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See the AgendaBy Tim Vaughan
— March 11th, 2021
The Harvard Business Review has called employee engagement “the holy grail of today's workplace”.
Highly engaged employees are a significant factor in the success of a business, while on the flip side, disengaged employees can radically affect a company’s profitability. Engaged employees contribute to positive business outcomes such as improved productivity, lower turnover, enhanced customer satisfaction, and increased profitability.
A Gallup poll revealed that of the 70% of American workers who are not reaching their full potential, 52% are not engaged, and another 18% are actively disengaged. These actively disengaged employees are costing the US between $450 billion and $550 billion in lost productivity, every year.
These astounding figures should be enough to show just how important it is to foster company-wide employee engagement strategies, but if you need further encouragement, here are five ways in which employee engagement is so important to a company's success:
Employee engagement refers to the emotional commitment an employee has towards their organization and its goals. Engaged employees are enthusiastic about their work and feel a strong connection to the company's mission and values. This connection motivates them to contribute to the organization's success, going beyond the basic requirements of their job roles. Employee engagement is crucial as it leads to higher productivity, improved business outcomes, and increased customer satisfaction.
Moreover, employee engagement is not just about individual performance; it plays a significant role in shaping the company's culture and influencing the overall employee experience. Organizations that prioritize employee engagement tend to have lower turnover rates, as employees are more likely to remain loyal and committed to the company.
Employers should communicate with their workers as often as possible in a way that is open and honest. It’s important to understand that your employees would rather hear about any issues the business is facing than be kept in the dark, or learn about it from a second-hand source. This open line of communication is a great way to build trust among workers, and keep them loyal to the organization through any difficulties it may be facing. Employee engagement best practices include personalized, multi-channel communication to engage diverse workforces effectively.
Honing a positive and welcoming culture throughout the workplace is an effective way to increase employee job satisfaction and engagement. This type of culture will have a significant impact on business profits and success, as when employees feel they are being respected with good working conditions, they will be more enthusiastic and hard-working in their roles, which will ultimately benefit the organization.
Workers who feel their contributions are being taken into consideration by their employers will be more engaged with their work. Without this recognition or praise, employees will often become unmotivated and unproductive as they have nothing to strive towards. Some ways to provide this recognition include setting up an employee-of-the-month award, establishing a points system, or even sending a simple thank you card. These types of rewards will let workers know their work is appreciated and that they are a valuable asset to the business.
Many employees want the opportunity to develop new skills and capabilities. This type of growth can occur on the job in the form of new projects and responsibilities, or else through certification courses, educational reading materials, and business conferences. Offering your employees room for growth will keep them engaged in their careers as they focus on continued education and learning. Additionally, opportunities for growth can motivate employees, leading to higher engagement and productivity.
Providing honest feedback to your employees is important as it either works to offer them praise and recognition or as a way to give constructive criticism that will educate and prevent the same mistakes from being made again.
Being aware of their company’s vision and values leads to engaged employees who feel they are a part of something bigger than themselves. You should ensure your workforce has a clear picture of the company’s core values and beliefs. Being kept in the loop will encourage employees to do all they can to help the business reach its goals and objectives, ultimately contributing to organizational success.
Disengaged employees can have a significant negative impact on company culture and performance. When employees are not invested in their work, they are less productive, less motivated, and less likely to provide excellent customer service. Disengaged employees can also spread negativity and dissatisfaction throughout the organization, creating a toxic work environment that can lead to increased turnover, absenteeism, and decreased morale.
In any business, it can be difficult to keep track of employee sentiment. Work tends to take over and become the sole focus. But it’sa good idea to assess how engaged your employees are and to do so regularly. Employee engagement surveys are essential tools for measuring employee sentiment and overall engagement within the workforce. These surveys gather honest feedback from employees, identify areas for improvement, and foster a culture of open communication.
We’ve spoken before about how important internal communications are to developing an engaged workforce. Establishing regular, two-way communications is a great way to create an open workplace where employees are kept up to date, encouraged to give feedback, and highlighted for their good work. Read our blog post about how internal communications can be used to drive employee engagement.
Once you have put in place a good internal communications strategy, it’s vital that you keep track of how it’s being received. There are many tools that help you to determine engagement with your message. We’ve written previously about the various ways in which you can gather and measure employee engagement and feedback. Company newsletters, pulse surveys, in-depth analytics are all key tools available to you to make it easier to be on top of employee sentiment. If you measure regularly, you will be able to see any gradual changes and react accordingly. Additionally, employee engagement software provides actionable insights and analytics that help organizations optimize their engagement strategies.
Within an organization, leaders are the starting point for employee engagement. As the head of the business, their influence will work its way down through all levels of the company. Therefore, the attitude and approach senior leaders take towards employee engagement will set the tone across the entire organization. Leaders should:
An employee engagement platform is crucial for integrating communication channels and measuring employee sentiment.
After employee engagement strategies have been planned out, it is the role of HR to put these plans into action. The HR department takes responsibility for engagement initiatives and must ensure that everything runs smoothly throughout the process.
They must be prepared for any issues that arise and have solutions in place to combat them. In addition, it is the role of HR to provide training to employees on how to use engagement software and to supply managers with tools and resources.
As the first point of contact for employees, managers are responsible for incorporating any engagement strategies into the workplace to effectively engage employees. They must be prepared to deal with employee queries, questions, and concerns about these strategies, and to communicate them back to HR and leadership.
The role of managers in terms of employee engagement also includes motivating teams and workers, along with offering them support, praise, rewards, and new opportunities.
After an employee engagement strategy has been implemented, it is impossible to know if it is a success without requesting feedback from workers. When providing feedback, employees should be encouraged to be honest and to provide their opinions regarding any changes that could be made to improve their employee experience. Conducting an employee engagement survey is crucial for collecting honest feedback on various aspects such as communication, leadership, and workplace culture.
Employees are responsible for:
The importance of having a workforce composed of highly engaged employees cannot be overstated. By having strong employee engagement strategies in place, organizations will benefit from a reduction in staff turnover, improved productivity and efficiency, high levels