HR Magazine revealed in an online poll that 68% of respondents think employee engagement is just a cliché.  This is pretty concerning.  Something, somewhere along the line is going wrong.

Is it confusion around what employee engagement is and looks like?  Has the term become too ubiquitous having been bandied about at will? 

The term employee engagement may be overused and the concept sometimes misunderstood. However, the need for engaged employees is very real. 

We as HR professionals have a duty to keep employee engagement on the corporate agenda. And we must highlight the importance and relevance of employee engagement to business performance.  Identifying what drives engagement for your employees is key to this.

The ‘key drivers’ of engagement vary by organisation, meaning a tailored approach is best.  We find that the most significant and common drivers of engagement for employees include:

– Having opportunities to feed their views upwards – such as in an engagement survey

– Feeling well informed about what is happening in the company

– Thinking that their manager is committed to the company

 

By establishing what drives employees, you can tailor and target internal communications and business plans accordingly.

The benefits for companies that ‘do’ engagement well are clear.  Engaged employees are more loyal and committed.  They’ll be prepared to ‘go the extra mile’ to achieve goals.  They will give a better level of customer service.  They will be better advocates.  And this will ultimately lead to improved business performance.

ETS is hosting an on-line semniar on employee surveys and action planning on Wednesday 2 November. Find out more here.