In this climate of economic uncertainty, we are seeing many companies tightening their purse strings when it comes to training, leadership development, or other employee engagement programs. This is especially true for what we at Creter Group refer to as “essential skills” (formerly known as soft skills). This includes programs on communications, active listening, leadership, managing conflict, difficult conversations, change management, and even personal psychometric profiles or other team assessment tools.
These cutbacks come at a steep cost. A Gallup survey estimates the impact of disengagement on the US economy as a loss of $450-550 billion per year in lost productivity, absenteeism, and turnover. Research also shows that a single disengaged employee may cost an organization 18-34% of the employee’s salary.
Organizations that invest the time and resources in engaging their employees saw a 22% increase in productivity, according to Gallup. And Harvard Business School summarized their findings by saying “Firms with engaged employees show significantly better outcomes in profitability, productivity, customer loyalty, and employee well-being.”
So why does it seem that “engagement” is the first thing that gets cut when the budgets get tight?
Why Engagement Gets Cut
Engagement is “intangible”. HBR points out that morale, effort and belonging are less tangible outputs than revenue or cost savings you can clearly see. Leaders often view engagement programs as temporary rather than sustainable.
It’s challenging to measure. Correlating business success with engagement programs can be difficult. Forbes points out, even with countless employee engagement surveys administered, organizations still struggle to measure engagement, let alone attributing a monetary benefit to those results.
Nobody really owns engagement. Does the responsibility for engaging employees sit with HR? Training? Leadership? Marketing? This lack of consistent accountability weakens outcomes. Too often, one department assumes another “has engagement covered,” resulting in collective disengagement.
Cost-Effective Employee Engagement Tactics
The good news is, there are plenty of ways to engage employees without breaking the bank.
1. Personalize!
Beyond individual development plans, customizing offerings and experiences for each employee is key. Psychometric tools like Insights Discovery highlight the strengths of each individual while helping them understand and value their coworkers’ different styles. These profiles allow employees to feel seen and valued within the larger team.
Training should never be one-size-fits-all. People learn differently, and the more you can tailor what they learn as well as how they learn, the greater the uptake and performance. Research shows employees are 3x more likely to stay when development opportunities are personalized.
2. Update Existing Training And Engagement programs
Bring in a learning strategist to evaluate existing programs through an engagement lens. An instructional designer can review activities and suggest enhancements to make content more interactive and measurable without requiring a complete rebuild.
Check if your mix of learning modalities is aligned with objectives. For example, employees whose jobs involve direct customer interaction need opportunities to practice those skills live. Relying solely on online learning can leave critical behaviors underdeveloped.
3. Align leadership on engagement as an organizational goal
Engagement cannot be left to a single department. It must be a leadership priority across the organization. Gallup research shows that 70% of team engagement is driven by managers, underscoring the importance of leadership accountability. When leaders consistently champion engagement, employees are more likely to feel connected and motivated.
Our Perspective
At Creter Group, we believe that holistic, integrated learning programs that appeal to a variety of learning styles provides the most comprehensive approach to engaging ALL your employees. Mixed modalities in delivery, creative team building, a common language to discuss engagement and behavior, and valuing differences among employees results in maximum engagement.
In case you haven’t noticed, we’re energized by the work of helping organizations bring out the best in their people. Every company has its own rhythm, culture, and challenges—and that’s where we start. The right engagement strategy for your organization doesn’t have to be complex or costly. We ensure it’s practical, human-centered, and built to fit.
The bottom line? When engagement is strong, teams stay longer, work smarter, and push through hard seasons with more resilience. If you’re feeling the cost of disengagement, it might be time to talk.