Employee Engagement and Experience for NGOs and Social Enterprises
Communication, recognition and the conditions people actually work in.
What this looks like in ngos and social enterprises
The parts of employee engagement and experience that are specific to this sector, rather than general.
Engagement Where Purpose Is Assumed
Mission commitment is not a substitute for management.
What this coversHide
Engagement Where Purpose Is Assumed
Mission commitment is not a substitute for management.
What this coversHideSector organisations often assume that shared purpose covers engagement. It carries people for a while and then stops, usually presenting as sudden burnout rather than gradual disengagement.
- Workload honestly acknowledged rather than absorbed into commitment
- Project end-dates communicated early so people can plan
- Field staff given the same attention as programme staff
- Volunteer and paid staff relationships managed deliberately
- Psychological support where work involves distressing situations
- Career development discussed even where funding is uncertain
- Decision-making transparency, particularly about funding
Funding transparency is the strongest engagement lever available. Staff who understand the funding position tolerate uncertainty far better than those who learn about it when a role ends.
The general method — what employee engagement and experience covers, the questions it answers and what an engagement produces — is the same whatever the sector, and is set out on the employee engagement and culture page. What is above is the part that differs for ngos and social enterprises.
Other HR topics for ngos and social enterprises
Where to start
Most engagements begin with a review of how this runs in your business today, then a written process and the sequence to implement it.
See all HR topics for ngos and social enterprises, or another industry.