Screenwriter and director Woody Allen once said, “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” For most organizations, success is dependent on more than employees physically being present.
Multiple studies in different countries and across industries find that employees passionate about their jobs and employers are in the minority. The Corporate Executive Board looked at levels of engagement of 50,000 employees and found only 11 percent in what they called “true believers.” Towers Perrin’s Talent Report found just 17 percent of 35,000 employees surveyed to be highly engaged.
The environment inside the office is critical for employee and, ultimately, business success. Leaders can influence employees by taking action around meaningful work, a positive environment and individual value.
Countless studies confirm the direct connection between employee engagement and business results. Organizations with highly engaged team members experience greater productivity, higher profitability, more satisfied clients and fewer safety incidents in safety-sensitive industries. I believe we all can relate to our personal experiences as a consumer when someone demonstrated apathy toward their job, toward us as a client or toward their employer. That client experience impacts our business there.
Organizations define engagement in many ways. One definition of engagement is the extent to which people enjoy and believe in what they do and feel valued for doing it. People typically receive greater satisfaction from their role if their position is a fit with both their interests and skills. Many times, high-performing individual contributors are promoted to supervisors and managers because they excel in their role. However, leading and motivating others requires a very different set of competencies in which they may not be capable or really enjoy. Therefore, it’s important to integrate motivational fit into hiring and selection practices.
If individuals feel they are making significant contributions to their jobs, their organizations and their communities, they tend to be more engaged. To significantly impact engagement, help employees link together what they do every day and their impact on the company’s goals and mission.
People want to be recognized and rewarded for their contributions. Rewards and recognition come in many forms from competitive compensation packages, variable compensation strategies, healthy work/life balance options, workplace flexibility, personal notes of appreciation and, most importantly, a sincere acknowledgement from their manager.
One of the single highest-rated drivers of employee engagement is whether workers feel their managers are genuinely interested in their well-being. However, only about 40 percent of workers believe that to be true. Does that mean 60 percent of leaders don’t care about employees? I believe most leaders just need help turning their good intentions into actions that increase engagement and, ultimately, profitability and employee retention.
Meaningful work may be influenced by understanding exactly what to do and why; having timely access to information and decisions that impact work; and having influence over decisions to accomplish work. Leaders impact meaningful work by ensuring their team has the resources needed to do their jobs; discussing how jobs contribute to the organization’s success; immediately sharing information that impacts their team; and allowing people to have control over how they perform their work.
A positive environment is built on trust, collaboration and respect. In this setting, leaders support differing ideas and opinions; admit when they’ve made a mistake; provide a process for sharing information and resources; create an environment in which people feel comfortable asking for help; model respectful behavior; and genuinely demonstrate care about people’s success and well-being.
And individual value is supported by development opportunities and being recognized for efforts and achievements. Leaders impact individual value by providing ongoing feedback and coaching; considering individuals’ skills and interests when delegating work; sharing individual and team accomplishments with senior leaders; working with people to develop their skills through training, stretch assignments and informal learning; and expressing appreciation in ways that are meaningful to the individual.
At least 75 percent of voluntary turnover can be influenced by managers. Begin having engagement conversations with direct reports to better understand what matters most to them at work and then take proactive steps to provide it as much as possible.
Employee engagement is about getting to the heart of what matters most to people. We are on the right track when individuals say that what they do matters, that it is a great place to work, and that they are appreciated and encouraged to grow.
Karen Shannon is the human resources and business consulting director for Ollis/Akers/Arney in Springfield. She can be reached at karen.shannon@ollisaa.com.
