---
title: How To Build An Engaged Workforce
description: Why are your employees not as engaged as you would like? A fresh pot of coffee and a ping pong table may not be enough. Here is how to combat disengagement.
image: https://www.ardentlearning.com/hubfs/ardent_thumb_HowToBuildanEngagedWorkforce.jpg
---
[](https://www.ardentlearning.com/)
- [What We Do](https://www.ardentlearning.com/what-we-do)
- [Overview](https://www.ardentlearning.com/what-we-do)
- [Automotive](https://www.ardentlearning.com/automotive)
- [Who We Are](https://www.ardentlearning.com/who-we-are)
- [The Work](https://www.ardentlearning.com/the-work)
- Our Perspective
- [Blog](https://www.ardentlearning.com/blog)
- [Resources](https://www.ardentlearning.com/resources)
[ Get in Touch ](https://www.ardentlearning.com/contact-us)
**
** **
[](https://www.ardentlearning.com/)
- [What We Do](https://www.ardentlearning.com/what-we-do)
- [Overview](https://www.ardentlearning.com/what-we-do)
- [Automotive](https://www.ardentlearning.com/automotive)
- [Who We Are](https://www.ardentlearning.com/who-we-are)
- [The Work](https://www.ardentlearning.com/the-work)
- Our Perspective
- [Blog](https://www.ardentlearning.com/blog)
- [Resources](https://www.ardentlearning.com/resources)
[ Get in Touch ](https://www.ardentlearning.com/contact-us)
**
** **
Search
** **
- [What We Do](https://www.ardentlearning.com/what-we-do)
- [Overview](https://www.ardentlearning.com/what-we-do)
- [Automotive](https://www.ardentlearning.com/automotive)
- [Who We Are](https://www.ardentlearning.com/who-we-are)
- [The Work](https://www.ardentlearning.com/the-work)
- Our Perspective
- [Blog](https://www.ardentlearning.com/blog)
- [Resources](https://www.ardentlearning.com/resources)
[](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/6156179/69abc93d-86ba-4cb0-bcc8-acb5a9cb57fd)
2 min read
# How To Build An Engaged Workforce
[Learning Strategy](https://www.ardentlearning.com/blog/tag/learning-strategy)
[](https://www.ardentlearning.com/blog/author/ardent-learning)
Written by [Ardent Learning](https://www.ardentlearning.com/blog/author/ardent-learning)
2/19/2020
You’ve got unlimited coffee, a generous benefit package, team-building activities and an office space that can put Google to shame. So why are your employees not as engaged as you’d expect?
Let’s start with some numbers from [recent studies](https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/trends-and-forecasting/research-and-surveys/Documents/2017-Employee-Job-Satisfaction-and-Engagement-Executive-Summary.pdf):
- 87% of millennials say that professional development is important in a job
- 40% of employees who receive no training or poor training will leave their job within five years
- Only 30% of employees feel engaged at work
**Why does employee engagement matter?**
According to the [Society of Human Resource Management](https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/sustainingemployeeengagement.aspx), employee engagement has the potential to significantly affect employee retention, productivity and loyalty, and is a key link to customer satisfaction, company reputation, and overall stakeholder value.
Employee engagement is not to be confused with employee satisfaction. While employee satisfaction is measured by job characteristics, not work characteristics. For example, job satisfaction gauges an employee's contentment with pay, benefits and work schedule, but employee engagement measures the connection a person has with work they perform.
While engagement can be affected by many factors in the workplace, a primary cause of disengagement is feeling like ideas aren’t being heard and that the work being performed isn’t meaningful.
**How to Combat Disengagement**
Simply put, employees thrive in environments that focus on making them more valuable assets.
An obvious aid in creating engaged and valuable employees is internal training, which is proven to increase productivity, efficiency, and innovation. According to the [Association for Talent Development](https://businesstrainingexperts.com/knowledge-center/training-roi/profiting-from-learning/), companies that offer training programs have 218% higher income per employee than companies without formalized training.
Employee retention is higher when people believe that opportunities exist in an organization and that leadership is willing to invest in mutual success. People want the opportunity to grow— professional growth increases the chance for greater workplace and financial success.
Every organization should have a unique learning strategy that aligns directly with specific business objectives and job roles. In the wake of the Digital Transformation, organizations are emphasizing the need to hone soft skills— skills like communication, collaboration and customer service— to help drive business forward. Cultivating an understanding of certain products, topics or industry-knowledge is another major benefit of Learning & Development that can aid in lead generation or help increase a positive [ROI](https://www.ardentlearning.com/blog/how-to-boost-the-roi-of-training-and-learning-programs) (while challenging and engaging the workforce).
Previous Story
[** Does my Organization Need a Digital Transformation Strategy?](https://www.ardentlearning.com/blog/does-my-organization-need-a-digital-transformation-strategy)
[** ](https://www.ardentlearning.com/blog)
Next Story
[The Modern Teaching Machine and the Science of Behavior **](https://www.ardentlearning.com/blog/the-modern-teaching-machine-leveraging-the-science-of-behavior-in-training)
### Do you yearn to learn? Stay in the loop.
## You May Also Like
These Stories on Learning Strategy
[ ](https://www.ardentlearning.com/blog/why-managers-are-the-missing-link-in-ai-adoption)
[Custom Learning Program](https://www.ardentlearning.com/blog/tag/custom-learning-program)
### [Why Managers Are the Missing Link in AI Adoption](https://www.ardentlearning.com/blog/why-managers-are-the-missing-link-in-ai-adoption)
### **The Manager-Shaped Hole in Your AI Strategy**
7/15/2026 |
2 min read
[ ](https://www.ardentlearning.com/blog/how-one-simple-exercise-transformed-leadership-ei-at-a-global-tech-company)
[Industry Insights](https://www.ardentlearning.com/blog/tag/industry-insights)
### [How One Simple Exercise Transformed Leadership EI at a Global Tech Company](https://www.ardentlearning.com/blog/how-one-simple-exercise-transformed-leadership-ei-at-a-global-tech-company)
One of the most impactful emotional intelligence (EI) activities ...
10/22/2025 |
1 min read
[ ](https://www.ardentlearning.com/blog/meet-them-where-they-work-embedding-microlearning-into-daily-tasks)
[Industry Insights](https://www.ardentlearning.com/blog/tag/industry-insights)
### [Meet Them Where They Work: Embedding Microlearning into Daily Tasks](https://www.ardentlearning.com/blog/meet-them-where-they-work-embedding-microlearning-into-daily-tasks)
The Legendary Computer Monitor Sticky Note
I’m willing to bet that most of you reading this have a bright ...
6/13/2025 |
3 min read
1 Bausch and Lomb PI Suite 930
Rochester, NY 14604
[(585) 454-1240](tel:585-454-1240)
- [What We Do](https://www.ardentlearning.com/what-we-do)
- [Who We Are](https://www.ardentlearning.com/who-we-are)
- [Automotive](https://www.ardentlearning.com/automotive)
- [The Work](https://www.ardentlearning.com/the-work)
- [Resources](https://www.ardentlearning.com/resources)
- [Blog](https://www.ardentlearning.com/blog)
- [Careers](https://www.ardentlearning.com/careers)
- [Contact Us](https://www.ardentlearning.com/contact-us)
- [Submit RFP](https://www.ardentlearning.com/rfp-submission)
Copyright © 2026 Ardent Learning Inc. All Rights Reserved.
[View Privacy Policy](https://www.ardentlearning.com/privacy-policy).
