At SERVICEBRAND GLOBAL, we believe that an engaged workforce is essential if you want your organisation to thrive and be successful.
A Gallup study found that engaged employees are more productive, treat customers better, and are more likely to attract new ones. Plus, there’s a higher chance they’ll stay with your organisation than look elsewhere for employment. The study also found that companies with an engaged workforce had a 20% increase in productivity and a 21% increase in profitability. Put simply, if your employees understand how they and their jobs positively contribute to your company’s success, it means they are engaged.
So how can your company take proactive steps to improve employee engagement? We’re going to take a look at a few steps you can take to promote employee engagement to drive business performance.
Purpose and Values
A company with a clear mission and purpose and a robust set of values, with a leadership team committed to improving employee engagement, will make it easier for its workforce to see:
- Where the company is now
- Where the company wants to be
- Where and how they (the workforce) fit into that strategy
Your leadership team needs to be visible so that staff feel empowered and engaged enough to talk to them. The purpose and values form the core of the organisation’s brand identity and the where these are lived and breathed by the leaders and employees, engagement is enhanced and so is the company’s performance.
Financial Impact
It is no surprise that a lack of employee engagement translates into absenteeism and employee turnover. A recent report found that absenteeism at work costs the UK economy £18bn a year and some stories have it as high as £91.9 billion. Although absenteeism is caused by a variety of reasons, Gallup found that teams engaged with their work reported a 41% reduction in absenteeism and 59% less employee turnover.
Leadership
Never underestimate the impact and power your managers or team leaders have over how your workforce feels. Gallup found that 70% of employees say their motivation is directly influenced by their manager. It stands to reason, therefore, that if your managers embrace and encourage employee engagement, they are helping to drive your business performance in the right direction.
For example, managers agreeing clear objectives that convey how their teams contribute to the company’s overall success. We at SERVICEBRAND GLOBAL can help you create and implement the tools and processes you need to deliver high performance.
Inclusion
Gallup found that only 11% of UK employees are engaged at work with 21% actively disengaged. We at SERVICEBRAND GLOBAL believe that if your organisation gives its employees a voice, your levels of engagement and productivity will be higher. In fact, employees who feel heard are almost 5 times more likely to feel empowered to perform well.
By putting established mechanisms in place for employees to voice their opinions, ideas and satisfaction levels, you are empowering your workforce to be part of your success. It also makes good business sense because we find that employees usually know what needs to be done to improve performance.
For instance:
- Quarterly and annual employee surveys to measure satisfaction levels
- Big face-to-face meetings with leadership teams
- Cross-department employee groups that are focussed on finding solutions
- Skip a level meetings (front line employees with senior leaders)
- An ideas scheme
… these are just a few of the ways to ensure you enable your employees to contribute to the success of the organisation.
Diversity
Experts predict that by the end of 2020, millennials (35%) and generation X (35%) will dominate the global workforce, with only 6% of baby boomers making up the numbers. Millennials and generation X have different expectations and aspirations than earlier generations and expect and look for employers that can offer them work-life balance, freedom and flexibility. They also hope to be appreciated and want to understand why they’re being asked to undertake a task. We think that generalizations based on age, gender, race, faith, sexual orientation, ability/disability or neurodiversity can be dangerous but are also helpful reminders that employees have different needs and motivators.
At SERVICEBRAND GLOBAL, we can guide your company through establishing a workplace engagement culture that encompasses these expectations.
Before We Go
Our bespoke SERVICEBRAND approach is a tried and tested way to improve employee engagement and drive better business performance with demonstrable successes. Let us help you deliver measurable employee engagement that provides positive results for your company. Contact us for a no-obligation chat today.