4 Best Employee Engagement Software

Who should use it:

Workleap is ideal for both SMBs and large organizations. It’s the only provider on this list that offers a free version. In addition, what’s more impressive about its free version is that it comes with employee engagement features, like eNPS and pulse surveys, recognition, goals and OKRs, 1:1 meetings, anonymous feedback and messaging, and metric reporting. This is great for small businesses operating on a limited budget because they can implement engagement strategies without additional expenses.

Why we like it:

Workleap is quite surprising since in my experience, most free versions offer very limited features and user limits. Other than the tools, the platform also has how-to guides and training materials that provide insights on how to improve employee engagement in your workplace.

• Free version
• Essential: $5/user/month ($3.50/user/month if you opt for an annual contract)
• Pro: $8/user/month ($5/user/month if you subscribe annually)

Add-On

• Performance Management: $6/user/month

• Manager Hub: It’s a centralized hub where managers can access key actions and receive timely reminders, ensuring that they don’t miss anything.
• AI-powered Analysis: This feature automates the analysis of qualitative data, allowing managers to get instant insight on what topic is trending up or down within your organization.
• Question Report: This feature allows managers to see which survey questions get the most reaction, giving managers insights on which questions need to be refined as well as what key issues need to be prioritized.
• Follow-up Questions: Workleap sends a follow-up open-ended question after the respondent answers the question. This feature gets to the heart of what really drives engagement for each employee.
• Filterable Engagement Metrics: This feature allows you to get specific insights on what really engages your employees.
• Resource Hub: It is a repository of videos, training materials, courses, eBooks, and other tools that will help you drive or improve your employee engagement.

Who should use it:

Lattice is ideal for businesses looking for a solution that bundles employee engagement and performance management in one software. By combining them together, businesses get more holistic insights, streamlined processes, and better alignment between their employee satisfaction and organizational goals.

Why we like it:

I like how Lattice provides support for both managers and employees. Managers can check the temperature of their team with a simple question each week. They also receive real-time insights on their direct reports’ engagement and performance.

Employees, on the other hand, can use the update feature to share what they’re working on or what challenges they face. This can help small businesses monitor burnout and effectively address and prioritize areas of dissatisfaction. It is especially helpful for startups or small businesses with limited time and budget or still developing their employee engagement process.

• Talent Management: $11/seat/month (this includes performance, goals, and OKRs)
• Core HRIS: Custom pricing

Add-ons

• Engagement: $4/seat/month
• Grow: $4/user/month
• Compensation: $6/user/month

*Lattice requires a minimum annual spend of $4,000

• Goals & OKRs: These features further boost employee engagement by providing employees clear direction, aligning individual efforts with company objectives, and offering a sense of purpose and measurable progress.
• Instant Survey Insights: This AI-powered feature allows you to see key engagement driver analysis as soon as you close the survey.
• Benchmarking Powered by Mercer: Mercer’s data is integrated into the Lattice software, providing a broader and more comprehensive dataset on engagement and salary trends.
• Dedicated Support: Lattice provides dedicated support—from onboarding to troubleshooting—in all its plans.

Who should use it

Bonusly is a good choice for SMBs that want to offer attractive rewards for their employees but lack the budget or time to reward their employees frequently and meaningfully. With Bonusly, businesses can incentivize positive behaviors that contribute to the bottom line and allow employees to choose the rewards they want.

Why we like it

As the best employee engagement tool for a gamified recognition and rewards system, Bonusly has some unique features that make employee recognition more fun and interactive, like microbonuses, leaderboards, and contests. While the other tools may offer some recognition features, only Bonusly has points systems and badges. These provide tangible, visible ways to acknowledge and celebrate employee contributions.

• Appreciate: $2/employee/month
• Connect: $5/employee/month
• Achieve: $7/employee/month

*Rewards costs are not included in the cost. The amount depends on the type of rewards that will be redeemed.

• Manager Digest: It’s a weekly email that gives managers an overview of their team’s engagement. It also includes information of their direct reports’ upcoming birthdays and work anniversaries.
• Reward Leaderboards: It displays all the rewards and recognition each employee received, allowing managers to track which employee hasn’t received any reward or recognition.
• Recognition Feeds Filter: By using this feature, you’ll get to look at the rewards and recognition given by team, department, or location.
• Claim Incentives: These are rewards for company initiatives that will further encourage employees to be more proactive. For example, an employee earns points when they share your job posting on LinkedIn, or they have completed compliance training. They can then redeem these points for rewards.

Who should use it

15Five is a good option for businesses that value feedback and transparency. The software has check-in reports, feedback sentiment, and goal progress, which allows organizations to do this. It is also ideal for businesses with remote teams because it allows employees to track their performance, check in with their managers, and give feedback from anywhere.

Why we like it

I like 15Five because it has experts that provide in-house advising and coaching. This gives organizations a unique advantage because they have direct access to specialized advice. These experts can also provide guidance on implementing effective engagement initiatives.

Additionally, 15Five’s continuous feedback feature helps SMBs keep a pulse on employee satisfaction and disillusionment. The real-time feedback allows them to identify and address issues quickly and align employees with company goals. It also shows if organizations are investing in strategies that help reduce employee burnout.

Another notable 15Five feature is the AI Manager Copilot, which helps managers in their day-to-day responsibilities by providing automated insights and suggestions for employee development, as well as helps streamline administrative tasks, allowing managers to focus more on strategic leadership.

• Engage: $4/user/month
• Perform: $10/user/month
• Focus: $16/user/month

Manager Training and Coaching Plans

• Co-Pilot & Content: $99/manager/month
• Group Coaching, Co-Pilot & Content: $220/manager/month
• 1-on-1 Coaching Sessions: Custom pricing

• High Fives & Badges: High Fives can be sent by managers, peers, or even customers to show that their work is appreciated and that they are valued members of the team. Badges, on the other hand, can be awarded for things like meeting goals, completing projects, or going above and beyond.
• Talent Matrix: A data visualization tool that helps businesses identify top and at-risk performers. It is based on the Private Manager Assessment, which asks managers to rate their direct reports on a variety of factors, such as performance, potential, and fit.
• Coaching Plans: This enables managers and employees to create custom coaching plans, which can be used to track progress, set goals, and identify areas for improvement.
• Targeted Assessments: They are based on a set of predefined questions and topics. Targeted assessments can be a good option for businesses that want to get feedback on a broad range of topics, such as employees’ work-life balance, career development opportunities, or overall satisfaction with their jobs.