within the organization
By combining strategic skills development with thoughtful technology implementation, organizations can effectively combat the Great Detachment and build a more engaged, productive workforce.
# Enhancing Employee Engagement Through Skills Development and Technology
Employee engagement remains a critical challenge for HR leaders worldwide. Despite being a proven driver of productivity, job satisfaction, and retention, engagement initiatives often fall short of expectations. In today’s post-pandemic workplace, characterized by phenomena like the Great Resignation and Great Detachment, organizations need innovative approaches to strengthen employee connections to their work.
According to Carina Cortez, Chief People Officer at Cornerstone OnDemand, the solution to this engagement puzzle has two essential components: focused skills development programs and strategic technology implementation that connects employees to their purpose.
## Why Employee Engagement is Declining
The “Great Detachment” stems primarily from employees feeling stagnant in their careers. Cortez explains:
“People are not feeling invested in by their current organization. Throughout my career, the number one reason in exit interviews or engagement surveys for why people leave or disengage is usually about career development.”
This insight aligns with recent workforce trends showing that **skills development opportunities** directly correlate with higher engagement levels. When employees see a clear path forward in their current company, they’re more likely to remain motivated and committed.
Key signs of employee disengagement include:
– Decreased productivity
– Higher absenteeism
– Reduced collaboration
– Minimal participation in optional activities
– Lack of initiative
## The Critical Role of Skills Development
Investing in employee skills development offers a powerful solution to engagement challenges. Cortez emphasizes that offering learning opportunities gives employees “something tangible to work toward in their careers” which ultimately “contributes to overall business success.”
Modern skills development strategies should include:
### Mentorship Programs
Cornerstone implements what Cortez calls “Cornerstar Resource Groups” (similar to employee resource groups) that facilitate mentoring relationships. These groups create opportunities for knowledge transfer across different employee populations.
“There’s an opportunity with the younger workforce coming in for generations to learn from each other,” Cortez notes. “As older workforces are starting to retire in that ‘silver tsunami,’ we need them to help pass down those skills.”
### Skills Mapping
Successful organizations are increasingly mapping skills across their workforce against role requirements. This strategic approach:
1. Identifies critical skill gaps
2. Creates targeted development opportunities
3. Facilitates meaningful mentoring connections
4. Helps prepare for succession planning
For recruitment firms, implementing skills mapping for clients can provide additional value beyond traditional talent acquisition services.
## Technology as an Engagement Enabler
Modern engagement strategies must leverage technology effectively, especially when working with younger generations who are digital natives and value efficiency.
Cortez highlights the importance of finding the right balance: “Making sure that technology is integrated into all of our processes, especially from an HR perspective, is essential. But you have to strike that balance—automation and still having human intervention.”
### Innovative Tech Solutions
Cornerstone has implemented several technology-driven approaches to boost engagement:
**Extended Reality (XR)**: Creating immersive learning environments that allow employees to progress in their careers through simulated experiences.
**Metaverse Environments**: Cornerstone developed a metaverse platform where employees could interact through avatars, learn about company initiatives, and connect with colleagues regardless of location.
“We put an experience together in the metaverse. We recorded videos by leaders, and employees could ‘transport’ to this environment. We put together an expo hall where they could learn about different parts of the new employee value proposition,” Cortez explains.
This innovative approach yielded tangible results: “As a result, we actually improved our engagement score on connection to our purpose as a company.”
## Measuring and Responding to Employee Feedback
Effective engagement strategies require robust measurement and response mechanisms. Cornerstone employs a multi-faceted approach:
1. **Regular engagement surveys** with particular attention to verbatim comments
2. **Focus groups** to dive deeper into specific issues
3. **Transparent communication** about actions taken based on feedback
4. **Multi-modal communication** to reach employees with different learning styles
“The important thing is to always talk about what we’re doing and then keep communicating, ‘We’ve done these things as a result of the feedback that we’ve received from our employees,'” says Cortez.
Cornerstone has increased their engagement survey frequency from twice yearly to three times annually, allowing for more timely responses to employee needs.
## Being “Customer Zero”: Testing HR Tech Internally
As an HR technology provider, Cornerstone has a unique opportunity to be what they call “customer zero”—implementing and testing their own products before releasing them to clients.
This approach has evolved from simply testing functionality to ensuring alignment with their overall people strategy. Cortez describes how they implemented their talent marketplace internally:
“We relaunched it, and we now have everything behind it so people can see their career path, the paths they can take; if I wanted to go into marketing or customer service, I can see what that looks like and I can tie that into my check-ins with my manager, into my development conversations, see who can be a mentor to me.”
## Key Takeaways for HR Leaders
1. **Focus on career development** as the primary driver of employee engagement
2. **Implement formal mentoring programs** to facilitate knowledge transfer between generations
3. **Leverage technology mindfully** to create engaging experiences while maintaining human connection
4. **Establish comprehensive feedback mechanisms** with regular communication about improvements
5. **Create visible career pathways** that help employees visualize their future within the organization
By combining strategic skills development with thoughtful technology implementation, organizations can effectively combat the Great Detachment and build a more engaged, productive workforce.