Employee Engagement

Strategy Guide
Your Roadmap for Culture Improvement and Change
 GUIDE OVERVIEW

What’s Inside
Today, employee engagement is a critical component
of any organization’s strategic plan. HR professionals
and organizational leaders across all industries
are challenged with creating a culture that drives
results through engagement, shared values, and
performance-centered recognition.

But how is this done?

This guide breaks down how to get started on
an employee engagement and culture-building
plan, then dives into four key components of
employee engagement:

1. Employee Recognition

2. Workplace Culture

3. Living by Your Corporate Values

4. C
 ommunication in Today’s
Distributed Workforce

An engaged and high-performing workforce is within

your grasp – you just need the right approach and the
best tools to foster the right culture to make it happen.

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 CONTENTS

Contents

4. How to Build Your Employee

Engagement and Culture Checklist:
4 Must-Haves

8. Employee Recognition 101:

Why, When & How

14. Reassessing, Refocusing,

and Reinforcing Culture

19. Living by Your Organization’s

Core Values

25. Communication & Remote Work:

Assess Your Skills

Organizations that have happy,

engaged employees and a strong,
focused culture perform better.

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How to Build Your
Employee Engagement
and Culture Checklist:
4 Must-Haves
 ENGAGEMENT & CULTURE CHECKLIST

How To Build Your Employee

Where to Start?
Engagement & Culture
Take stock of your current values – do they
Checklist: 4 Must-Haves still resonate?

Evaluating and building employee engagement and culture ADVANCED ACTION

can be a complex project to tackle. Why not start with Use your values as benchmarks for employee
jotting down some ideas in a simple checklist? Here are performance, and frequently recognize those
four must-haves for your list to get you started: who incorporate them into their daily work.

To-Do #1: Revisit, Communicate

and Celebrate Your Values
Any time organizations experience massive change, like
Do you know your organizational values? Are they
what many went through in 2020 and 2021, revisiting
well-known across your organization? Values are
organizational values is vital. Why? Strong values help
important, but unfortunately, people often dismiss them
your employees guide their work and daily decisions.
as corporate mumbo-jumbo without any real purpose.
For example, if you emphasize and promote customer
According to Gallup, only 23% of employees strongly
experience as an important value, your employees will
agree that they can apply their organization’s values to
know that customer needs will always take precedence
their work every day and, just 27% of employees believe
when juggling many priorities.
in their company’s values. How do we fix this? Connect
and communicate your corporate values and reinforce Alternatively, emphasizing teamwork will remind your
them daily – they are the foundation of your ideal employees to collaborate and make themselves available
workplace culture. to help across all departments.

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 ENGAGEMENT & CULTURE CHECKLIST

To-Do #2: Communicate Intentionally

Where to Start?
Effective communication within your organization
Define and uncover your current organizational
is critical, especially with remote workforces.
culture by interviewing employees at all levels. Start
According to Forbes, the average attention span of a
making a plan for what you would like it to look like.
millennial is 12 seconds, for Gen Z workers, eight
seconds; that 6-paragraph email isn’t likely to get your ADVANCED AC TION

message across effectively for those groups. Discovering Take your culture beyond the employee handbook by
the right channel to reach your departments or teams is incorporating it into policies and practices. Recognize
the first step. employees who live your organization’s values.

Managers should continuously be communicating to

employees how and why their work affects organizational and middle managers significantly impact what your
success. Gallup reports that many remote workers are corporate culture looks like. One practical example:
likely to feel lost and/or forgotten in their new work consider whether or not you turn your camera on in
environment. Voicing what an employee’s contribution virtual meetings. Is it only on with certain people or
means to others can make them feel empowered, groups? That is part of your culture!
connected, and more engaged.
Small choices that managers make, like saying good
Another thing to explore is how personal milestones and morning every day, or allowing for a flexible work
life events can be communicated and celebrated remotely. schedule, set the tone for the culture an individual
Consider sharing employee birthdays, work-anniversaries, employee will experience. According to Gallup, managers
years of service milestones, and exciting life events, so account for 70% of the variance in employee engagement
everyone feels included and seen. Better yet, consider and directly affect how employees experience workplace
a system that does it automatically, like Kudos to avoid culture. Your managers need to know your cultural
leaving anyone out. expectations if you want your employees to have the right

Where to start? Talk to your managers and team leads experience. Showing regular appreciation for small and

about their teams’ communication preferences. major accomplishments to positive behaviors is a great
way to for managers to engage their team.
Advanced action: Implement focused tools that facilitate
communication at the department and organization-wide Connect and communicate your
level to create visibility, consistency and reach. corporate values and reinforce them
To-Do #3: Dig into Your Culture daily – they are the foundation of your
ideal workplace culture.
What’s the expression? Culture eats strategy for
breakfast? Studies show that employees with a strong Culture can be a tough egg to crack, but being aware of the

connection to their organization’s culture exhibit higher good, the bad, and the ugly of your organization’s existing

levels of engagement. Unlike values, vision, or strategy, culture equips you with the knowledge you need to

culture doesn’t only come from the top-down. Employees mitigate unfavorable situations and hire the right people.

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 ENGAGEMENT & CULTURE CHECKLIST

To-Do #4: Recognize Your

Employees Regularly
Recognition is vital to fostering employee engagement.
Today’s employees need to hear that they’re doing
a great job. A strong recognition culture can also
improve individual and overall business performance.
A recent survey found that companies with the highest
engagement levels see employee recognition as a means
to develop and stretch employees to new levels of success.
Harvard Business Review has reported that 40% of
employed Americans say they’d put more energy into
their work if they received recognition more often.

Be careful not to confuse rewards with recognition. When

employees say they want more recognition for their hard
work, they don’t mean rewards. A reward would be a cash
bonus or other gift with a monetary value; recognition
is the act of appreciating and acknowledging your
employees’ great work and effort. It doesn’t have to be
complicated, 85% of employees simply want to hear ‘thank
you’ in their work interactions.

Where to Start?
Take stock of your current recognition strategy.
Showing regular appreciation for small
Are you relying too heavily on rewards? Assess
and major accomplishments to positive
the impact your approach has on employee
engagement, culture, and business performance.
behaviors is a great way to for managers
to engage their team.
ADVANCED ACTION
And that’s it! With those four important to-dos’ officially
Establish a modern recognition strategy
on your Employee Engagement and Culture Checklist,
by implementing a platform that simplifies
you’re ready to get to work. In the next few sections, we’ll
and normalizes frequent recognition in your
be digging a bit deeper into these four to-dos to help you
organization and helps you track who is being
really make an impact.
recognized or recognizing most often.

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Employee Recognition 101:
When, Why & How
 EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION 101

Employee Recognition 101:

When, Why & How
Employee recognition is a continuously evolving space improving employee experience. What’s more, today’s
that has come a long way. Back when most employees c-suite is discussing employer brand, employee
spent their entire careers working for one company, engagement, and stakeholder capitalism regularly.
pre-defined years of service awards and annual bonuses
Employee recognition is an essential piece of today’s
seemed to meet employees’ recognition needs. But
HR puzzle – especially if your employees have recently
today, employee expectations have changed, and the
reported a desire for more or better recognition in a
organizations that want to remain successful are actively
survey or if you are experiencing high levels of turnover,
working to address these new expectations.
poor performance, and employee burnout. Here’s a
In today’s HR departments, you’ll find culture specialists, simple overview to help you get to know the recognition
total rewards managers, employee experience architects, space today and how you can make your employees and
and even chief happiness officers all dedicated to colleagues feel proud of their contributions at work.

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 EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION 101

Why Is Recognition
Important?
Recognition is Vital to Today’s Workforce 3. Flattening organizational cultures: Recognition
serves as appreciation for strong performance
Recent data collected by Gallup found that praising and
when promotions aren’t possible or the norm.
recognizing employees can positively affect employee
well-being and your organization’s bottom line. The 4. Technology: Technology facilitates transparency,
report found that 66% of respondents trusted their collaboration, and knowledge sharing, and that has
colleagues more when they felt sufficiently praised. become the expectation for today’s employees.
Adequately praised employees also produced better Organizational recognition programs should fit
results and were more productive. A study on the that mold.
importance of recognition found that today’s most
5. Millennial Workforce: Millennials are the largest
progressive organizations use their recognition programs
generation in the workforce, and they expect and
to consistently reinforce key behaviors and outcomes
demand more feedback than previous generations.
necessary to drive business success.
The ROI of recognition and employee engagement
According to Forbes, recognized employees are “more
runs deep, but one of the most noticeable benefits to
satisfied, perform better, are more productive, and they’re
organizational culture and the bottom line is improved
more likely to engage with the rest of the team.” The
employee retention.
Forbes piece explained that acknowledging employees
for individual contributions reduces stress, absenteeism, What we see at Kudos is that a good
and attrition. The previously quoted Gallup study found frequency and quantity of recognition,
that employees who receive recognition also demonstrate
when all team members are sending
increased collaboration through reduced self-protecting
between 3 to 5 messages per person per
behaviors, such as information hoarding.
month, creates a culture of appreciation
Deloitte has identified these five market factors that
that leads to higher engagement.
make recognition especially important and relevant today:
Employees who feel that they’re not adequately
1.  Unstable economy: Recognition is typically more recognized at work are 3x more likely to quit in the next
cost-effective and has a longer-term impact than year, according to Gallup. Deloitte also reported that
expensive salary increases and bonuses. companies with cultures of recognition have 31% lower

2.  Need for greater agility: Through recognition, voluntary turnover. Another Deloitte report (The Talent

organizations can retain employees and attract 2020 Survey) found that recognition is among the top

top talent. three most effective non-financial factors for retention.

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 EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION 101

When is Recognition
Appropriate?
The timing of recognition matters. For recognition to David Grazian, the Director of Corporate Taxation

appear authentic, it should be shared as close to the event at Granite Construction, Inc., shared that publicly

or activity being recognized as possible, which means recognizing entire departments can improve the

recognition should be given frequently. department’s reputation within the organization

while also helping you “get more resources” when you
According to Gallup, fewer than a third of workers have need them.
received praise from a supervisor in the last seven days.
In fact, Gallup’s Chief Scientist Jim Carter has stated, Finally, recognition doesn’t just need to come from the

“Recognition is a short-term need that has to be satisfied top-down, i.e., manager-to-employee; recognition should

on an ongoing basis – weekly, maybe daily.” flow to-and-from employees at all levels, which is what’s
known as peer-to-peer recognition. In fact, in some
In organizations with cultures of recognition, significant cases, the Society for Human Resource Management
accomplishments and small favors are recognized found that employees prefer to be recognized by their
often and freely. Praise and gratitude are both critical peers over their managers or superiors because their
components of recognition and should be shared equally. recognition feels more genuine.
Beyond that, inclusivity is key. Everyone’s contributions,
regardless of their role, should be acknowledged if the Showing regular appreciation for small
impact is meaningful; this fosters belonging and improved and major accomplishments to positive
employee morale. behaviors is a great way to for managers
Both individuals and groups should be recognized to
to engage their team.
maximize the benefits. When interviewed by Gallup,

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 EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION 101

How to Give Meaningful

Recognition
How you deliver your recognition can make a difference in the organization’s success. In fact, Human Resources
the impact it will have. Today’s definition of Employee Recognition mentions
this exact point “Employee Recognition is nothing but
Here are a few things to keep in mind: the acknowledgment of an individual or team for their
1.  Be specific: Avoid dropping a generic, “Great job!” hard work, efforts, and accomplishments that go with
Instead, focus on what specifically the person did the organization’s goals and values.”
to earn the recognition and, when possible, how it
Here are some templates to help you get started:
advanced the individual or team towards a goal, and
or demonstrated how to live a core value, and or
YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO [PROJECT]
advanced a company goal.
WAS AMAZING!
2.  Be transparent: If someone contributed to a team Your work on the [contribution] will help us to achieve
effort, make sure you specify exactly what they did our goal of [goal]. You demonstrated fantastic [value 1]
in order to give them the credit they deserve. Also, & [value 2]. Great work!
include why you are recognizing an individual to show
GREAT JOB ON THE [PROJECT/REPORT/
your sincerity.
PRESENTATION]!

3.  Recognize the effort, not the outcome: The Because of your hard work we were able to [goal/will/
progress]. I’m always so impressed by your [value 1]
goal of sending recognition is to encourage and
and [value 2]. [Company name] wouldn’t be the same
reinforce positive behavior in your organization.
without you.
By recognizing the work and thought that went
into an accomplishment, you are not only providing
meaningful recognition to the individual but also Finally, It’s all in the delivery. To enjoy all the benefits of
signaling to the broader organization what type of recognition discussed above, like increased productivity,
effort gets recognized. employee engagement, and reduced turnover, the delivery
method must be effective. Luckily, as employee expectations
4.  Make it meaningful: Recognize when it truly is
have changed, so has technology. Where recognition used to
warranted, using the two points above as a guide
be more at the individual manager’s discretion and generally
(specificity and transparency). Gallup explains that
hidden from the rest of the company, organizations who
“if everyone wins, no one wins” and that a recognition
want to build a culture of recognition have implemented
approach where everyone gets a turn regardless of
employee recognition platforms to streamline the
the quality of their work can breed “resentment and,
process and create more transparency and accountability
ultimately, cynicism.”
surrounding who is receiving recognition and how often.
5.  Organizational values and mission: Tying
The recognition platform leaders provide a system that
recognition back to organization’s goals can make
facilitates peer-to-peer recognition driven by values and
an employee feel like their contributions matter to
visible to the entire organization – and robust analytics to
track and measure success.

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 EMPLOYEE RECOGNITION 101

Points are Not the Point

Today, recognition is often confused with rewards, element of a recognition moment, that is a reward
specifically points that employees can use toward gift program, not a recognition program.
cards or other perks. While rewards are a fantastic tool
Recognition is a critical component of any organization’s
to reinforce performance and contribution, they are not
human resources strategy. The ROI of recognition is
interchangeable with recognition and certainly don’t have
undeniable. With hybrid workforces as the new normal,
the same long-lasting impact on employee engagement.
having a plan for employee engagement regardless of
In a Gallup study, money or financial reward ranked geography should be top of mind for every c-suite. If it
fifth as the most memorable form of recognition, after isn’t, we challenge you to add it to your next management
public and private praise, positive reviews, and added team meeting agenda to start the conversation.
responsibilities. Simply put, if points are the central

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Reassessing, Refocusing
& Reinforcing Culture
 REASSESSING , REFOCUSING , & REINFORCING CULTURE

Reassessing, Refocusing
& Reinforcing Culture
How Would You Describe Your
values, goals, attitudes, and practices. As HR professionals
Organizational Culture These Days? and business leaders, it’s important to remember that
Ignoring significant shifts in organizational culture can those values, goals, attitudes, and practices must be
be costly. The right culture can help employees fulfill intentionally defined, shared, lived by leadership, and
their need for meaning and purpose at work, leading recognized widely and often to build the right culture.
to more impactful discretionary effort and higher
Today, successful organizations are regularly reassessing,
performance levels. Building on that, culture is a
refocusing, and reinforcing their culture. In considering
known powerful driver of employee engagement
the steps below, you’ll be well on your way to seeing a
and better financial performance for organizations.
more engaged and higher-performing workforce and
Let’s dig a bit deeper into the idea of culture. The most timeline so you can accurately predict and plan for
common definition speaks to a particular groups’ shared a suitable go-live date.

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 REASSESSING , REFOCUSING , & REINFORCING CULTURE

Reassessing Culture
Do you suspect there’s an issue with the culture in your
organization? Do you have a good pulse of your employee
experience over the last year?

Many workplaces now have a hybrid workforce,

combining in-office and remote workers. So, what does
that mean for culture? Simply speaking, if you thought
your office environment with a ping pong table and
popcorn machine was the backbone of your culture, you
were wrong. One thing that we’ve learned in the last
year is that organizational culture is about relationships,
not things, and it now needs to evolve based on what
employees are experiencing day-to-day. For that to
happen, leaders need to take the time to assess what’s
working and what needs a bit more attention.

Forbes offers a simple 8 question model to assess culture,

with questions like “What was the biggest adjustment
for you when you started working here?” and “How
employee’s work environment. Armed with knowledge on
are meetings typically run here?”. It’s also important
how culture is perceived and experienced, you’re now ready
to ask questions about what has changed in the last
to make the necessary changes to make your culture strive.
year and what challenges employees are experiencing.
That is important to understand because, according to Refocusing Culture
Gallup, managers account for 70% of the variance in
After assessing where your current culture stands, you
employee engagement and directly affect how employees
can determine if there are any components that don’t align
experience workplace culture.
with – or are actively impeding – your organizational goals
Today, it’s essential to consider your findings based on in our new normal. Take the time to rethink your employee
the employees’ individual workplace (in-office, remote, experience and make sure it’s conducive to what you’re
and hybrid.) Ideally, your organization should have one trying to achieve. Ultimately, culture guides employee
overarching vision for its culture independent of each behavior, so it’s essential to formulate a solid plan.

Take the time to rethink your employee

Key Takeaway experience and make sure it’s conducive
Workplaces have changed forever – it’s time to to what you’re trying to achieve.
reassess your current culture and uncover issues Ultimately, culture guides employee
that need work. behavior, so it’s essential to formulate
a solid plan.

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 REASSESSING , REFOCUSING , & REINFORCING CULTURE

But it’s About More than Just Your

Business’ Cultural Vision Key Takeaway
Create a culture that aligns with your
A big part of organizational culture comes from employee
organizational goals and your employees’ needs.
attitude. The right tools make your employees feel more
Using the right tools (systems) for work and culture
engaged, supported, and connected to their organization.
building is critical for success.
In a 2021 survey by Deloitte, the four top factors
identified as most important to making remote/virtual
work sustainable were:
and thus a strong culture that aligns with your goals
1. Introducing digital collaboration and
and realigning work-life balance. Canadian company
communication platforms
Loblaw Digital provides a great example of putting this
2. Allowing personal choice in determining how into practice. Loblaw recently shared their new meeting
work gets done guidelines on LinkedIn, which include rules about

3. Establishing new scheduling and meeting norms meeting times and lengths and no meetings at all
on Fridays (imagine!).
4. Limit communications to standard work hours
Once you’ve settled on a vision for your culture and
First on the list – collaboration platforms can be an
determined some cultural norms that make sense for your
excellent space for employees at all levels and work
organizational goals and your employees, set up a timeline
locations to come together to work and live out the
and benchmarks to track your success. Using an employee
culture. Business collaboration and communication
engagement system like Kudos can help with built-in
platforms like Zoom, Teams, and Slack are great for work
analytics that tracks which aspects of organizational
but also consider a separate and dedicated space to
culture are most prominent in day-to-day work.
connect, communicate, appreciate and celebrate to focus
on employee engagement, like Kudos. Create a culture that aligns with your
The next three factors from the list above are great organizational goals and your employees
examples of specific practices that can be encouraged or needs. Using the right tools for culture
even mandated to build a consistent employee experience, building is critical.

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 REASSESSING , REFOCUSING , & REINFORCING CULTURE

Reinforcing Culture in 2021

What can leadership do to reinforce and reinvigorate organization’s values, making sure they’re understood
culture? The most important thing is to share the vision and top of mind, and being true to the priorities you’ve
through a clear culture statement that employees can laid out. Simply put, if your executives and managers are
revisit often. walking the talk, you’ll get better buy-in organization-wide.

Another critical component to maintaining culture is Organizational culture is a complex notion that can
how you hire. Gone are the days of hiring for culture fit. significantly impact the bottom line. A common
Instead, managers should be focusing on hiring for culture misconception is that culture happens organically; culture
add. As Management scholar Adam Grant shares in this should be deliberate and strategic. Take the time to
video, hiring for culture fit, where candidates are hired reassess and refocus your culture for today’s workplace
based on shared values, isn’t as effective as was once and your organizational goals. Finally, start reinforcing
thought. He shares the importance of culture add and culture daily and encourage all organization levels to do
culture contribution. For example, if you feel your culture the same!
is stagnant and lacking new ideas? Hire someone with an
entrepreneurial background.
Live your culture every day and hire for
culture-add, not culture-fit.
But most importantly, what can you do on an ongoing
basis? Reinforce your culture daily by living your

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Living by Your
Organization’s
Core Values
 LIVING BY YOUR CORE VALUES

How To Live By Your

Organization’s Values
Clear values give every member of your organization The problem is, according to Gallup, that only 23% of
a sense of direction and a definition of success in employees strongly agree that they can apply their
every interaction and task. The right core values can organization’s values to their work every day. Sound
drive belonging and wellbeing, improved employee familiar? Here are six ways to help you bridge that gap.
engagement, and reduced turnover. But perhaps most
1. Define What Your Values Look Like in Action
importantly, tying performance measurement and
recognition to those fundamental values enables you to 2. Communicate Values Consistently and Often

build a resilient workforce with a robust culture, laser- 3. Recruit and Hire with Your Values in Mind
focused on what matters most to your organization.
4. Consider the Do/Say Divide
Relating all actions and decisions to your core corporate
values does improve your business performance. 5. Work and Play by Your Values

6. Recognize and Reward Value-aligned Behaviors

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 LIVING BY YOUR CORE VALUES

1. Define What Your Values Look

Like in Action
Sometimes values seem too aspirational or worse, like Values Behaviors/Qualities
corporate fluff. However, chances are that substance and
value can be distilled from the values your organization
has chosen. Identifying specific behaviors tied to each Honesty

value allows your team to truly see your values as their Communication
INTEGRITY
North Star, guiding them in making decisions in day-to-
Accessibility
day tasks. This can be especially helpful in organizations
where employees work remotely, with less supervision or
guidance readily available.
Transformation
Let’s break down some behaviors that could be tied to
INNOVATION Creative Thinking
particular values, including Integrity, the most popular
value in US companies, according to a recent MIT Study. Adaptation

Remember that your values will also dictate how your

employees treat your clients – that should help spell out
Ownership
specific behaviors that matter.
ACCOUNTABILITY Directness

Try This Clarity

Take some time at your next management meeting

to define associated behaviors for each one of
your core values. If you can’t, chances are your
employees can’t either, and it might be time to
revisit your values.

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 LIVING BY YOUR CORE VALUES

2. Communicate Values 3. Recruit and Hire with Your

Consistently and Often Values in Mind
For your values to help you drive the culture and After you’ve identified key behaviors and associated them
performance you’d like to see, your employees need to with your values, start looking for people who display
know them! Organizational values are often buried in those behaviors as part of your hiring process. Share
employee manuals and/or deep in the corporate intranet. your values openly and communicate to your candidates
It’s likely that many of your employees don’t even know that they should be looking for value-alignment as well.
your values, which may be why just 27% of employees Be open and honest in your interviews – if you know
believe in their core values, according to Gallup. your organization values punctuality, and a job candidate
indicates that they don’t see the importance of every
Many organizations are getting creative about spreading
meeting starting exactly on time – they might not be
the word, incorporating values into their office décor,
the ideal fit.
while others display values in their standard email
signatures. The common theme is to give your values
a presence and have them live center stage. For a Try This
remote workforce, this could look like customer Zoom
Work with your HR team to craft behavioral
backgrounds, desktop background images, or on the questions to discover if the candidates fit your core
homepage of your company intranet. values. Here are some practical behavioral-style
But remember, this comes after you’ve identified your interview questions to get you started.

core values – do not determine your values based on

an ideal acronym. For example, here at Kudos, our core
A great example of a company being open about values
values are:
in recruitment is the meal-kit company HelloFresh.
• Transparency • Happiness
Their career page features their values front and center,
• Accountable • Innovation
essentially communicating to candidates, “we aren’t
• Collaboration
interested if this isn’t you.” Check it out. Another example

We made a simple and relevant acronym work for our is popular online shoe and clothing retailer Zappos.

values, not the other way around. They have a recruitment video that displays their culture
in a radical way with the purpose of attracting people
who are aligned with their values and repelling those
Try This who wouldn’t fit in.

Why not make your values easier to remember

by developing a clever acronym!

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 LIVING BY YOUR CORE VALUES

4. Consider the Do/Say Divide

Leaders and executive managers are always being
watched closely by the rest of the organization.
Employees look to management for cues on how to act
and react, especially in unusual or challenging situations
(like what we experienced over the course of the last
year). Leaders need to embody the core values they
want their employees to live by. If transparency is a core
value, leadership must be open with the entire company
about any challenges they are facing. If collaboration is a
corporate value, leaders should have representation from
all company levels and functions on any special projects or
working groups.

A great example of this is how Microsoft handled the

onset of the global pandemic in 2020. Microsoft’s
corporate values are respect, integrity, and accountability.
When Covid-19 first hit in March, Microsoft announced
that they would continue to pay all hourly service
providers their regular pay during the period of reduced
service needs, embodying those values at a time when all
employees were watching.

Try This
Next time you’re faced with a difficult situation
(a core employee resigns, you lose a big contract),
think about whether your reaction embodies
your core values and make the necessary
adjustments. Remember that your employees
will follow your lead.

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 LIVING BY YOUR CORE VALUES

6. Recognize and Reward

Value-aligned Behaviors
One of the most straightforward ways to reinforce
your values into your corporate culture and day-to-
day life within your organization is to recognize value-
aligned behaviors. That can happen formally as part
of performance reviews but also informally through
regular recognition. Informally recognizing value-aligned
behaviors and contributions helps keep values top of
5. Work and Play by Your Values
mind, helping to build the culture you need to succeed as
Consistency is critical when communicating the an organization.
importance of your values to your team to show your
commitment. If one of your core values is health and
wellness, but you celebrate your wins with cake and
Try This
alcohol, that doesn’t really align – does it? For your values Consider an employee recognition and engagement
to stick, you need to live them in all aspects of your platform like Kudos to make daily peer-to-peer

organization. recognition easy. With Kudos, specific value-tied

behaviors must be associated with each recognition
Here’s a great example; one of AirBnb’s core values is
message, essentially hardwiring your values into
“Be the Host,” so fittingly, during an annual meeting,
your culture.
they encouraged local employees to host their visiting
colleagues for dinner at their home or at a local
restaurant. This is a perfect example of truly living Corporate values are a powerful tool that should not
your values. be ignored or brushed over. The right values have the
power to connect your workforce and drive everyone
Informally recognizing value-aligned
toward a shared goal. To get there, you must incorporate
behaviors and contributions helps keep your values into daily life and truly live your values every
values top of mind, helping to build the day. When values are distilled down from broad and
culture you need to succeed as aspirational statements to clear behaviors, employees
an organization. are equipped with clear expectations, allowing them to
do their job in a meaningful and valuable way, leading to
improved organizational performance.
Try This
Challenge your social committee to tie any staff
events and celebrations back to your corporate
values. If something isn’t clicking – change it!
Showing you are committed to living your values
helps get others on board.

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Communication
& Remote Work:
Assess Your Skills
 COMM UNICATION & REMOTE WORK

Communication & Remote

Work: Assess Your Skills
The events of 2020 and 2021 caused a great deal of
disruption in our usual work environments, and especially
our means of communication. For those who have made
Communication makes the world go
the shift to remote or hybrid work permanently, our ability
round. It facilitates human connections,
to communicate effectively has been tested.
and allows us to learn, grow and progress.
It’s not just about speaking or reading but The Importance of Communication
understanding what is being said – and in in Employee Engagement
some cases what is not being said.” Employee engagement and communication are closely
tied. The moments of connection, inclusion, and
Richard Branson
Founder of the Virgin Group community created by strong lines of communication are
invaluable to organizations.

Cultures of good communication aren’t easy to build and

maintain, but they pay big dividends. By promoting open
and consistent communication standards, organizations
foster higher engagement levels – and keep in mind, highly
engaged workforces are over 20% more profitable.

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 COMM UNICATION & REMOTE WORK

So How Do Your
Ask Yourself:
Communication Skills • Am I easily accessible to my team if they

Measure Up? need me?

Use the list below to assess how you’re doing and identify • Do I answer instant messages or emails in

gaps in your remote-work communication toolkit. a relatively timely manner?

1. Non-verbal Cues
The lack of non-verbal cues created by working in 2. Access
a remote setting can lead to miscommunication,
Is your virtual door “always open?” Open-door policies
defensiveness, and conflict. That said, there are some
are important whether you are in the office or remote.
non-verbal cues still available, primarily via video calls.
Sometimes your team needs to reach out outside of
And while we are all aware of “Zoom-fatigue,” those video
scheduled meetings and check-ins. In a survey conducted
calls are essential to assess whether your message is
by Slack, 46% of remote workers believe the best
being received.
managers are the ones who check in often. What’s more,
Non-verbal cues also go beyond body language. Managers a different study found that 84% of remote workers hide
should take the time to interpret the tone of their workplace concerns for a few days before informing
employees’ emails and messages to check for signs of higher-ups, and 47% admitted that they didn’t address
distress, frustration, or burnout. Messages sent late at issues for more than a week. With that said, it’s also
night, frequent errors, and a curt tone are some red flags important to set boundaries – you don’t need to be
to look for. available 24/7 just because your office is your home.

Finally, more overt actions or displays of disengagement If a task needs your undivided attention, book that time

like absenteeism or non-participation in meetings can be a in your calendar and set any messenger apps to “do

red flag and a sign of a communication breakdown. not disturb,” and book other time slots to answer any
questions that come up that day at a time that works
for you.
Ask Yourself: Some managers address this by setting up “office hours”
• Do I monitor the wellbeing of my colleagues on Zoom where they sign into a Zoom room for an hour
by reading non-verbal communication on or two a week so their employees can pop in as needed to
video calls? collaborate or ask questions.

• Do I assess the tone of voice in email and

Open door policies are important
chat messages?
whether you are in the office or remote.

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 COMM UNICATION & REMOTE WORK

3. Accountability 4. Personal Connection

Accountability becomes even more critical in remote According to Gallup, many remote workers are likely
work environments. Without the visual cues that come to feel adrift, lost, or forgotten in their new work
with working in a shared space, your colleagues might environment. Companies are built on relationships, and
be worried about your ability to meet an approaching while remote or distributed teams may be physically
deadline, especially if you haven’t communicated progress distanced, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be, or can’t be,
and/or have missed deadlines in the past. It’s easy to give tight-knit and supportive.
someone a quick nudge in the office’s lunch- room, but it
The key to building personal connections? Effort. While
can feel intimidating to send a written message or email
serendipitous water-cooler run-ins may be a thing of
when working remotely.
the past, for now, it’s still possible to create solid and
The good news is, building trust and accountability in a meaningful relationships with colleagues if you make
virtual work environment is possible, according to Forbes. the time.
Some of their recommendations include: be predictable,
be easy to read, support others, hold people accountable
and tell the truth. For example, predictability by keeping Ask Yourself:
expectations clear and consistent can help employees • Do I take the time to have personal conversations

know what they need to do their job well. with my colleagues to learn about personal news
and any outside stressors affecting their work?

• Do I check-in with my team on well-being and job

Ask Yourself: satisfaction?
• Do I meet my deadlines?
• Do I celebrate my team’s birthdays, work

• Am I transparent about my progress on projects? anniversaries, and special life events?

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 COMM UNICATION & REMOTE WORK

5. Clear Expectations
Ask Yourself:
According to David Maxfield, managers who are explicit
with their expectations have happier teams that can • Do I know my team’s communication

deliver results. Specificity is critical in remote settings so preferences?

that employees can get to work independently without • Am I considerate of other people’s time? If

waiting for guidance. Instructions like “let’s do this sooner someone has a packed calendar, do I book their
rather than later” or “let’s talk next week” can be stressful last remaining 30-minutes, or do I find a day
and confusing, especially for remote workers who can’t when they have fewer meetings?
just pop their head into your office for advice.

caring for children and elderly parents during work

Ask Yourself:
hours – offering flexible work schedules can help ease the
• Am I clear about what I expect from my team? burden for them.
• Do I communicate clear timelines and next steps?
Generational preferences should also be considered,
with millennials typically preferring email or chat over
phone calls, and Gen X or Boomers typically preferring
6. Individualization a traditional phone calls over a video conference.
One of the keys to engaging employees is meeting their Regardless, it’s essential to take the time to understand
individual needs and tailoring their work experience to your team’s preferences and accommodate them
their preferences. The global pandemic left many workers whenever possible.

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 COMM UNICATION & REMOTE WORK

8. Company Communication
Finally, communication and direction from executives and
leaders must be considered and factored into any kind
of communication review. Company news and successes
should be communicated transparently and freely to keep
employees informed and included. According to a report
by PRovoke (formerly The Holmes Report), companies
with effective communication strategies have 47% higher
returns to shareholders, more engaged employees, and
less employee turnover.

Gallup’s Q12 framework is an excellent place to start

when building a broad employee communication strategy.
Gallup has identified 12 foundational elements of
employee engagement, and using this framework as a
guide, leaders can tailor communications to meet their
employee’s common questions and needs. Some of the
7. Recognition twelve elements include:

A strong culture of recognition helps drive employee Q2:  I have the materials and equipment to do my
engagement and performance. Regularly communicating work right
recognition is vital in a remote-work environment. When
Q5:  My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care
employees aren’t physically together, it can be easy to get
about me as a person
caught up in daily tasks and forget to recognize a job well
done. It doesn’t have to be complicated – a Deloitte study Q8:  The mission or purpose of my company makes me
found that 85% of employees simply want a thank you feel like my job is important
(vs. a gift or celebration.)

A robust recognition platform like Kudos streamlines

Ask Yourself:
recognition across an entire organization. Peers can
• Does my organization have a clear
recognize and thank each other for great work, and
communication strategy?
managers can recognize their employees and spotlight
their contributions for the organization to see. • Do my leadership team’s communication efforts

reflect the 12 elements of the Gallup Q12

employee engagement framework?
Ask Yourself:
• Am I providing regular, meaningful recognition

to my employees and colleagues?

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 COMM UNICATION & REMOTE WORK

Communications Checklist
For Remote Workers
Non-verbal cues
• Do I monitor the wellbeing of my colleagues by reading

non-verbal communication on video calls?

• Do I assess the tone of voice in email and chat messages?

Access
• Am I easily accessible to my team if they need me?

• Do I answer instant messages or emails in a relatively

timely manner?

Accountability
• Do I meet my deadlines? Am I transparent about my progress

on projects?

Personal Connection
• Do I take the time to have personal conversations with my

colleagues to learn about personal news and any outside

stressors affecting their work?

• Do I check-in with my team on wellbeing and job satisfaction?

• Do I celebrate my team’s birthdays, work anniversaries, and

special life events?

Clear Expectations
• Am I clear about what I expect from my team?

• Do I communicate clear timelines and next steps?

Individualization
• Do I know my team’s communication preferences?

• Am I considerate of other people’s time?

Recognition
• Am I providing regular, meaningful recognition to my

employees and colleagues?

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 COMM UNICATION & REMOTE WORK

Understanding What Remote

Workers Need to Perform
If you answered yes to most of the questions – months ago and will likely look different six months
congratulations! You have exceptional communication from now. Continuously assessing and improving your
skills and are setting your team up for success in a remote communication skills is the key to fostering a thriving
work environment. and engaged workforce.

If this assessment made you realize that there are some Next Steps
gaps in your communication skills – don’t be discouraged.
The key to an engaged workforce is having a clear and
Everyone is still adapting to the changes 2020 brought; it’s
defined plan. Employees needs and expectations are
important to be patient with yourself and focus on minor
constantly changing – today’s HR professionals need
improvements every day.
the first tools and partners to stay up to date and design
With that said, communication is vital in understanding and workplace and culture that fosters happiness,
what remote workers need to perform their job today, productivity, and performance.
which could be different from what they needed six

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 STR ATEGY GUIDE: ABOUT KUDOS

About Kudos
Kudos is an employee engagement, culture, and
analytics platform, that harnesses the power of
peer-to-peer recognition, values reinforcement,
and open communication to help organizations boost
employee engagement, reduce turnover, improve
culture, and drive productivity and performance.
Kudos uses unique proprietary methodologies to deliver
essential people analytics on culture, performance,
equity, and inclusion, providing organizations with deep
insights and a clear understanding of their workforce.
Visit kudos.com today to learn more.

Learn more about how Kudos

can help build your culture.

Get in touch

33 | EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT STR ATEGY GUIDE

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