Employee engagement is often used to describe those who are committed to their work, as well as their company. Employees who are engaged seem to be more involved because they are also invested emotionally in the culture and success of the company. Experts believe when an organization fosters employee engagement, that organization does better overall.
While most do agree on the importance of employee engagement, studies show that most American workers are not engaged at their place of employment. According to Gallup News, a poll conducted back in 2015 reported that only 32 percent of U.S. workers were engaged at their jobs, which was consistent with previous years. However, in 2017 Gallup News reported that employee engagement had risen to nearly 36 percent. While the increase shows progress, it still attests to less than half of American workers being satisfied with their jobs.
So why so much focus on employee engagement? Regardless of who you are asking, most will answer that question the same way. Engaged employees simply make everything better for the company. Though the benefits can be endless, there are two that appear to be universal and most prominent.
- Boost in Productivity: According to Gallop, engaged employees are 21 percent more productive than their disengaged counterparts. In most cases, greater productivity usually means greater revenue. In fact, it has been reported that disengaged employees cause an enormous amount of loss, costing businesses up to 400 billion a year. Therefore, it is critical that employers recognize the significance of employee engagement as well as invest in it. According to Gallop, if a company can increase their employee engagement by at least 10 percent, it can result in an increase in profits of nearly $2,400 per employee, per year.
- Employee Retainment: When employees are satisfied at work and feel appreciated, they are less likely to quit. Over and over again it has been said that people work for people, not companies. Therefore, when the managers and leaders display appreciation for their team and subordinates, it helps establish loyalty and commitment. However, it is a trickle-down effect. In order for managers to pass down employee engagement to their team members, it must first get passed down from their directors and so on. We all know the popular saying, “the fish rots from the head”. Studies have shown that employee turn-over results in nearly 11 billion in annual lost. So, one can assume increasing employee engagement will assist in cutting down that 11 billion.
Here at CDCG, employee engagement is extremely important. We work remotely and travel daily to different sites for various projects. Our CEO, Karen Davis, ensures we stay engaged as a team by bringing us together on a regular basis for functions and celebrations. Karen also performs routine check-ins and face-to-face meetings to keep the team motivated and promote comraderies. While hosting company events and celebrating employee’s milestones may seem costly on the front end, the payoff is monumental on the back end.
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