The Role of Data Science in Boosting Employee Engagement

A report on job unhappiness found that US employees are increasingly dissatisfied and disengaged at work. As many as 60% of people report being emotionally detached at work, with 19% feeling "miserable." Compared to higher statistics in 2020, only 33% of workers report feeling engaged in 2022, with higher workplace stress and burnout. Given these alarming issues affecting overall productivity, employers must take action to improve the workplace. One way they can start is by using data science to reveal gaps within their business systems.

Data science is a tool used across various industries, including improving productivity. Big data can be capitalized to support departments in their collaborative efforts by identifying bottlenecks and gathering feedback. This has led to a huge demand for qualified data scientists with a relevant degree, and those that are experts in this field are being quickly snapped up by companies. This is because those with a data science degree often also have a business minor, which gives them the skills to explore, analyze, monitor, manage, and visualize large data in a business setting. This is why the demand for qualified data scientists continues to outstrip the supply, with an average of more than two million open jobs looking for those analytics skills to make critical decisions – including those centered around employee engagement.

Through big data, both companies and workers can benefit from a customized employee experience without straining the HR workforce.

Data science can give employers insights into employee sentiment and performance, providing suggestions and solutions to how they can approach and boost employee engagement. Data scientists can answer questions on how to increase worker retention. Listed below are some ways data science can help boost employee engagement:

Collect feedback on employee behaviors and taking action

While employee surveys and focus groups are common in work settings, having organic data on employee behavior and sentiment can ensure more transparent feedback. Some workers may hesitate to publicly state their true thoughts on company culture, so through the use of data tools that ensure anonymity of employees, HR cancompile the information intuitively and get actionable insights daily. Some technologies can also employ predictive analytics. For example, these can be used to evaluate each team’s daily risk of burnout and reasons why employees consider leaving the company. Managers can step in and present a counteroffer with increased pay and benefits, a better role, or an improvement in work environment, depending on the motivations of the employee who exhibits certain warning signs. At the very least, managers can try to make improvements in communication and leadership style when his or her team is showing higher risk of voluntary turnover.

It’s crucial to understand that data science is only a tool for understanding employee needs, but it’s ultimately up to the company’s management to take action to improve the employee experience. Companies can improve employee satisfaction and productivity by acknowledging and addressing worker concerns.

Discover each team’s daily levels of engagement, burnout risk, job satisfaction, and more–without the surveys!

Identify areas of improvement and providing learning opportunities with AI

Another area in which employers can use big data to improve employee engagement and performance is through upskilling. The use of technology can monitor work performance, but it can also serve as a tool to track an employee’s career progress. This career-growth tracking can allow both workers and employers to look back on their previous work and identify areas of improvement, serving as suggestions on what training companies can invest in and encouraging employees to build specific skill sets.

Aside from providing feedback, technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) can speed up employee learning. AI can take information on the staff’s learning style history and optimize the new course structure to best suit them, prompting them to learn much more efficiently. Through technology in training, companies can give employees a more personalized experience for staff engagement and effectiveness.

Use People Analytics for employee recognition

One way to engage employees is to recognize their work performance. Undervalued workers may feel excluded, disengaged, and unmotivated, negatively impacting their perspective on work and performance. In recent years, with work settings shifting online, data tools focusing on Performance Management have been crucial in identifying the top contributing talents of a company. These tools allow managers to identify their top talent who contribute to the success of the business, based on performance data and not just gut feel.

‍Ask us how you can get the daily job satisfaction, engagement, and turnover risk metrics of your top talent in a demo.

Through big data, both companies and workers can benefit from a customized employee experience without straining the HR workforce. Critical information on employees, such as sentiment, performance, and upskilling, can help companies identify and address specific problems. Employees will feel more encouraged to work effectively through adequate feedback and action, improving overall business performance.