51% of UK employees are disengaged according to HR Magazine, and there has been a 17% decrease in employee engagement since 2006. These figures are clearly negative, but just how important is employee engagement? Pretty important according to 83% of senior executives surveyed, who regarded unengaged employees as one of the 3 most significant threats to their business.
Employee engagement revolves around employees being committed to their company, and willing to ‘go the extra mile’. There are countless benefits to having an engaged workforce, and I won’t attempt to cover them all. But a few to consider:
- Companies with the highest engagement tend to grow 4.5 times faster than those with low engagement.
- Employee engagement is proven to improve business performance – engaged employees drive profit up, and you are more likely to retain talented staff if you keep them engaged.
- Engaged employees will become your greatest brand ambassadors – make them proud to work for you and feel involved in the decision making process and they will, in turn, paint a glowing picture of your organisation.
The Trafford Shopping Centre realised the raft of benefits engaged employees bring with them. Through reward and recognition strategies combined with people engagement, the centre recently became the first UK Shopping Centre to be awarded with an Investors in People Gold Award. The centre appreciates that world class customer service needs to start from within – and engaging their employees was the route to this.
Sounds great doesn’t it? But there’s always a catch! There is no short cut to engaging your employees. You will need to work at it, and work continuously to maintain the engagement levels. Involve employees in company decisions and encourage their suggestions – this can easily be done through your recognition scheme. The key to employee engagement is ensuring employees feel involved and valued, with sufficient recourses and support to work effectively. Your efforts will be rewarded in the long run.
http://www.johnsylvester.co.uk/motivation/over-50-of-uk-employees-are-disengaged/
