3 Ways a Hackathon can increase employee engagement

Employee engagement is a key facet of company success - companies with engaged employees being 21% more profitable than companies that aren’t. Engaged employees also deliver 17% more productivity and experience 41% lower absenteeism. However, engagement in the U.S. is on a steady decline with only 32% of employees reporting that they feel engaged at work. A hackathon is a great way to up employee engagement and not only get satisfied and encouraged workers, but increase business return on investment. Below are three ways a hackathon can help.

Meet each other

Teams have changed dramatically since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with many employees having come and gone over the past two years. A hackathon is a great, low stakes way for employees to begin to rebuild community and meet each other outside of their work setting. In addition, it gives employees who are new to the industry a chance to meet others outside of the company and expand their network. It also allows company Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) get in touch with other ERGs, local professional groups and ideate and collaborate on intergroup resources and events.

Collaborate and work on something they care about

Giving them a common goal to work towards can bring employees closer together and provide avenues for networking. Teams get to learn each others strengths and weaknesses in a situation out of the context of work. A hackathon inspires teamwork, understanding, and innovation, three pillars of a successful project.

Learn something new

A hackathon not only serves as a networking experience, but also as an opportunity to develop current skills and learn new ones. Your employees will get the chance to maybe try a new platform, code, or may even be experiencing the tech industry for the first time. This is a fantastic professional development opportunity that will benefit both the employees and the company at large.

If you are looking for a way to engage employees, the Hack the Gap hackathon is the perfect event. Registration for our September hackathon is open! Check out this link for more information and to register.