PROFILE AN EVEN BETTER PLACE TO WORK
“ Engagement should never be a once-a-year survey,” he says.“ It should be an ongoing process embedded into the rhythm of how teams work, communicate and align.”
The platform gives companies access to live diagnostic tools that track sentiment, communication effectiveness and team dynamics – not just at leadership level, but within teams themselves.“ We put the tools into the hands of people so they’ re not waiting for HR to fix things,” he explains.“ This approach builds trust and accountability where it matters most within teams.”
Understanding the local context
Bateman is quick to point out that South Africa’ s engagement challenge is unique. Economic insecurity, high unemployment, inequality and mental health stressors all affect how employees show up at work. But he believes these challenges make the case for engagement investment even more urgent.
“ Leaders need to understand that the person walking into work each morning is bringing the weight of external realities with them,” he says.“ You cannot separate the social context from workplace performance.”
In many organisations, misaligned roles, poor communication and lack of recognition create the conditions for disengagement to take root.“ When people feel undervalued or unseen, their effort becomes transactional. Discretionary effort – the willingness to go above and beyond – disappears.”
From data to daily action
The strength of An Even Better Place to Work lies in its datadriven, team-owned model. Organisations can monitor progress in real time, identify risk areas early and address underlying issues before they escalate. The platform’ s continuous feedback loop enables targeted interventions that reinforce trust, psychological safety and collaboration.
“ It’ s about creating measurable change at the team level, says Bateman,” because that’ s where performance actually happens.”
The strategic case for change
While much of the national focus is on economic policy and market competitiveness, Bateman argues that business leaders need to take a closer look at their people strategy.“ South Africa has no shortage of talent. What we’ re missing is alignment, motivation, and purpose. When you fix that, everything else improves: productivity, retention, culture – even client outcomes.”
As a trusted advisor to executive teams across sectors, Bateman is clear on one thing: employee engagement is no longer optional.“ Organisations that don’ t take this seriously will struggle to compete,” he says.“ The future belongs to those who build workplaces where people want to stay, contribute and grow.” ■
About Gary Bateman
Gary Bateman is the regional partner for An Even Better Place to Work, a global engagement and culture improvement platform. He works with organisations across South Africa to embed real-time data-driven tools that enable leaders and teams to take ownership of trust, communication, and wellbeing in the workplace.
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