Have you ever been in one of those companies where the CEO or Head of HR talks about Employee Engagement once a year, every year? That’s when you will hear about the current percentages of ‘engaged’ employees and how it should be improved.
Have you ever been in one of those companies where the CEO or Head of HR talks about Employee Engagement once a year, every year? That’s when you will hear about the current percentages of ‘engaged’ employees and how it should be improved.
Perhaps you’ve been in a company that doesn’t even talk about engaging employees, and this term is entirely new to you.
Or the best scenario, you are in a company where that’s all everybody talks about, and you’ve heard them saying that employee engagement rates are ‘high’ and you’re glad, but really, what does it all mean? Why can’t we just call it employee happiness?
In simple terms, engaged employees are a company’s employees that are the most emotionally and passionately connected to their jobs. They’re not only hard workers but they are the ones who actually try to push the whole company forward by aligning their own goals to the company ‘s.You’vecompany’s.You’ve seen them, they are the ones that don’t go around complaining about getting ‘so much work’ done, but are actually getting them done. They are the employees that may seem quiet but are the ones people go to to ask questions about their job/department/company. They are the ones who will teach you new things because they know how important knowledge is to get the company to be successful. You may even be one of them!
The reason so many companies try to measure their employee engagement year after year is because they know how important it is. In fact, it has been proven again and again that employee engagement is the difference between a good company and a great one. Some of the greatest companies in the world have higher-than-average employee engagement levels. As more companies realise this, more is being done now to raise levels of engagement in workplaces. It may just be the missing ingredient that could push a company into being one of ‘the best’ instead of just average.
How does higher employee engagement affect a company?
More communication & collaboration (in other words, employees work in teams that talk to each other)
As engagement level rises, you will see employees no longer working in silo because they know they can get higher quality work by working in a team. Working in teams is great for your company because a team capitalises on each individual’s strengths, leading to higher quality work in a shorter time.
Higher productivity levels (in other words, better efficiency & output levels)
Engaged employees have one thing in common, they work towards a company’s goal. This means they see how their work contribute to the company’s outcome so they tend to go above and beyond their job scopes. For example, they not only get the work done, but they also make sure it is done well, leading to better use of their time and directly raising output levels overall.
Lower turnover rates (in other words, people stay longer and stop looking for other jobs)
A high turnover rate means high cost of re-hiring and training for the company. Engaged employees would think twice about leaving a company because the attachment they feel as being part of something bigger. They will stay longer especially if they feel their ‘emotional’ needs are met, for example by doing work that’s meaningful.
Better selection of new hires (in other words, more people would want to work with you and you get the cream of the crop)
Engaged employees do one thing great, and that is to recommend their workplace to everyone they know. Other workers will soon hear about how much of a great place the company is to work in, resulting in higher quality applicants for every job title in the company. A wider selection means a better chance at finding the best of the best to ‘fit in’ to the job at hand.
Higher happiness and satisfaction levels (in other words, people are in a good mood at work)
Engaged employees look forward to coming to work every day and enjoy their work environment. Happy employees cause fewer problems and are more likely to solve them amicably. Higher happiness levels also mean fewer sick days and time off overall.
Better customer satisfaction (in other words, customers are happier with the company)
Customer service would improve manyfold when employees representing the company have the company’s wellbeing in mind. These employees represent the company better by providing higher quality service when dealing with customers. This results in better customer satisfaction and a higher probability of repeat customers.
More knowledge sharing (in other words, mentoring, teaching and learning is happening)
A culture of teaching and learning is one of the best cultures to cultivate in a work environment. The sharing of information across generations, departments and levels could only result in a more efficient way of doing things.
Higher employee engagement rates can do amazing things for a company. Not to mention, competitors will look on in constant jealousy when the company takes all the best workers, grow faster and produce more as a result.