Engagement as a Strategic Priority – The Data Story

For internal communications and engagement teams, our latest survey in partnership with Work Networks is more than a set of numbers – it is a toolkit for shaping board-level conversations. At a time when senior leaders are searching for ways to increase productivity, strengthen retention, and encourage innovation, these insights offer employee engagement and internal communications professionals the ammunition they need to make engagement central to business strategy.

Make an immediate impact:

• To sense-check your Digital Workplace platform options, Work Networks are offering a complimentary 60 minute session with independent consultants. Apply here.  

Strategic Leadership Drives Business Performance

One message is impossible to ignore: organisations that treat engagement as a strategic business priority consistently report better outcomes. The survey finds that where leaders recognise engagement at a strategic level, satisfaction with productivity is 44% higher, and innovation is 41% higher, compared to organisations where engagement is seen as “important but not critical” or a task for HR and communications teams only. These are not just marginal gains – they are clear performance advantages.

The effect becomes more pronounced where proper investment is in place. In organisations with a substantial dedicated annual budget for engagement, happiness with productivity rises by 13.4%. For communications professionals, this means moving beyond conversations about staff sentiment or culture and tying engagement directly to key business outcomes – productivity, innovation, and retention. These are the results that boards notice and act on.

For inspiration from one CEO who has made engagement a strategic priority, you can watch our recent webinar with Adam Sullivan, CEO of Baywater Healthcare.

The Profile of Organisations Where Engagement is a Priority

Survey data reveals common traits among organisations that succeed in making engagement strategic. They have secured dedicated funding, they measure impact on business outcomes rather than simply counting activity, and they report higher satisfaction with performance. Nearly two-thirds (61.9%) of respondents say a dedicated budget for engagement is needed, yet only 11% have secured substantial annual investment.

Measurement is a critical differentiator. While 68.5% track engagement through survey results, only 23% measure productivity improvements, and just 21% connect engagement to financial indicators. Strategic organisations focus on KPIs that demonstrate real value to leadership – business-linked outcomes rather than outputs alone.

For communications teams, these findings support a more assertive conversation: investment and measurement together underpin success. When you can demonstrate visible performance gains, it is significantly easier to challenge the view of engagement as a “nice to have”.

Why Engagement Remains Sidelined

Despite the evidence, only 27.1% of organisations in the survey say their leaders treat engagement as a true strategic driver. Many leadership teams see it as useful but not critical, or regard it as a buzzword. The root issue is measurement – 83% focus on activity or output metrics, while fewer track the business-linked outcomes that motivate board-level attention.

When engagement centres on survey scores, response rates, or campaign “reach”, it is easier for it to fall off the agenda. In contrast, those organisations where engagement is a priority tend to link it with outcomes – 66% measure business results such as productivity and innovation.

Communications professionals need to be aware that reporting on activity alone is not enough. The challenge is to shift the narrative, so reporting demonstrates the impact on business goals, risk, and long-term strategy.

Changing the Mindset in the Boardroom

What moves the dial? The survey shows that combining focused measurement with dedicated resources delivers the most substantial shift. Organisations that track business outcomes whilst maintaining dedicated engagement funding see a 64% higher likelihood of leadership treating engagement as strategic (36.4% compared to 22.2%).

Education remains vital. Case studies, simple dashboards, and strong data visualisation can help demystify engagement for senior leaders, allowing them to see its significance in context. The top three barriers highlighted in the survey – budget constraints (51.4%), competing priorities (48.1%), and limited understanding of engagement’s effect (35.9%) – are not insurmountable. They can be addressed not by asking for more, but by making the value undeniable.

Technology as a Practical Enabler

Technology emerges from the survey as both a source of challenge and a clear opportunity. Over a quarter of respondents cite inadequate technology as a barrier, while the same proportion say improved platforms and tools are among the most-needed areas of support. The right technology will do more than support basic communications–it can centralise engagement efforts, deliver real-time data, and create a direct link between engagement activities and key organisational outcomes.

For communications professionals, technology provides an immediate lever for change. Proposing improvements to platforms is a tangible, rapid-action recommendation that addresses several boardroom concerns at once: visibility, reach, and the ability to measure meaningful impacts. While cultural and leadership shifts may take time, delivering quick wins through better tools can help build support and momentum across the business.

Using the Survey Findings to Support Your Case

Communications and engagement teams should approach board conversations armed with these findings. The data suggests a sequence: start with performance outcomes, present the cost-benefit of investment, prioritise business-centred measurement, and advocate for technology upgrades. Make the conversation about more than engagement scores–show how these changes speak directly to the board’s own challenges.

Highlight industry-wide representation (including finance, automotive, retail, healthcare, education, technology, government, and more), showing that the case for engagement holds across the spectrum. Stress that a commitment to engagement is not simply a cultural statement–it is a proven route to better business.

Final Thoughts

The evidence is compelling. When engagement is properly resourced and measured, organisations report clear improvements in productivity, innovation, and satisfaction. Communications professionals have both the data and the mandate to lead the change. By connecting engagement to what matters most, and ensuring it is treated not as an operational activity but as a business priority, you place your organisation ahead of the curve.

Now is the time to use these survey insights to their full potential–framing board-level conversations, pushing for targeted investment, and making sure engagement is no longer sidelined, but recognised as a central strand of strategy and delivery.

Next Steps

• For inspiration from one CEO who has made engagement a strategic priority, you can watch our recent webinar with Adam Sullivan, CEO of Baywater Healthcare.
• To sense-check your Digital Workplace platform options, Work Networks are offering a complimentary 60 minute session with independent consultants. Apply here.  

If you enjoyed this article, you can register your interest in attending the 2026 Employee Engagement Summit for free to explore the latest trends, innovative strategies and cutting-edge technologies driving exceptional engagement and results in today’s landscape.

REGISTER YOUR INTEREST FOR THE 2026 EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT SUMMIT