© Alberto Ruiz | Dreamstime.com

Per the Gallup State of the American Workplace report, only 33% of American employees today are engaged at work; and 51% are actively looking for a new job. Keeping your best employees (and attracting the best new ones) requires a strong employee engagement program.

Does your program have what it takes?

To find out, see if you can answer these 12(ish) questions:

1. What are the company’s goals?
2. What positive impact does the company intend to make on its industry or community through those goals?
3. What are the goals for each position, and how do they align with the company’s goals?
4. How will each position contribute to that positive community impact?
5. What are the possibilities for progressing within the company? Is there more than one path?
6. How does the company recognize and reward employees who contribute to the company goals or make that positive community impact?
7. Is there a mechanism for employees to recognize each other for their contributions?
8. Are managers hired or trained for their coaching skills?
9. Is continuous feedback a part of the culture here (as opposed to the dreaded annual review)?
10. How actively engaged are management team members? How many of them have been recognized by their peers for their impact?
11. How will this position enable me to use my greatest strengths? And how will it enable me to stretch and find new strengths?
12. How flexible is the physical work environment? Can an individual adjust it to increase his or her personal productivity?

Investing in a strong employee engagement program (and knowing how to talk about it with employees and candidates alike) will make you a competitive employer.

How engaging is your program?