What is “Employee Engagement?”
It is common for employees and their employers to have a sense of what engagement means, but the majority of people have difficulty in articulating a working definition. An engaged employee is one who is fully involved in their work, and therefore behaves in a manner that advances the organization. Engagement is different from satisfaction, motivation and culture; and can be difficult to identify and measure.
Over the past several years, dozens of research firms have conducted studies and published reports in an attempt to outline the key elements and defining factors that determine if an employee is truly engaged.
One such study revealed that highly engaged employees outperform their peers by as much as 28 percent. The study also revealed that organizations with low employee engagement saw an average decline in operating income of more than 32 percent.*
Key factors in determining engagement levels include:
- Trust. Just knowing that colleagues are also “walking the walk” will elevate engagement levels. The effects are multiplied when employees see their direct supervisors doing the same.
- Connection. Being able to draw a direct connection between their performance and the organization’s overall performance, fosters a stronger sense of purpose and helps to maintain engagement levels.
- Visibility. When employees are provided with tools and processes that bring higher levels of awareness to goals and corrective actions, they are more likely to stay focused and engaged.
- Clear expectations. When goals are defined and clearly communicated, it allows for employees to grasp their reality and feel the urgency in accomplishing their tasks.
How is it accomplished?
If you are looking for ways to improve employee engagement levels in your organization you are not alone. Many organizations today are recognizing the importance of maximizing individual performance and sustaining their employees’ successes. Great organizations are responding by providing training to leaders, being more open and clear about stated goals and transforming the ways they keep their employees actively engaged. The transformation doesn’t happen overnight, but a truly engaged workforce has significant upside to the bottom line.
Getting started
Contact us now to discuss ways leading organizations are taking on this challenge and successfully raising employee engagement levels.
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*Towers Perrin Global workforce Study
Key factors in determining engagement levels include Trust, Connection, Visibility and Clear Expectations.
