Why can’t our team achieve our goals? Why are we losing good employees? Why are certain areas of the business suffering from lower productivity? Why do we have more customer complaints than this time last year? Why is our absence rate so high?
Are these some of the questions that you have been hearing recently from your managers or clients? The answers to all of these questions could be that the employees are not engaged with the organisation.
A UK Gallup study in 2016 found that only 8% of employed people were engaged at work.
The CIPD define employee engagement as ‘Being focused in what you do (thinking), feeling good about yourself in your role and the organisation (feeling), and acting in a way that demonstrates commitment to the organisational value and objectives (acting).’
The global economy has also forced many organisations to make cut backs including restructuring, meaning employees have to cope with the same demand but with less resources available to them, which can have a huge impact on their well-being. Employee engagement is strongly affected by the human characteristic element and there are a great deal of variables and environmental factors that may make a difference to an employees’ level of engagement at a particular period of time, such as factors in their home lives.
Organisations need to be aware of the cause and ask if lack of engagement, can be attributed to the workplace? If this is the case, then action should be taken.
Evidence suggests that employee engagement has a significant effect on business performance in the following ways:
- Higher operating income – A 5% increase in total employee engagement correlated to a 7% increase in operating margin (Towers Perrin 2004 European Talent Survey: reconnecting with Employees: Attracting, Retaining and Engaging)
- Higher Productivity/Sales – Business with more engaged employees have 51% higher productivity (Harter,J K, Schmidt, F, L and Hayes T. L Psychology, 2002 vol 87, No 2)
- Lower staff turnover – An engaged workforce has up to 65% lower staff turnover (Gallup research, 2014)
- Lower absence rates – Highly engaged employees have less absence days – in average 3.5 days – compared to non-engaged employees (Gallup Germany, 2011)
- A happy more enjoyable environment – provides a more content workforce
- More effective communication – employees connect better with one another and with their stakeholders when they are engaged
- An environment that encourages productive conflict and problem solving – employees like to feel part of a solution
- Employees aim to fulfil their full potential and do their best
- Encourages creative thinking – new solutions and innovative ideas can be explored
In addition to this, lack of employee engagement can lead to poor quality services/products being provided which can have a negative effective on the organisation’s brand and reputation, and an increase in workplace accidents as employees ‘switch off’, all affecting an organisation’s bottom line.
Engagement = performance
Employee engagement is now widely accepted as an important factor in achieving performance in the workplace. However, some organisations still do not value the importance of employee engagement, stating excuses such as budget constraints, more important work priorities, they don’t know where to begin so have ignored it or they believe they don’t need to implement as their employees are already engaged.
How do you know if your employees are truly engaged? One way of finding out this information is through an employee engagement survey, which has proven to be successful, however, another quicker employee engagement tool which provides more detailed information and benefits the employee themselves, is to undertake DiSC profiling.
Why Managers are vital to employee engagement
Research by Gallup stated that ‘Managers account for up to 70% of variance in engagement.’
Managers play a vital role in creating and sustaining employee engagement, but where do they start? The individual Manager’s behaviour is of utmost importance, so they need to identify their own management style first, then they should understand their team’s needs, both of which can be achieved by DiSC profiling. Some employees prefer independent working for them to feel empowered, others prefer more hands-on management looking for direction and mentoring, not everyone is motivated by monetary incentives for example.
Adobe 2016 report stated that ‘47% of US workers would leave their current position for a more ideal job that pays less’
Managers need to know what makes their individual team members tick (links to about disc page. DiSC profiling provides managers with the tools to identify this. They become better Managers themselves and build high performing teams through sustainable employee engagement at the same time.
Do your Managers have the right training and skills for this to be implemented? Support needs to be given to Managers, in order to fully implement an organisation’s engagement strategy.
How to encourage employee engagement
- Support managers to value each member of their team, recognising that every role is valuable
- Set clear goals and vision for clarity and guidance, recognising each member has their part to play in the success of the organisation
- Be fair and consistent
- Employee recognition for jobs wells done – little things do make a difference to make them feel appreciated
- Allow employee empowerment, rather than complete control while supporting development of individuals
- Handle conflict efficiently and effectively, providing an open opportunity to raise concerns – an environment that encourages peer-to-peer recognition shows people don’t have a fear of speaking up but do still have respect for others
- Build Trust and integrity throughout teams
- Keep communicating and encourage your teams to communicate with all stakeholders too.
One of the fastest growing trends is using social media to promote employee engagement. Spread success stories, outings and values, employees like to highlight an organisation they are proud to work for. Shandwick’s study showed employers are 24% more likely to see a boost in sales when social sharing is encouraged in the workplace.
People are key to success!
Employee engagement should be an integral part of the organisation’s strategy, successfully communicated and championed by all. So, to all those who are putting employee engagement on the back burner, consider bringing this forward. A compelling business argument can be made to support the cause with employee engagement practices being positively linked to key business metrics.
The statistics speak for themselves.
Don’t delay, find out more about how to implement DiSC profiling and improve employee engagement by getting in touch with us today.
