By the time your best people start talking about leaving, it’s already too late.
That’s what a CEO friend of mine realized after his company lost a key innovation leader who had silently disengaged over the course of a year. No complaints. No drama. Just a polite resignation and an opportunity lost. The post-mortem revealed what many leaders discover too late: the real reason people leave isn’t usually pay. It’s how they feel. About their work, their manager, their growth, and their place in the bigger picture.
Employee Experience Is Not a Perk. It’s a Performance Strategy.
Let’s cut through the noise. Engagement is not about gym facilities or tennis tables. It’s about clarity, trust, growth, and purpose. It’s about creating the kind of workplace where people want to bring their best ideas, not just their attendance.
Take Unilever for example. Under former CEO Alan Jope, the company doubled down on building a purpose-driven culture that empowered employees at all levels. From flexible working models to embedding sustainability and social responsibility into everyday work, Unilever reframed employee experience as a core business strategy. Jope often said, “Purpose is the path to long-term performance.” And he proved it. Engagement scores rose, innovation flourished, and Unilever consistently ranked among the most admired employers globally.
Now contrast that with a multinational retail chain (name withheld), where I once consulted. Despite impressive marketing and store expansion, their internal engagement scores were dismal. Managers weren’t trained to coach, feedback loops were nonexistent, and high performers were burning out. Turnover skyrocketed. Talent acquisition costs ballooned. Sales dipped across regions. The leadership kept throwing incentives at the problem, without addressing the root cause: a neglected employee experience.
This Is a Business Issue, Not Just an HR Metric
Engagement isn’t a warm and fuzzy metric to check every quarter. It’s deeply tied to profitability, innovation, and customer experience. Studies consistently show that engaged employees are:
21% more productive
41% less likely to be absent
59% less likely to look for a new job
Yet the biggest myth in leadership circles is this: “Engagement is HR’s job.” It’s not. It’s yours. It’s mine. It’s every manager’s daily responsibility to build trust, provide clarity, remove roadblocks, and give people a reason to care.
What You Can Do Differently Starting Today?
1. Listen. Really Listen.
Don’t just wait for the annual engagement survey. Create intentional feedback loops. Make one-on-ones meaningful. Ask, “What’s getting in your way?” and be prepared to act.
2. Recognize that disengagement hides in plain sight.
The employee who stops offering ideas. The one who always says “fine” but seems a little more distant each week. These are signs. Don’t ignore them.
3. Equip managers to be culture builders.
Most people don’t quit their jobs. They quit managers. Train your frontline leaders not just to manage tasks, but to inspire people.
4. Make growth part of the deal.
Engagement rises when people feel they’re growing. Create pathways for advancement, cross-functional exposure, and skill development.
The Bottom Line
Companies that prioritize employee experience aren’t just nicer places to work. They’re better businesses. They outperform, out-innovate, and outlast competitors. Because when people thrive, the business does too.
Engagement isn’t a feel-good initiative. It’s a competitive advantage, and the best time to start building it was yesterday.