The two most dreaded and desired words in HR? Employee engagement.

The oft-cited stats remain painfully low: 33% of employees are engaged at work. That number has stagnated for years, much to the frustration of HR pros. Worse, there's no easy fix. To change it, employers often have to start from the ground up — benefits and all.

The impact of engagement is broad, and we wanted to reflect that in our latest spotlight issue. That's why we provided deep dives into a variety of HR headaches, including healthcare engagement, people management during M&A and the future of performance reviews. Read on below.

1. The future of employee healthcare engagement looks strangely human

   Big data will change the way employees use healthcare over the next decade, but the human touch will still be essential. Read More >>

2. The key to blue-collar retention: Engage employees at critical points

   Employers in the “new blue-collar” industries like restaurants and hospitality face unique employee engagement and retention challenges, but innovative HR strategies offer hope. Read More >>

3. Employee engagement is a critical piece of avoiding M&A missteps

   Mary Cianni of Willis Towers Watson talks about preventing the financials of M&A from overshadowing the human side of such deals. Read More >>

4. To improve engagement, make performance reviews focus on the future

   Frequent conversations continue to replace the dreaded once-a-year performance review. Read More >>

5. How learning leaders can solidify the connection between engagement and learning

   Employees who are ‘plugged in’ to the corporate culture are often those who are compelled to keep learning. Read More >>