Employee engagement is no longer a niche topic of debate for HR teams; employee engagement has become a top priority for every successful business.
Top organisations already understand that highly engaged staff are essential for growth and continued success. Those employees who take pride in their work and choose to go above and beyond the call of duty are the driving force behind innovation, bottom-line performance and lower hiring costs.
The mounting body of research that delves into the relationship between high staff engagement and long-term organisational performance speaks for itself. A recent engagement study led by industry think-tank Gallup showed that strongly engaged teams offered 21% higher productivity than their bottom-quartile counterparts.
But that’s not all.
Various other research bodies have found that engagement has a big impact on lowering levels of absenteeism, chronic stress and health and safety incidents, all of which lead to positive business outcomes.
Yet despite the financial and operational gains that are clearly there for the taking, sustainable engagement remains misunderstood by business owners and managers across every industry. Let’s take a closer look.
Engagement as culture
People are the most valuable asset that businesses have at their disposal. The key challenge for companies big and small, then, is working out how to keep people psychologically connected to both their individual responsibilities and the wider objectives of the company. This is what inspires that extra discretionary effort from staff, and makes the difference between good performance and outstanding performance.
Remember that culture comes from the top down, and it requires ongoing reinforcement from effective leaders to keep it going. It’s simply no longer enough to offer dress-down Fridays, or to restock a lonely fruit bowl once in a blue moon. If that’s all that a business is doing to motivate and connect with its people, it won’t take long before poor performance and employee turnover starts putting a huge dent in long-term productivity.
Businesses that foster a culture defined by meaningful work, social connectivity and organisational fit are the ones that stay ahead of the pack. Why? Because in today’s agile job market, culture is a competitive advantage. Modern workers demand a greater sense of purpose in their day-to-day roles and responsibilities like never before.
How to measure employee engagement
While companies across the board are beginning to see a clear need to improve employee engagement, many struggle to create tangible ways to tackle the challenge. As the old adage goes: if you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it.
At PACC, we work closely with management teams to establish key metrics and practices that help to quantify the impact of engagement initiatives on performance. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, which is why we facilitate action planning sessions and tailor step-by-step programmes to meet the specific needs of every business we support.
And it works. By drilling down into the drivers of engagement, we ensure people have the tools they need to succeed, feel positive about personal growth opportunities and remain committed to their goals and objectives. Get it right and it’s a win-win for everybody.
Looking to create a culture of engagement in your workplace? Give us a quick call on 0161 883 1149 to talk through your needs.
