What employee engagement actually looks like at work

What makes employees feel genuinely engaged at work? It might be having a voice in decisions, getting the chance to tackle something outside their usual roles, building real relationships with coworkers, or having opportunities to keep learning and growing.

Employee engagement isn't created by a single program or perk. It comes from giving people meaningful ways to participate, contribute, connect, and grow within their workplace.

And companies can approach that in very different ways. From creating space for employee-led innovation to building communities around shared interests, here's how organizations are putting employee engagement into practice.

Creating space for employees to innovate

Zillow

At Zillow, Hack Week gives employees space to step outside their day-to-day work, connect across teams, and turn bold ideas into working products. For more than 20 years, employees from across the company have formed small teams to build against a shared deadline. The experience creates new relationships, makes room for ideas that may not surface in everyday meetings and gives employees a direct hand in shaping what comes next. Some of Zillow’s most-used features, including dark mode, began as Hack Week projects.

Learn more about Zillow.

Listening, learning, and creating opportunities to grow

SoftwareOne

At SoftwareOne, employee engagement starts with creating an environment where people feel heard, supported, and empowered to grow. We regularly gather employee feedback through engagement surveys and use those insights to drive meaningful improvements across the employee experience. From inclusive leadership and belonging initiatives to global onboarding and continuous learning opportunities, we invest in helping our people thrive from day one. By fostering open communication, professional development, and a culture where every voice matters, we strengthen engagement and build a workplace where people can do their best work.

Learn more about SoftwareOne.

Building connection and community

Esri

At Esri, we encourage employee engagement by creating opportunities for employees to connect, celebrate, and build community. At our Redlands headquarters, events like the Holiday Breakfast bring employees together, while regional offices host gatherings throughout the year that encourage connection with colleagues in their local communities.

We also foster belonging through more than 100 employee-led virtual communities hosted in Microsoft Teams. These groups bring together employees across locations who share common interests, hobbies, identities, faiths, sports, and other topics.

By recognizing milestones, supporting community involvement, and creating spaces for authentic connection, we help employees feel engaged, valued, and part of something bigger.

Learn more about Esri.

Creating pathways for growth and belonging

Match Group

At Match Group, Tinder & Hinge, we engage employees by investing in leadership, connection, and growth at every level. All people leaders across our regions and brands participate in the Spark Leadership Experience (SLX), building shared leadership behaviors, practical tools, clarity, and accountability. MentorMatch extends development across brands and functions through employee-owned, six-month mentorship partnerships with evergreen enrollment. Our Employee Resource and Affinity Groups (ERGs and EAGs) create community around shared identities, interests, and causes, giving employees opportunities to connect, learn, celebrate culture, and shape our workplace. Together, these programs help people grow, belong, and make an impact.

Learn more about Match Group.

What does meaningful employee engagement look like?

There isn’t one formula for creating an engaged workplace. Employees may feel more connected to their work because they have opportunities to contribute new ideas, because they know their feedback is heard, because they’re continuing to learn and grow, or simply because they’ve built meaningful relationships with the people around them.

For job seekers, that means it can be useful to look past broad promises about having an “engaging culture” and pay attention to what employees are actually invited to participate in.

When researching a potential employer, consider whether employees have opportunities to:

Share ideas and influence how work gets done
Build relationships with colleagues beyond their immediate teams
Give feedback and see evidence that employee input matters
Learn, develop, and take on new challenges
Find communities and spaces where they feel a sense of belonging
Participate in initiatives that connect their individual work to the larger organization

The specific programs will look different from company to company. What matters is whether employees are given meaningful ways to participate, contribute, connect, and grow.

Ready to find a workplace where you can get involved and make an impact? Browse open roles on PowerToFly’s job board.