Engaged employees: a holy grail and also a source of anxiety. Who hasn’t seen alarming statistics claiming that employee engagement is at an all-time low? And what does the annual holiday party have to do with it?
Research by the CEB - Corporate Executive Board - says that peer interaction is a strong driver (36%) of employee engagement. Employers probably know that already; that’s why external social events exist: for employees to interact with each other. As I am writing this post, annual holiday parties are happening everywhere.
The same source says something interesting that can be truly surprising, but only at a first glance: peer interaction that happens at work is more effective than peer interaction during extracurricular activity. Going bowling with colleagues is nice, but peer interaction during the workday plays a more significant role in improving engagement and productivity.