Employee engagement can sometimes be seen as a fluffy concept, but savvy businesses recognize it as a key factor in overall company success. According to a Harvard Business Review study, 71% of surveyed business leaders identified employee engagement as one of the factors most likely to bring success to their business. Engagement ranked third, after a high level of customer service and effective communications.
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The Real Power of Engagement
Employee engagement is directly tied to performance, employee morale, and turnover. Engaged employees are more likely to go out of their way and expend extra effort to help the company and eagerly promote the organization to potential customers and recruits.
A Simple Way to Boost Engagement
There are a number of strategies to promote employee engagement—performance-based bonuses, competent managers, etc.—but one simple and cost-free way is to simply let employees know where they fit in in the company, writes Pamela DeLoatch in an article for HR Dive.
This might sound basic, but many people would be surprised at how many employees don’t fully appreciate what role they are playing in the overall organization. Entry-level employees working in siloed job functions can easily lose sight—if they ever had sight of it in the first place—of how their efforts day to day are helping the company and why those efforts are valued.
Tell Employees How They Make a Difference
Some employers take it for granted that employees will simply show up and do their jobs. All employers, though, should strive to get the most benefit they can from their employees—that requires engagement and commitment.
Research tells us that when employees understand how what they do fits in with the big picture, they’re more engaged. Making sure that employees recognize that their work has value, and in what way, instills a sense of pride and boosts productivity. That one simple step can have a big impact on not only how well employees do their jobs but also how long they choose to stay at your company.
Every job in your organization has an impact. Make sure your employees know what that impact is so they can clearly see how what they do makes a difference. Better engagement means better performance, higher morale, and lower turnover.