Lack of employee engagement continues to be a major problem for many businesses. The latest Gallup survey finds less than a third of U.S. working adults are engaged in their jobs. Engaged employees are not only enthusiastic about their work, but they are also purpose-driven and committed to helping their companies succeed.

When employees do not feel engaged, their productivity lags, and they tend to be less responsive to management, their fellow employees and customers. Tracking employee engagement is critical, therefore, to good management. When done properly, it can also help keep employees engaged.

Despite the fact that companies have spent a considerable amount of money and time on measuring employee engagement, the level of engagement has not changed much in recent years. According to Gallup, the level of engagement has increased only about four points since 2011, from 27.9 percent to 31.9 percent.

The economy, unemployment rates and stagnant wages have weighed on employees, as have factors like longer work hours and workplace stress. Another Gallup study found that managers who are disengaged — about 35 percent — foment feelings of disengagement among their staff. What is less clear is what companies are doing to stimulate engagement.

Companies typically measure employee engagement through performance reviews, employee surveys, exit interviews and analysis of human resource data, such as retention and absenteeism. These measures look at the symptoms of disengagement.

They take a reading of general situational factors, such as whether an employee feels his job is valued, has the resources to do his job, feels connected to the corporate mission and has established close ties with other employees. Studies have shown a strong correlation between satisfaction with these aspects of one's job and engagement.

But the questions themselves, and the methods used to gather the data, are far removed from an employee's day-to-day work life. It's rather like asking, "Do you prefer chocolate or vanilla?" instead of "Would you like ice cream?"

A better approach is to track employee engagement by asking engaging questions. An article by Abby Reedy on the website for the scheduling software company, FindMyShift, points out that traditional data gathering methods — like annual reviews and annual employee surveys — are largely unpopular with employees and managers.

Moreover, because they are viewed as impersonal and bureaucratic, they tend to reinforce feelings of disengagement. Reedy recommends instead asking questions more directly related to the degree to which employees feel they are enabled and inspired to participate in furthering the mission, goals and values of the company. She also advises asking fewer questions at a time and asking more often, using techniques like quick-pulse surveys — the kinds of surveys companies use to track consumer engagement.

My suggestion is to take that approach one step further. Don't just ask employees if they feel engaged; engage them by asking questions. For example, say the company brass has just launched a new initiative. Use a quick-pulse survey or chat session to engage with employees:

• Do they understand the initiative and why the company is undertaking it?
• Do they see what their role is in making the initiative a success?
• Do they feel they can explain it in meaningful terms to a customer, client or stakeholder?
• Do they have suggestions for effectively carrying it out?

The level and quality of feedback you get from such questions, asked with interest and in a timely manner, will tell you a lot about the level of engagement of your employees. And it will provide valuable information to help you improve employee engagement, not just measure it.