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15 Best Employee Engagement Tools to Revolutionize Your Workplace
Lisa Ardill
Content Editor at Workvivo
January 17 2025
If you’ve been keeping an eye on the news, you’ve probably heard that employee engagement is declining. But just how bad is it?
According to Gallup’s 2022 State of the Global Workplace report, only 21% of employees are engaged at work. That means another 79% are checked out, living for the weekend, just trying to get a paycheck and go home.
The best way to increase employee engagement is by focusing on the morale and well-being of your team, and this is easily achieved with employee engagement software. Below, we’ll show you what to look for in employee engagement software, plus an overview of top-performing apps and platforms designed specifically with engaged employees in mind.
What is an employee engagement tool?
Gallup reports that engagement dropped from 36% in 2020 to 34% in 2021 – and then again to 32% in 2022. It’s not a massive decline, but it is a steady trend – and it’s exactly the problem that employee engagement tools are designed to correct.
When employees are engaged, they’re happier, more productive, and more likely to contribute to increased profitability. This leads to better workplace culture, higher productivity, more creativity, and more collaborative teams.
Thus, employee engagement tools are any kind of tool – software platforms, apps – that helps you boost engagement levels.
What to look for in an employee engagement platform
Choosing the right platform for employee communication and engagement can make a huge difference in how connected, motivated, and productive your employees feel.
Whether you’re managing a team of frontline employees, remote employees, in-office employees, or a combination, you’ll want to choose tools that benefit team members and managers alike: their workflows, preferred communication methods, and working styles.
Here are some key features to look for:
Communication and collaboration tools
- Seamless communication channels: Look for platforms that offer a variety of ways for employees to connect, from instant messaging and group chat to video conferencing and forums. This is especially important for dispersed teams, including frontline workers who may not have regular access to email. (Think Workvivo's activity feed and group chat features.)
- Collaboration tools: The platform should offer templates that make it easy for employees to communicate, work together on projects, share documents, and provide feedback in real time. (Workvivo spaces and document libraries are great for this.)
Employee feedback and peer recognition programs
- Two-way feedback tools: Employee engagement is a two-way street. The platform should facilitate continuous feedback from both employees and managers. Look for features like pulse surveys, polls, and suggestion boxes. (Workvivo's survey features and shout-outs facilitate this.)
- Peer recognition tools: Make it easy for employees to recognize each other's achievements. Look for features like shout-outs, kudos, and social recognition tools.
Empowerment and motivation boosters
- Personalized experiences: The platform should tailor the experience to individual employees, showing them relevant content and connecting them with colleagues who share similar interests. (Workvivo's personalized news feed does this well.)
- Gamification: Features like badges, leaderboards, and rewards can add an element of fun and encourage friendly competition.
- Access and mobility: Employees should be able to access the platform from any device, anytime, anywhere. A dedicated mobile app is essential.
Actionable insights and analytics
The platform should provide data and analytics on employee engagement, communication patterns, and platform usage. This helps you track important metrics, measure the effectiveness of your initiatives, and identify areas for improvement.
15 Best employee engagement software on the market right now
You know what to look for in an employee engagement tool – now it’s time to look at some of the tools out there. Browse the list below to find the right tools and HR software to add to your employee engagement program.
Workvivo
Workvivo is a cloud-based employee experience platform (EXP) that simplifies internal communication and increases engagement by empowering employees to be heard and feel included – no matter where they work.
The platform unifies employee communications, engagement, intranet, and measurement features into one modern employee app that captures the heartbeat of your organization and brings its culture to life.
Thanks to its simple design, employees can easily use Workvivo to stay informed, engaged, and connected. As a result, your company leaders gain better oversight and a direct, unfiltered channel to reach and engage with people and truly feel the company’s pulse and energy.
Sign up for a demo here.
Key features
- Creates open lines of communication between management and employees through two-way comms, surveys for real-time feedback, polls, activity feed posts and reactions, push notifications, news articles, live streaming, and more.
- Includes strong analytics capabilities that provide users with the ability to track and measure employee usage metrics and insights. This makes it easier to manage performance and make informed data-driven decisions.
- Recognizes and rewards employees for their contributions using badges, shoutouts, and awards.
- Encourages users to connect their posts to company values to help align with your company’s vision and mission.
Advantages of using Workvivo
- Ideal for mid-size and enterprise-level companies that want to prioritize employee engagement.
- Simple, consumer-grade design and familiar social experience are loved and naturally embraced by employees who use it because they want to, not because they have to.
- When a centralized platform like Workvivo is used for engagement instead of fragmented tools, the company can achieve greater reach and better governance.
Pricing
Workvivo's pricing follows a customized approach, meaning we don't have a fixed, one-size-fits-all pricing structure.
There are two main plans:
- Business Plan: Designed for organizations with 250-2000 employees. While the exact pricing is customized, it typically starts at $20,000. This plan includes a comprehensive set of features for communication, a digital workplace, employee engagement, insights, and security.
- Enterprise Plan: This plan caters to larger organizations with 2000+ employees. It includes all the features of the Business plan plus additional functionalities like a dedicated account manager, enhanced support, advanced integrations, bespoke analytics, and more.
Workvivo also offers optional add-ons to enhance the platform's functionality:
- Chat: Enables instant messaging for improved communication, especially beneficial for connecting frontline and desk-based employees.
- Workvivo TV: Allows you to display important information on digital signage throughout the workplace.
- Advanced Analytics: Provides deeper insights into employee engagement and platform usage for data-driven decision-making.
- Employee Insights: Offers a mobile-first suite of tools to measure, understand, and improve employee engagement.
To get a precise quote for your business, contact our sales team.
What are real customers saying about the value of Workvivo?
“Of all the platforms we’ve launched company-wide, Workvivo has had the biggest impact.” – SupportNinja
“People are doing a lot of good things at Hickory’s; Workvivo gives us an opportunity to shine a light on this, and to celebrate it as well. Workvivo enhances our culture.” – John Welsh, Hickory’s Smokehouse
“The onboarding process was so organized and well thought out, that it was enjoyable and much less stressful than I anticipated it would be. We were able to deploy the platform in three weeks. In addition, we had an amazing first week adoption rate,” – Gabriela Gordo Triay, Allied Global
Bonusly
Bonusly is an employee engagement solution that encourages employees to have fun – and earn rewards along the way. It’s a peer-to-peer platform that promotes employee development by getting them to recognize and reward each other – a process that adds some much-needed validation for individuals.
As time goes on, the bonuses that each team member receives add up. People can use them to get rewards like customizable company swag or gift cards from the rewards catalog.
This app amps up the fun with a social media-style feel. Users can post gifs and memes, use hashtags, and more. Meanwhile, management can track everything happening on the app with data and analytics that allow you to see everything from the amount of recognition team members earn to the number of rewards each department earns.
Key features
- Connect your company mission and values to individual contributions.
- Enable a culture of recognition to build stronger teams.
- Integrate with communication tools to encourage frequent recognition.
Pros
- Makes it easy to give kudos daily (or anytime) rather than only at weekly, monthly, or annual meetings.
- Becomes more meaningful over time as team members find their rhythm with how they want to best spend their points.
- Offers a wide range of rewards and incentives to motivate employees.
Cons
- Lacks options for donating rewards to charities.
- Employees need to generate at least $25 in rewards to redeem.
Nectar
Nectar is another platform that offers employee rewards and recognition – with a couple of twists. It’s meant to help companies boost employee engagement while giving employees the ability to recognize each other for achievements and other milestones. As with Bonusly, employees can collect rewards, which they can exchange for gift cards and company swag.
The first twist is that this app is very scalable. You’ll pay per user rather than signing up for a contract.
The second twist? This app offers a wellness challenge, which is perfect for companies who want to promote health and fitness over the course of the entire employee lifecycle.
Key features
- Scales readily from small businesses to midsize or large enterprises.
- Offers a centralized dashboard where users can interact easily.
- Boost engagement further and gather feedback with survey tools.
- Allows for automated recognition of work anniversaries and birthdays.
Pros
- Simple to set up and easy-to-use interface.
- Offers reminders, so employees don’t lose expiring points.
Cons
- Points budget can be limiting for larger teams.
- No search features to find specific people on-platform.
15Five
15Five is a platform designed to monitor employee performance and continuously improve engagement. To start, you can use this platform to conduct performance reviews – and then track performance over time based on those reviews.
This platform also features employee engagement surveys. In fact, this is the feature that the app is named for, because it takes about fifteen minutes for an employee to fill out these surveys, and about five minutes for managers to review and respond to them. As with performance reviews, you can track engagement over time to keep improving engagement levels.
The other big thing that you can do with this app is track objectives and key results. Set team priorities at the beginning of each month, then use the platform’s functions to track progress and performance metrics to help everyone stay on target throughout the project.
Key features
- Track performance and give recognition to high-performing employees.
- Conduct performance reviews in a centralized platform.
- Request employee feedback via simple check-ins and surveys.
Pros
- Fill out employee satisfaction surveys in just minutes.
- View and track self-reported engagement metrics easily.
Cons
- Survey questions can be redundant.
- It’s one more app to add to your technology stack.
Culture Amp
Culture Amp is less an employee engagement platform and more a performance management platform that emphasizes employee retention, employee development, and general positivity. It starts with customizable surveys that you can use to gauge employee satisfaction and engagement. HR teams can use the data collected from these surveys to refine engagement programs.
Culture Amp also lets you track performance and provide meaningful feedback to help employees develop. With benchmarking and analytics, you can track performance over time to see how projects are progressing and to track employee development.
Key features
- Use negative feedback management to keep employer feedback positive and constructive.
- Self-reporting features help keep employees accountable to themselves and their teammates.
- Help new employees develop skills while building high-performing teams.
Pros
- Provides an easy way to host 1-on-1 check-ins and feedback sessions.
- Get on-demand feedback from peers and leaders.
Cons
- Onboarding and training on this platform can be time-consuming.
- Not best suited to small or midsize businesses.
Betterworks
Betterworks is another performance management platform designed to help you keep employees engaged while helping them develop professionally over time. This platform revolves around surveys – both regular surveys and pulse surveys, which are designed to help you get honest, real-time feedback. Use the feedback you receive to tailor engagement initiatives and create a more positive employee experience.
As a performance management app, Betterworks also gives you tools to conduct performance reviews, check-ins, and to track employee goals and progress. These tools are all made to help employees and managers have meaningful conversations so that everyone can speak, listen, learn, and improve.
Key features
- Track goals and use analytics to measure progress and improvement.
- Host 1-on-1 meetings to help employees develop.
- Create meaningful conversations with positive feedback.
Pros
- Well-rounded feature set that gives you a lot of tools to work with.
- User-friendly interface.
Cons
- May have more features than small to medium businesses need.
- Limited integrations with other popular apps.
Limeade Listening (formerly TINYPulse)
Limeade Listening is a great employee engagement offering for businesses that are looking for simple tools. This app sends out weekly surveys, lets you gather anonymous feedback, and gives you features for recognizing and rewarding standout employees.
With all of that, you get data and analytics features so that you can act strategically on the feedback you get. It’s designed to help managers build a better employee engagement strategy, and as such, Limeade Listening gives you not only the tools to track engagement but also tools to help you validate your engagement-building strategies.
Key features
- Pulse single-question check-in surveys offer quick and easy feedback.
- Send out shoutouts to recognize standout employees for their efforts.
- Use anonymous surveys to gather honest feedback.
Pros
- Compare your data to industry standards to see how you measure up.
- Easily add custom questions to surveys.
Cons
- Pre-made questions aren’t always relevant for gathering feedback.
- You can’t send out manual reminders to prompt employees to fill out surveys.
Motivosity
Motivosity is an employee engagement platform built around the idea of fostering connections and building a sense of community within the workplace. It combines elements of social recognition, feedback, and rewards to create a more engaging and motivating environment.
With Motivosity, employees can recognize each other's contributions, participate in challenges, and earn points that can be redeemed for rewards. The platform also provides tools for managers to gather feedback, track goals, and celebrate team accomplishments.
Key features
- Connects colleagues through peer-to-peer recognition and social interactions.
- Motivates employees with a points-based rewards system and customizable rewards.
- Provides tools for performance feedback and goal tracking.
- Offers a variety of engagement features like challenges, quizzes, and social groups.
Pros
- Fosters a culture of appreciation and recognition.
- Encourages teamwork and collaboration through peer-to-peer recognition and shared activities.
Cons
- The rewards system may not be appealing to all employees.
- Some features may feel overly gamified for certain work environments.
OfficeVibe
OfficeVibe focuses on helping organizations understand and improve employee engagement through regular pulse surveys and insightful analytics. It provides a platform for employees to share their honest feedback anonymously, allowing companies to identify and address potential issues proactively.
OfficeVibe's surveys cover various aspects of employee experience, including job satisfaction, wellness, and relationships with colleagues and managers. The platform then analyzes the data to provide actionable insights and recommendations for improvement.
Key features
- Facilitates regular pulse surveys to gauge employee sentiment.
- Provides anonymous feedback channels for honest and open communication.
- Offers detailed analytics and reporting to track engagement trends.
- Suggests personalized action plans based on survey results.
Pros
- Helps identify areas for improvement in employee engagement.
- Encourages open and honest feedback from employees.
- Provides actionable insights to guide engagement initiatives.
Cons
- Relies heavily on surveys, which may lead to survey fatigue.
- May require a significant time commitment from managers to analyze data and implement changes.
Slack
While primarily known as a communication tool, Slack can also play a valuable role in employee engagement. Its channels, groups, and direct messaging features facilitate communication and collaboration, helping employees stay connected and informed.
Slack's integrations with various other platforms allow you to create a centralized hub for work-related information and activities. Additionally, its informal and social nature can foster a sense of camaraderie and community among team members.
Key features
- Provides various communication channels for teams and individuals.
- Integrates with numerous third-party apps and services.
- Facilitates file sharing and collaboration.
- Offers a fun and engaging way to communicate with colleagues.
Pros
- Streamlines communication and reduces email overload.
- Encourages collaboration and knowledge sharing.
- Creates a sense of community and belonging.
Cons
- Can be distracting if not managed effectively.
- May not be suitable for all types of communication.
- Limited in terms of dedicated employee engagement features.
Lattice
Lattice is a popular people management platform that offers a suite of tools for performance management, employee engagement, and development. It aims to help organizations build engaged and high-performing teams by facilitating continuous feedback, goal setting, and growth opportunities.
Lattice provides features for performance reviews, 1:1 meetings, feedback, engagement surveys, and career development. It emphasizes transparency and alignment, helping employees understand how their work contributes to the company's overall goals.
Key features
- Offers tools for performance reviews, goal setting, and feedback.
- Facilitates 1:1 meetings and ongoing performance conversations.
- Provides engagement surveys and pulse checks.
- Includes features for career development and growth planning.
Pros
- Provides a comprehensive platform for performance management and employee engagement.
- Encourages continuous feedback and development.
- Helps align individual goals with company objectives.
Cons
- Can be complex to set up and configure, especially for larger organizations.
- May require a significant time investment from managers to utilize effectively.
WorkTango
WorkTango is an employee experience platform that focuses on driving engagement and performance through recognition, rewards, and insights. It provides a platform for employees to recognize each other's contributions, participate in challenges, and earn rewards.
WorkTango also offers tools for performance management, goal setting, and feedback, creating a holistic approach to employee engagement. It emphasizes data-driven insights, helping organizations understand what drives engagement and make informed decisions to improve the employee experience.
Key features
- Provides a platform for employee recognition and rewards.
- Offers tools for performance management, goal setting, and feedback.
- Facilitates employee surveys and pulse checks.
- Delivers data-driven insights to track engagement and identify areas for improvement.
Pros
- Fosters a culture of recognition and appreciation.
- Provides a comprehensive platform for employee engagement and performance management.
- Offers valuable insights to drive data-driven decisions.
Cons
- The user interface could be more intuitive.
- Back-end tech admins occasionally experience issues.
Connecteam
Connecteam is a comprehensive employee engagement and communication platform designed specifically for deskless and frontline workers. It offers a suite of mobile-first tools to streamline operations, improve communication, and boost employee morale.
With Connecteam, you can easily manage employee schedules, assign tasks, conduct training, and gather feedback. The platform also includes features for employee recognition, rewards, and surveys to foster a sense of appreciation and belonging.
Key features
- Includes basic project management features for task assignment and progress tracking.
- Offers a mobile-first experience with a dedicated employee app.
- Includes features for employee training, onboarding, and knowledge sharing.
- Facilitates employee recognition, rewards, and surveys.
Pros
- Caters specifically to the needs of deskless and frontline workers.
- Offers a user-friendly mobile app for easy access and engagement.
- Streamlines operations and improves communication within dispersed teams.
Cons
- May be less suitable for organizations with primarily office-based employees.
- Some features may be redundant for companies with existing HR systems.
Leapsome
Leapsome is an all-in-one platform for performance management and employee engagement. It combines tools for goal setting, performance reviews, feedback, and learning to help organizations develop their employees and create a high-performing culture.
Leapsome emphasizes continuous feedback and development, providing a platform for employees and managers to engage in meaningful conversations and track progress towards goals. It also includes features for employee engagement surveys and recognition to foster a positive and motivating work environment.
Key features
- Offers a comprehensive suite of tools for performance management and employee development.
- Facilitates continuous feedback and 360° reviews.
- Provides a platform for goal setting and tracking.
- Includes features for employee engagement surveys and recognition.
Pros
- Provides a holistic approach to performance management and employee engagement.
- Encourages continuous feedback and development.
- Offers valuable insights into employee performance and engagement.
Cons
- Can be complex to set up and configure.
- May be more suitable for larger organizations with dedicated HR teams.
Kudos
Kudos is a dedicated employee recognition and rewards platform that focuses on building a culture of appreciation and gratitude. It provides a simple and social way for employees to recognize each other's contributions, fostering a sense of value and belonging.
With Kudos, employees can give and receive recognition through various channels, including public shout-outs, private messages, and team awards. The platform also integrates with other HR systems and offers rewards programs to further incentivize employee engagement.
Key features
- Focuses specifically on employee recognition and rewards.
- Provides a social platform for sharing appreciation and gratitude.
- Offers various recognition options, including public, private, and team awards.
- Integrates with existing human resources systems and rewards programs.
Pros
- Strengthens company culture through a focus on recognition and appreciation.
- Boosts employee morale and motivation.
- Provides a simple and user-friendly platform for recognizing contributions.
Cons
- May be limited in scope compared to more comprehensive engagement platforms.
- Relies heavily on employee participation to be effective.
Improve your company culture today with Workvivo
As you can see, many tools will help you build employee engagement – but few offer as many features as Workvivo. Workvivo lets you collect employee feedback, increase cross-functional collaboration, and become your central communication hub. Plus, with a familiar social media feel, you’re sure to get everyone engaged and participating.
When you need to boost engagement and empower your workforce, you need Workvivo. To give Workvivo a try, sign up here for a demo.
