Understanding the Importance of Workplace Engagement

Developing workplace engagement is a sure-fire way that will help a company retain its employees for a long period. In addition to this, it can ensure that employees will always deliver their best work during their tenure at the company. 

For many managers, around 71%, to be precise, state that building workplace engagement is a go-to strategy when it comes to managing the employees under them. Therefore, the concept of employee engagement refers to the process of enhancing the relationship between the company and the employee in a manner that will improve organizational performance. 

Features of an Engaged Workplace 

There are several studies carried out by the HR professionals in companies that involve categorizing the employees into groups on the basis of the engagement they display while working. These studies reflected that a whopping 85% of the workplace has negative feelings towards their job and is not completely engaged when they work. Thus, in the light of this statistic, let’s understand what makes an engaged employee: 

• Cognitively Present: Employees find it easier to enter into their work and can perform tasks seamlessly. The workflow of a cognitively present employee is usually streamlined.

• Emotional Satisfaction: The emotions an employee may have towards the work they do and complete is another way to measure the engagement of an individual. They tend to feel more satisfied with the work they complete and their overall contribution to the company. 

• Physical Eagerness: An engaged employee will also exert more energy to work if the task at hand requires it. Therefore, they are willing to go through the physical effort of completing tasks. 

Therefore, it becomes clear that the employees who possess the above features are engaged and will ensure that there is a personal investment between them and the work. 

The most engaged employees are said to view their workplaces very positively and may even speak openly about their favor to family and friends. The non-engaged employees are generally more critical of the workplace they are present in. 

Engaged and dedicated employees continue to do their job and may even do it with a certain degree of respect. However, at the same time, they may feel a general disconnect from the mission and objectives of the business in general. The most harmful effect of this kind of employee will be a reduction in their productivity or that of the other team members. 

Why Does Workplace Engagement Matter? 

Studies show that Workplace engagement can contribute to a company’s profitability by 21%, meaning that this concept that may seem trivial does have tangible results. This is especially true when it comes to the increase in the revenue that accompanies workplace engagement. In addition to this, employee engagement may have the following benefits: 

• Enhanced Employee Productivity

An individual who gives their undivided attention to their work is said to be 12% more productive than an employee working merely for their paycheck. Some studies state that engaged employees are generally happier with their jobs making it easier to achieve the company’s goal.

• Better Employee Retention 

A workplace where employees feel that they are engaged will also mean that they find it easier to stay at the same company. In this case, an engaged workplace will mean that the employees feel as though their strengths are being utilized on a daily basis. 

However, it should be mentioned that the work should not feel overly challenging but offer an employee room to grow. Ensuring that retaining employees will prove to be a cheaper option in comparison to hiring a new employee. This is because the latter usually requires the company to spend $986 on average. Therefore, there is no need for them to look for other places to work. 

• Assured Customer Satisfaction

More engaged employees will mean that customers will have a higher chance of having positive interactions with customers. Therefore, customer service will be better at a company that is an engaged workplace. In addition to this, a report stated that companies that have engaged managers have around 20% higher sales. This increase in sales can be attributed to the fact that these managers are more content with their jobs and will, therefore, create results. 

• Improved Mental Health 

Employees are less likely to suffer from burnout if they find their work fulfilling or rewarding. This drastically reduces the absenteeism of employees. Some studies claim that absenteeism decreases by 41% in some cases. Employees coming into work feel that they can give their 100% every day. Thus, the company as a whole benefits from high-functioning employees.

Strategies That Improve Workplace Engagement

When it comes to developing engagement among the employees, there is no standard method of doing so. This is because the modern workplace is generally very diverse, consisting of people from different backgrounds. Therefore, it may be challenging trying to engage every individual in the office. To overcome this, it would be advisable to implement multiple strategies at once. 

Executives and managers usually opt for some of the following strategies: 

• Commendations

This is probably one of the more effective ways to ensure that employees are engaged in the workplace. The reason being that this commending an employee’s work will not only contribute to better self-esteem but will also help encourage them to maintain the standard of their work. 

In addition to this, this fact is corroborated by a study that revealed that 37% of employees in the American workplace feel that recognition is important for employee engagement. The commendation can occur with the typical “Employee of the Month” plaque or a bonus, or both.

• Communication

Employees are more likely to feel connected to their work if the company communicates with them better. The company should refrain from keeping secrets or just overlooking the aspect of telling their employees about the goings-on at the establishment. 

This will be a detriment to the trust that should be present between every employee and the company. In addition to this, employees are also obligated to show how they feel towards the company or air their grievances in general. 

• Conduct Surveys

An objective method of receiving feedback is to conduct surveys in the office. Be it a questionnaire or a poll, a company can determine if the employees feel engaged with the work they carry out daily. In addition to this, it would be advisable also to have a feedback section that allows employees to make their suggestions. This is also known as a bottoms-up approach since the information is coming from the lowest-ranked employees and moving its way to the top. 

• Creation of Purpose

Creating a sense of purpose for employees will help to develop an emotional bond with the company. Therefore, they are more likely to invest more in the company. It is the company’s job to ensure that the employees know that they are irreplaceable or valued for their role. This is especially important if the company would like to retain employees over a long period of time. Hence, it is important that the organizational goals and objectives are disclosed to the employees so that they know what they are meant to work towards. 

Thus, it becomes possible for a company to produce good work at all times while ensuring that its employees are in the best headspace. In addition to this, it will save on the hundreds of thousands of dollars that are spent during employee onboarding and just create a better atmosphere all together.