Picture a workplace where employees are not just clocking in but are genuinely invested in the company’s success. When employees are engaged, they exhibit higher performance levels, are willing to put in extra effort, and show a reduced inclination to leave their jobs.1 Furthermore, they infuse their work with passion, commitment, and a strong sense of belonging. Studies indicate that engaged employees are 18% more productive and can increase profitability by 23%.2 This illustrates the transformative impact of employee engagement. Paul Marciano, a leading authority on engagement and retention, identifies employee respect for the organization as one of five key drivers of engagement. Not surprisingly, engagement is higher when employees feel pride in their organization’s values and view it as a force for good in the world.3
Volunteerism is a powerful tool corporations can use to drive engagement, and it has the additional benefit of contributing to the company’s social responsibility goals and increasing alignment between employee personal and professional values, which is also shown to increase employee loyalty. According to one recent study, employees who believe their company’s values align with their own are more likely to recommend their employer (70% vs. 25%) and are less likely to say they are considering leaving (33% vs. 44%).4
The tumultuous years following the pandemic brought increased awareness to the importance of employee engagement and the factors affecting it. Partnering with the National Center for Women in Information Technology (NCWIT) not only supports its vital mission to increase the meaningful participation of women and historically marginalized identities in computing but also serves as a strategic avenue to bolster recruitment efforts and increase employee engagement which, in turn, increases retention.
Aspirations in Computing: a Vehicle to Drive Engagement
Anchored in a rigorous foundation of social science research, assessment outcomes, and philanthropic outreach, our programs deliver engagement activities that generate enduring positive effects. The NCWIT Aspirations in Computing (AiC) is one such program. AiC utilizes recognition and access to resources (scholarships, internships, jobs, recognitions, networking, etc.) to build vocational identity, reward persistence, and recognize the fortitude of participants. Awarded a 2018 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring, the AiC Community supports nearly 30,000 women, genderqueer and non-binary individuals with diverse and intersecting identities in their computing education and career journeys.
AiC is comprised of the next generation of STEM professionals, and evidence shows that ongoing participation in NCWIT’s educational pathway programs increases diverse students’ long-term persistence in computing. 89% of existing AiC community members report a college major or minor in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) field, 76% in computing or engineering specifically. These metrics serve as a stark contrast to the 4% of all women who earn engineering or computing degrees.
The NCWIT Employee Engagement Framework presents a prime example of how this widely successful program can be leveraged to yield impactful outcomes for both the immediate community and our Workforce Alliance member companies.
Figure 2: The NCWIT Employee Engagement Framework
Each of the Engagement Elements: Teach, Network, Celebrate, Learn, and Volunteer provides a plethora of activities that can be used in combination as standalone components. See the descriptions below:
- TEACH. When employees can put their own experiences and expertise to work helping others, they have an increased sense of purpose both for their jobs and for themselves. They also gain a sense of shared purpose with the employer that gave them the opportunity.5 Through TEACH, employees can share their expertise through workshops focusing on technical skill-building and career development opportunities.
- NETWORK. Supportive networks are another key driver of engagement. Building relationships both inside and outside the office strengthens the connections employees have with their coworkers and their community. AiC Meetups connect employees with their community through in-person or virtual events.
- CELEBRATE. Happy employees are more productive, more open to new challenges, more likely to help others at work, and more self-confident.5 By providing employees with opportunities to celebrate AiC Ambassadors and award winners, employees can encourage joyous encounters with co-workers, managers, and community members.
- LEARN. Learning is a key component of effective employee engagement,6 which boosts employee confidence and decreases turnover. Employees who engage in learning activities have an increased sense of loyalty to their employers and report higher levels of job satisfaction.7 NCWIT provides learning opportunities covering a wide range of topics, with an emphasis on research-based strategies for strengthening teams and building cultures of inclusion, respect, and engagement.
- VOLUNTEER. Additional volunteerism opportunities are built into the AiC framework. Employees are invited to connect in several ways: award application review, affiliate event support, and speaking engagements where they can share their stories.
Utilizing the NCWIT Employee Engagement Framework, partner companies have the opportunity to achieve residual gains from these engagement activities by encouraging participating employees to share their enthusiasm and experiences with their colleagues. According to a study in 2013, recognizing employees for their efforts can drive volunteerism which in turn drives overall engagement. Companies that recognize employees report a 39% participation rate in volunteer opportunities whereas companies that do not provide recognition see only 32% participation.8 Employee engagement is more than a buzzword at NCWIT. It is a way to increase retention by driving community involvement.
NCWIT unites over 1,600 organizations in the national computing ecosystem (K-12 through career) and works to broaden participation in computing across the diverse range of intersecting identities (and especially those marginalized by gender), assuring they are meaningfully and influentially represented at all levels of computing. To learn more about how the NCWIT Workforce Alliance membership can strengthen your employee engagement efforts contact [email protected].
Footnotes
