Knowhow: Getting Engaged | Why fostering a connection with employees is crucial to the bottom line
Right Management recently conducted a study and found that only 43.6 percent of employees in the Northeast are fully committed to their job and employer. The region’s employee engagement level lags behind the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest, which are 47.7 percent and 44.5 percent respectively.
Everyone defines engagement a little differently. Our definition is that engagement is a measure of an employee’s involvement with, and contribution to, the success of their organization.
The regional findings ought to concern senior managers and their teams. The research uncovered widespread disengagement, and this research insight deserves the attention of all employers.
To arrive at a clearer understanding of engagement drivers impacting critical business metrics such as performance, productivity, employee engagement and retention, we surveyed more than 28,000 employees globally, including 1,881 from the Northeast region. Our research examined the relationship between leadership and employee engagement; identifying key drivers; and behaviors impacting the leader’s ability to engage employees in their role.
We found that employee engagement is linked to revenue, employee performance, trust in leadership, retention, customer satisfaction and profitability. High engagement leads to employee success, and employee success leads to organization success.
We also learned from the research that sharing an employer’s core values is the leading driver to boost employee engagement. The top three factors also include pride in the company’s products and services as well as a belief that an employee’s opinion counts. The top five engagement drivers are:
1. I am committed to my organization’s core values
2. Our customers think highly of our products and services
3. My opinions count
4. I have a clear understanding of what is expected of me at work
5. I understand how I can contribute to meeting the needs of our customers
What strikes me most is that the leading factors are all very personal and relate to the employee’s sense of belonging to the organization and having an opportunity to participate and contribute. One lesson for top management is the need for personal authenticity and connecting directly with each employee. These aren’t behaviors or practices that are fancy or dramatic, but fundamental to how leaders can build commitment and impact workforce performance.
We recommend senior leaders strive for the following best practices to boost engagement at their organizations:
1. Show that you value employees.
2. Build a strategy reflecting core values with which employees can identify.
3. Implement the organization’s strategy effectively.
4. Communicate strategy to employees clearly.
5. Implement organizational change effectively.
Employee engagement is a fundamental element for organizational effectiveness and directly impacts productivity and profitability.
When the role of employees is taken for granted, the inevitable outcomes are poor morale, lower performance and career dissatisfaction… all damaging to the company’s bottom line.
Bruce Maxfield is the market vice president for Right Management. He can be reached at bruce.maxfield@right.com.
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