Growth is an exciting milestone — but it can also be a time of risk, particularly when it comes to employee engagement.

At Common Goal Consulting, we work closely with small-to-medium and fast-growth businesses. One common challenge we see is that as companies scale, they often lack the internal capacity or structured HR support to maintain connection, alignment, and engagement across the workforce.

When employees feel disconnected during growth, business momentum can stall. That’s why a proactive engagement strategy is essential — not optional — during times of expansion.

Here are five practical strategies we’ve seen our clients use to maintain (and even strengthen) employee engagement while scaling:

1. Communicate the “Why” Clearly and Consistently

Growth often brings change — new systems, roles, reporting lines or goals. To keep your people engaged, you need to clearly articulate why the business is growing, what the vision is, and how employees contribute to that journey.

In fact, Korn Ferry’s 2023 research identified a strong “strategic compass” as one of the top five things employees seek from employers.

If your people don’t buy into the growth plans, they’re unlikely to feel motivated to help you deliver them.

ACTION:
Review how you communicate your vision and direction. Consider multiple channels such as:

  • Company-wide meetings or team briefings

  • Monthly video updates from the CEO or leadership team

  • Internal newsletters or intranet posts

  • Infographics or strategy snapshots to reinforce key messages

2. Reinforce Core Values — and Bring Them to Life

As the business grows, it becomes harder to maintain a shared sense of identity. Core values act as anchors — guiding behaviour, supporting decision-making, and maintaining cultural alignment through change.

But values are only useful if they’re visible, lived, and reinforced.

ACTION:
Ask yourself:

  • Are our core values clearly defined and communicated?

  • Do employees understand what each value looks like in action?

  • Are values integrated into recruitment, performance, recognition and leadership?

Consider running a refresher session or creating behavioural indicators to bring values to life during change

3. Involve Employees in the Journey — Don’t Just Inform Them

One-way communication is not enough. Employees want to be heard, not just spoken to. Especially during growth, involving your team in decision-making and seeking their input can unlock valuable insights and foster buy-in.

Your employees are closest to the day-to-day — they may see challenges and opportunities leadership can’t.

ACTION:
Design intentional feedback loops, such as:

  • Anonymous surveys during change planning

  • Team-based workshops to surface ideas or concerns

  • Staff roundtables or cross-functional working groups

  • “You said, we did” summaries to close the loop and show responsiveness

4. Grow Your People As You Grow Your Business

Growth is only sustainable if your people are growing with you. Without proper support, employees can feel overwhelmed or left behind.

Regular feedback, coaching, and development opportunities create a culture of continuous improvement and ensure employees are equipped for change.

ACTION:
Audit your current performance and development framework:

  • Do leaders provide regular, honest and constructive feedback?

  • Are employees encouraged to seek feedback, not just receive it?

  • Are there mentoring or coaching opportunities for emerging leaders?

  • Do you have training programs aligned to the skills your future business will need?

5. Measure Engagement — Don’t Just Assume It

If you’re not measuring engagement, you’re guessing. The best companies implement structured engagement metrics to track sentiment over time and assess the impact of their initiatives.

This allows you to proactively adjust and prioritise what matters most to your team.

ACTION:
Consider the metrics that matter to your business:

  • Quarterly or biannual pulse surveys

  • Employee Net Promoter Scores (eNPS)

  • Turnover and absenteeism rates

  • Participation in development or recognition programs

  • Qualitative feedback from exit interviews or stay interviews

Make engagement reporting part of your broader business metrics — not an afterthought.

Final Thoughts

Growth brings incredible opportunity — but also disruption. Proactively supporting your employees through this change is critical to ensuring the business maintains momentum, retains key talent, and builds a sustainable culture.

At Common Goal Consulting, we specialise in helping growing businesses strengthen employee engagement, improve communication, and embed scalable people practices. We partner with leaders to design tailored engagement strategies that evolve as your business grows. Want to keep your people engaged through growth and change? Share your details via our Contact page and we’ll be in touch – commongoalconsulting.com.au/contact