Recognise This! – The ROI of employee engagement is significant and shouldn’t be left on the table out of pride.
In my post today on Compensation Café, I shared lessons I learned on yesterday’s excellent HR.com-sponsored webinar, “7 Hidden Reasons Employees Disengage and Leave.” Led by Leigh Branham, author of The Seven Hidden Reasons People Leave, and Darcy Jacobsen, content manager and blogger for Globoforce, the webinar dug deeply into what companies and managers do that cause employees to disengage and, ultimately, quit.
Be sure to read my post over on Compensation Café for the high-level lessons, but there’s so much more I could have shared about the webinar, including these nuggets:
“Engaged employees give discretionary effort not just because of who they are, but also because of what the company brings out in them.”
Employee engagement is a two-way street. Yes, we as individuals are responsible for choosing to engage in our work, with the people around us, and with our company’s greater mission, vision and values. But it’s also up company leadership to create an environment in which employees want to engage – to create opportunities for employees to bring out their best.
“Research shows 65% of all lost customers can be traced back to a disengaged employee.”
Engagement matters. ROI directly hits the bottom line. Little can ruin a customer or client relationship faster than a disengaged, disgruntled employee who just doesn’t care enough to go that extra step. In today’s world of many options, customers can disengage from your organisation at the drop of a hat. Investing in strategic, social employee recognition is a smart move to create a culture of appreciation centred on your core values in which employees know they and their efforts are acknowledged and valued.
“Disengaged employees can be saved, but it requires introspection and a willingness to change by both parties.”
It’s never “game over” in employee engagement. If management and the employee are willing to have honest discussions about what the employee needs in order to fully engage, then valued employees can be re-engaged. Remember, your best employee today could be your most disengaged tomorrow if just one instance changes (a pet project gets killed, a conference pass is denied, deserved recognition isn’t given). The path can move just as quickly the other way.
Have you ever been a disengaged employee? What could have been done to help you re-engage?
