Sushil Baveja: Employee Engagement Is Changing — What CHROs Need to Rethink
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Is the traditional employee engagement model still relevant? What do you believe will matter most to employees in the next two to three years, and how should CHROs rethink engagement?
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Responding to this, Sushil Baveja, CHRO, Jindal Stainless, said:
The traditional employee engagement model has largely focused on keeping employees satisfied, connected and committed to the organisation. But engagement is now evolving into something much richer – creating meaningful work, enabling performance and building an environment where people feel empowered to give their best.
This shift is not surprising because employee aspirations have evolved as well. Employees today are looking for a value proposition that connects with what they genuinely aspire to – professionally and personally. This is also why the shelf life of an Employee Value Proposition (EVP) is getting shorter. Organisations need to revisit and re-articulate their EVP more frequently, ensuring that it remains relevant to changing aspirations, expectations and the world of work.
The second dimension gaining significant importance is “Moments that Matter.” Engagement is shaped not just by broad organisational policies, but by how the organisation responds to pivotal moments in an employee’s journey.
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How does an employee feel on their first day? How meaningful is the experience when they move into a new role, receive performance feedback, achieve a personal milestone – or even on their last day in the organisation? These moments create lasting impressions about how much the organisation values and cares for its people.
The third and perhaps most powerful dimension is real-time connection. Is the manager having regular, meaningful conversations with employees – not just about performance, but also about development, career, aspirations and well-being? Is appreciation timely and spontaneous, or does it wait for the annual cycle?
Is the organisation creating personalised learning journeys, enabling careers through diverse experiences, accelerating growth, empowering people to realise their potential, and creating a culture anchored in trust, integrity, innovation and openness?
The fundamentals of traditional engagement – belonging, connection, recognition and satisfaction – will continue to matter. But the newer engagement paradigm adds greater depth and intentionality.
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It is about moving from simply asking “Are our employees engaged?” to asking “Are we creating an environment where people find meaning, see purpose, experience growth and are enabled to perform at their best?”
For CHROs, this means rethinking engagement not as an annual measure or an HR programme, but as an everyday organisational experience, shaped through a compelling EVP, Moments that Matter and continuous, meaningful conversations.