A company’s success can be measured by more than the revenue it draws in each year. Business productivity is directly related to how engaged employees are. Engagement refers to how interested your staff is to see your company succeed. These are the committed workers who give 110 percent every day. They believe in your mission and are a positive influence on their co-workers. Engaged employees are team players who can motivate others to get on the company promotion train.
A workplace report done by Gallup found that only 15 percent of employees are engaged. This means that 85 percent of your workers are not investing their full time, talent or energy to adding value to your organization, Forbes magazine stated. Similar research has also found that the cost of employee disengagement is over $550 billion per year, the publication noted. That is how much money is lost each year because workers are not as productive as they could be if they were more engaged. Some of the issues that a company with poor employee engagement will see is a high turnover rate, absenteeism, safety incidents, and quality defects, according to Gallup research. In today’s corporate world, many companies are having to do more with less. There are fewer dollars to invest in salaries or benefits, which means that staffing is not always at the level it should be. However, this is an issue that can be offset by ensuring the skeleton staff you can afford are fully engaged in their jobs and your company.
There are three types of employee engagement levels, according to Forbes. The first is the engaged employee (15 percent), those who give their heart and soul to see the company excel. Then there are the workers who are not engaged (67 percent). These employees are not actively trying to sabotage your company but they are not giving it their all either. They are usually happy in their positions but don’t go over and above their minimal duties. The employees who are a problem are those who are actively disengaged (18 percent). Staff members like this are easy to spot; they are negative and often have a high skill level, which is why they are kept around. Unfortunately, they may be talented but they are so vocal in their dissatisfaction that they can bring down the morale of other employees. They can also take up a lot of time for a manager who is trying to foster a positive workplace.
When it comes to creating and cultivating engagement in your employees, each leader needs to be aware of their role in the process. Those at the top of the corporation are responsible for setting the vision. They also need to be very selective in their hiring process. Picking the right managers is a key element in developing an engaged workforce. Managers are directly in contact with employees and are important in forming the right culture in the office. Here are some simple ways that you can start to nurture employee engagement.
Most companies recognize that employee engagement is key to future success. A staff that works well as a team, is dedicated to seeing the company grow and commits to the mission of the organization is crucial to productivity, and, in turn, to enhanced revenues. Although statistics show that over 80 percent of employees are not engaged in their jobs, there are ways to cultivate commitment from your staff. Listening to them, making them feel valued, investing in a mentorship program and ensuring they have what they need to get the job done are some of the top ways that you can encourage your employees to be more engaged.