Engagement Leads to Results
Employee Engagement… is it just one of the latest “buzz words” to be tossed around in management circles? Or, is it more than that? And if so… why should you care?
The reality is that workplace engagement is the core of the unwritten social contract between employers and employees. It also serves as a leading indicator of financial performance according to Gallup Management’s Jennifer Robinson.
Employee engagement boosts organizational performance. More specifically it is linked to improved critical business outcomes including: increased customer ratings, higher profitability, improved productivity, better quality, reduced safety incidents, and decreased absenteeism.
WHAT IS EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT?
Wikipedia describes an “engaged employee” as, one who is fully involved in, and enthusiastic about their work, and thus will act in a way that furthers their organization’s interests. Employee engagement is a measurable degree of an employee’s positive or negative emotional attachment to their job, colleagues and organization which profoundly influences their willingness to learn and perform at work”.
Engagement can be further defined as the level to which people find satisfaction in their job, see value in doing that job, and feel appreciated while doing it. Feeling good about what you do, leads to increased performance and improved results.
Job Satisfaction + Job Value + Appreciation = Engagement
Critical Factors for Engagement Success
Critical Factor 1: Hiring and Job Fit
Having the right employees working in the right jobs, meaning employees are capable of doing the job and even more importantly wanting to do the job. To engage your workforce it is imperative to put the right persons in the right jobs
Critical Factor 2: Effective Leadership
Leaders have the ability to serve as catalysts for increased levels of engagement. Studies have shown that changes in the behaviors of those who lead have a great impact on employee engagement. When leaders improved their skills through Leadership training their employees became more engaged wanting to do their work.
Critical Factor 3: Performance Feedback on Strengths
Gallup found significant improvement in employee engagement after managers received feedback on their strengths. Managers who received one-hour coaching sessions focused on understanding their strengths compared to other managers in other work groups where they did not receive the same coaching. The results were noteworthy; the increase in engagement occurred for the employees of those managers. This occurred even though the managers were the ones to receive the feedback on strengths. A similar pattern was found in a study of 12,157 employees who received strengths feedback. Their engagement also increased after they received the strength’s feedback.
Bottom-Line:
The Development of your managers through leadership training and effective hiring strategies breed engagement and are key contributors to an organization’s success.