Employee engagement is a huge buzzword in the HR industry. And rightfully so. A recent Gallop survey conducted in 2012 found that companies that scored in the top half of employee engagement have double the odds of success as those companies who are listed in the bottom half. The companies that scored in the 99th percentile had quadruple the odds of success as those at the bottom. These numbers are based on data from almost 50,000 businesses across 34 countries and 49 industries with a total of 1.4 million employees.
“Engagement” is measured based on your employees’ performance levels, which involve motivation, involvement, and commitment to the company and to their manager. Gallop defined success through a conglomeration of metrics including profit, productivity, customer engagement, employee retention, and more.
In a summary of the study, Gallop highlighted nine performance outcomes for the top quarter of companies, which were “remarkably similar” to their 2009 poll and to their seven previous studies on employee engagement. They include rates of:
- 37% lower absenteeism
- 25% lower turnover (in high-turnover organizations)
- 65% lower turnover (in low-turnover organizations)
- 28% less shrinkage
- 48% fewer safety incidents
- 41% fewer patient safety incidents
- 41% fewer quality incidents (defects)
- 10% higher customer metrics
- 21% higher productivity
- 22% higher profitability
The results are clear: there is a solid link between worker engagement and organizational performance. Engaged employees positively affect the desired performance outcomes of a company regardless of the industry or country. Employees who “pass go and collect $200” will not help you win in the Monopoly game of life. When they are unhappy, you’ll be unhappy. That’s not good.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to sparking engagement within your company, but the steps you can take to promote it are simple enough. It requires a emoting an understanding and caring attitude toward your workforce. Connect with them. Motivate them. Congratulate them. Brush up on the 10 Easy Ways to Reward Your Top Employees and incorporate at least three of these strategies into your workplace. Empower your workforce. Consider how to increase employee retention by implementing programs that help you promote from within or incentivize high performance.
It really comes down to treating your employees well. Did you know that you can improve your customer service by improving the treatment of your employees? There are those simple values again: building trust and showing respect. These basic life skills go oh-so-far in the workplace from upper management all the way down to those on the first day of their first job.
Most importantly, live by this phrase, “Employees are a company’s most valuable asset.” Without them, your company can’t function. And if your employees are not engaged, your company won’t perform well. You’re a captain and they are your crew. If the ship is sinking, you’re going down with them. But if you make sure there is a good breeze in your sails and the seas are calm, you will reach your destination.
About ABR
ABR Employment Services provides employment opportunities to job seekers and staffing solutions to employers throughout Wisconsin and in Winona, MN. ABR provides temporary, try-before-hire and direct hire job opportunities in: customer service, data entry, receptionist, office assistant, administrative assistant, assembly, packaging, machine operator, warehouse, janitorial, CNC, welder, forklift, maintenance, and call center. Connect with us on Facebook or LinkedIn for job seeking tips and advice.