Quick Tips on Keeping Employees Engaged - and Not Seeking a New Job!

As the financial year ends, many employees start reassessing their career paths. According to the 2025 Gallup State of the Global Workplace report, a huge 42% of employees are either watching for or actively seeking a new job (and I listened to a podcast just yesterday which claimed around 60% of people in the USA are actively looking for a new role right now), while only 23% feel truly engaged at work. This means businesses must be more deliberate in ongoing measures to keep their teams connected, motivated, and invested in their workplace. 

Whether you’re a small or large business, chances are you’ve exhausted your employee spend mid-June!  The good news? You don’t need a massive budget – or even any budget at all - to influence engagement positively. Below are some easy low and no-cost ways to help your employees feel valued - and stay.

You’ll notice that all these tips stem from two primary needs

1) Connection (whether with team members, management, the organisation or vision/mission) and

2) Control / Agency (over workload/time allocation/environment/tasks/career trajectory). 

When a team member does not experience both Connection and Control, they become disengaged, cease to contribute meaningfully and take back control - by voting with their feet… Happy reading!

Recognize Effort Daily

A simple “I know you’ve been super busy – thanks for getting that report in yesterday” or “I noticed you were still online at 6 last night – thanks for putting in the extra time” can go a long way. Recognition fuels motivation, and when employees feel seen, they’re far less likely to seek validation elsewhere.    As a manager or leader, this requires only your time and thoughtfulness. 

I recognise this can be challenging when juggling competing and urgent tasks.  However, try prioritising this as your first daily task (yes, five minutes before you get to your own emails). This act of recognition at the start of the day carries a bonus effect for you as the leader.  It reframes how you start your workday and how you view your team. 

Instead of diving into the day with your head full of what wasn’t completed yesterday and pushing that urgency onto your team, you start the day from a position of positivity – reminders of and thanks for things done well.  Your team are encouraged as to their capability and strength for the day ahead… Think of it as gratitude journalling for the office :P.

Offer Small Flexibilities

Rigid workplaces drive disengagement. Can you allow earlier start times or occasional work-from-home days?  Where this isn’t logistically possible in your organisation, can you simply give your team more autonomy in scheduling.  One of the most basic human needs is agency – and in allowing your team a level of self-direction you reduce the likelihood of them feeling a slave to their job - and taking control back by seeking opportunity elsewhere.  Small adjustments display trust and encourage your team to step up to the level expected of them.

Encourage Skill Growth

Learning keeps people engaged and fresh – and encourages innovation.  Whilst information is readily available online at no cost, consider peer-led training, mentorship swaps and sharing free industry resources – or ask all your team to calendar block for an hour per week of self-directed online learning. Employees who feel they’re growing professionally and have the space to try new things are more likely to stay put – and add huge value to the company.  Just look at companies like Google with their 20% and 3M with a 15 percent rule!

Make Communication Feel Human

Formal town halls and corporate emails rarely inspire people. Get personal—host small-group check-ins, keep team updates engaging, and be transparent about business decisions. But how do we do this when pressed for time – no-one really has 30 mins for another meeting.  And here you know I’m going to say “block your calendar”!  Schedule in small catchups with your team and for meetings

Try walk-meetings... When in-office, grab a coffee (and your keep-cup!) with your team member and try a quick catch up outside – in an environment that connects you far more than the sterile fluorescent lights of your office.  You can even do this for larger team meetings.  Simply if you get everyone on Teams and each person goes out for a walk (wherever they are) for the duration. 

Connection means your team invest emotionally – and this drives engagement.

Ask Employees What THEY Want

How often do you ask your employees what they want outside of formal mood or annual employee feedback surveys?  Just as in any relationship, what is important to an individual may evolve over time.  So rather than assuming you know what motivates your team in between surveys, ask them.

Don’t forget to ask them what they dislike – and how they would fix it.  This is a great way of allowing your team to have a voice, discover new efficiencies and processes whilst building team cohesiveness.  You aren’t expected to have all the answers. 

Create Micro-Moments of Connection

You all know this is going to be my personal FAVOURITE tip .  Long-term loyalty isn’t built solely on salaries or perks - it’s about relationship. Foster opportunities for informal conversation, quick check-ins, and moments of appreciation that make employees feel truly connected.  Get to know your team on more than just a professional level (within appropriate professional bounds of course!). Evidence your care for them as a person - not just their productivity.  And watch how connection creates a culture of performance.

Encourage Ownership Over Projects

People disengage when they feel like cogs in the system. Give employees decision-making power, let them see how their work impacts the business, and trust them to lead initiatives.   Again, this goes back to the need for agency. 

Where you have responsibility over something, you are naturally more invested in both the process and the outcome. 

NB:  don’t overload, over-delegate or overarch with this.  Consult, consider and collaborate to empower.

Make the Workplace a Positive Space

No one wants to spend hours in a draining environment. Simple things (personally I’m not a fan of the themed days or snack bars) – but more greenery, natural light, an effort to share a smile in passing, an encouraging note stuck on the wall of the lunch room all cost little to nothing and create a huge cumulative impact.

Lead with Genuine Empathy   

Here I’m tempted just to link a few of my past blogs :) Employees can tell when leadership cares - or when engagement tactics feel fake. Be present, listen actively, and create an environment where people feel heard and supported. Authentic leadership inspires loyalty.  Why?  Because it fosters connection.

At its core, employee engagement isn’t just about retention—it’s about creating an environment where people thrive. When leaders intentionally foster both Connection and Control, they cultivate teams that are resilient, motivated, and invested in their collective success.

The strongest workplaces aren’t built on obligation but on enthusiasm.  Let’s make sure our people stay not because they have to, but because they want to.