7 Characteristics of a Culture of Engagement

Employee engagement in the U.S. fell to 32% in 2022, with nearly 2 in 3 workers disengaged from their jobs, according to a recent Gallup survey.

This decline in engagement has clear implications for manufacturers, including risks to quality, safety and overall business performance.

Companies can counteract this trend, however, by intentionally working to build a culture of employee engagement. Characterized as having energy and enthusiasm for their work, engaged workers make businesses stronger—a core goal more important than ever in the face of economic headwinds.

Here we explore 7 characteristics of a culture of engagement, examining the role of layered process audits (LPAs) and how to use them to engage employees.

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What Is a Culture of Engagement?

A culture of engagement is one where employees are emotionally invested in their work, actively contributing to company goals. The company culture motivates employees to look for ways to improve continuously. It goes beyond momentary motivation, reflecting a workplace environment that fosters trust, respect and a shared sense of purpose.

In engaged cultures, employees are connected to their work. They feel their work has meaning, their voice matters, and their efforts make a difference. These organizations emphasize communication, accountability, and recognition at every level, from leadership to the front line, to increase employee satisfaction.

Importantly, a culture of engagement doesn’t happen by accident. It requires consistent leadership behaviors, ongoing feedback loops and tools that help connect employees to outcomes — all of which are especially critical in high-stakes environments like manufacturing.

In short, a culture of engagement empowers people to take ownership, speak up, and care deeply about their work — all of which directly impacts quality, safety and performance. With that in mind, let’s look at the characteristics of companies that foster a culture of engagement.

1. The Business Performs Better

A notable quality shared among companies with an engaged workforce is that they perform better across a range of business metrics. Research from Gallup comparing high and low performers reveals that the top-quartile companies in employee engagement experience lower employee turnover, as well as:

• 18% higher productivity
• 64% fewer safety incidents
• 41% fewer quality defects
• 81% lower absenteeism

All of this adds to the bottom line, with top performers seeing 23% higher profitability than the bottom-quartile companies.

2. Managers Check In Regularly

Having a meaningful conversation with individual team members is the one habit Gallup identifies as the most important for boosting employee engagement. That’s because regular check-ins address several factors related to disengagement by providing opportunities to:

• Demonstrate how the employee is part of the company’s larger mission
• Clarify expectations
• Ensure people have what they need to do their jobs
• Show employees that people care about them

LPAs are a system of daily process checks used by manufacturers to identify variation that causes quality problems. Done correctly, they open the door to meaningful conversations with operators and provide a structured approach to connecting managers with front-line employees.

3. Workers See Their Contribution

One reason disengaged employees or “quiet quitters” are disconnected from their jobs is that they don’t feel their work matters. Engaged employees, on the other hand, are connected to the company’s mission and understand their role in it, which is crucial for culture and engagement.

Part of what makes LPAs so effective is that they help make this vital connection for operators. LPA questions should include asking the operator the reason behind performing a certain step, reinforcing the ‘why’ behind the procedure and the larger impact of their work.

4. Problems Get Solved

When people care about their work, they take ownership of issues that they come across and don’t just ignore problems. What does this look like in practical terms?

• People feel comfortable raising issues with management
• Employees know problems will be addressed and not left untouched
• They make corrections wherever possible instead of expecting someone else to fix problems
• In LPAs, you don’t see a lot of layer 2 findings that layer 1 auditors should have caught—a sure sign people are ignoring problems

In other words, employees take a “see something, say something” attitude, as opposed to passing the buck.

5. Management Asks for Ideas

Part of showing people you care means asking for their input, feedback and ideas. A culture of engagement is one of communication, which must necessarily go both ways.

From an LPA perspective, this means taking time to have conversations with operators about:

• How to improve the process
• Why they perform an operation a certain way
• Which LPA questions would be useful in their work area vs. ones that don’t apply

6. Employees Are Accountable

In highly engaged workplace cultures, people are accountable for their work and their results. In a manufacturing environment, this means:

• Operators perform work according to the standard
• Auditors do their LPAs on time
• Action items and mitigations are completed in a timely manner to improve employee engagement

7. Leadership Recognizes Good Work

Providing recognition is an integral part of engaging employees. Recognizing operators for doing things right demonstrates a genuine commitment to safety and quality, also showing them that people care. LPAs act as a key mechanism for providing this recognition on an ongoing basis, making it a habit that feeds into organizational culture.

Employee disengagement poses significant risks to quality and safety in manufacturing today, with larger implications for business performance as a whole. Building a culture of engagement must be a priority for companies, focusing on concrete habits that go beyond conducting annual engagement surveys.

LPAs serve as a multi-pronged strategy for fostering employee engagement by creating opportunities for regular check-ins, recognition, accountability and feedback. They also help connect operators to the value of their work, helping build an engaged organization with fewer quality and safety failures and higher profitability.

The Strategy to Create a Culture of Engagement

Creating a culture of engagement isn’t a one-time initiative—it’s an ongoing effort that must be embedded into the everyday operations of the entire organization. It relies on clear leadership, meaningful communication, and the right tools to help employees across departments feel connected, valued, and empowered to reach their full potential.

Here’s how companies can foster a highly engaged workforce that drives organizational success and long-term performance.

Align Leadership and Organizational Goals

Leaders need to do more than just communicate objectives—they must model behaviors that align with the company’s values and organizational goals. When leadership is visible, accountable, and invested in employee well-being, it sends a clear message that people want to contribute to something bigger than themselves.

It’s also critical to help managers connect individual goals to the broader mission. High-performing companies prioritize this alignment, ensuring that employees understand how their role supports organizational success. This clarity fosters trust, engagement, and a shared drive for excellence.

Foster Frequent, Meaningful Conversations

Frequent conversations between managers and employees are one of the most powerful tools to drive engagement. These conversations—whether in daily team meetings or one-on-ones—give managers the opportunity to provide feedback, clarify expectations, and check in on progress. They also allow employees to ask for feedback and express concerns, which builds strong relationships.

Structured tools like LPAs or employee engagement software help establish this rhythm. By creating regular check-in points, they support frequent, real-time engagement and show employees across the plant that their contributions matter every day at work.

Empower Employees With the Right Tools and Clarity

Employees want to succeed—but they need support to do so. Giving them the right tools, resources, and training enables them to meet performance standards and actively contribute to improvement. When employees feel equipped and informed, they’re more likely to stay engaged and committed.

Organizations should also focus on clarity. When roles, procedures, and expectations are well defined, employees feel more confident in their work and can see how their tasks fit into the bigger picture. This clarity is one of the three elements of employee engagement, and it lays the foundation for long-term retention and performance.

Build a Culture of Feedback, Recognition, and Collaboration

Engagement thrives in a culture where feedback flows in all directions. Leaders should facilitate open dialogue, ask employees for ideas, and incorporate their suggestions into operational changes. This not only fuels innovation, but also reinforces the belief that every voice matters.

At the same time, recognizing contributions builds morale and strengthens commitment. Simple acts of appreciation—especially when tied to outcomes like quality or safety—boost motivation and reinforce positive behavior. Additionally, encouraging collaboration and knowledge sharing across shifts and departments helps strengthen team unity and supports a better employee experience overall.

Use Real-Time Tools to Monitor and Strengthen Engagement

To truly embed a culture of engagement, companies must be able to monitor and measure it. Using tools that track engagement in real-time—such as LPAs or purpose-built employee engagement software—gives leaders actionable insights into where engagement is strong and where it’s slipping.

These tools act as a pulse for the workplace, allowing HR and plant leadership to address issues early, support talent development, and ensure that highly engaged employees are empowered to perform at their best. Over time, this data-driven approach helps organizations make smarter decisions that strengthen culture from within.

LPAs play a key role in reinforcing this kind of culture. By promoting daily interaction between managers and operators, LPAs drive alignment, highlight frontline contributions and encourage continuous improvement. They don’t just identify problems — they engage employees in solving them.