With all the numbers and statistics that pass across executives’ desks, it’s no wonder that the employee engagement score feels like one drop in a very large ocean.
But it’s not.
Employee engagement is a business measurement like no other. ‘Engaged’ employees work harder, stay longer with their organization and deliver better customer service. In fact, there are four key reasons to get engagement right in your organization:
- To raise productivity;
- To improve service;
- To reduce turnover; and
- To get the most out of workers across all generations.
The greater the proportion of staff that makes it into this ‘engaged’ category, the higher business performance will be on almost every count. But how exactly do we do it?
Boosting engagement requires the delivery of frequent, relevant and meaningful feedback to staff. It means having the right tools and processes in place to support staff to do their best and continually improve—as well as the right recognition for a job well done. In most organizations, this is the job of managers, and herein lies the flaw in most engagement practices: most managers are ill-equipped to coach their staff.
If only around one in every five managers (20%) is considered a 'coach' and can inspire their staff to perform, most staff are failing to get the inputs they need to fully engage with the goals of the organization.
The simple lesson in this is: don't rely solely on managers' capabilities to build and maintain engagement. If you do, only about 20% will be able to follow through on the task and deliver the result you're seeking.
This blog belongs to the new Ebook, 4 Reasons to Improve Employee Engagement. You can download a free version here.
