Who wouldn’t want to be met every day with a workforce full of happy, dedicated, and results-driven employees? People who would stick around like family? Who would tackle even the most challenging tasks with unrelenting passion and commitment?
These types of employees show engagement in their work. They trust their employer wholeheartedly. Completely believe in the company’s goals and visions. Plus, have an emotional investment in the success of their organization.
No matter what industry you’re in, you will not be truly successful without engagement from the employees by your side. If you don't currently focus on employee engagement, here are reasons to start doing so.
Employee engagement often gets confused with employee satisfaction. But, there’s a huge difference between the two. Employees can be happy with their jobs but not have any engagement with their roles and colleagues. Often, this shows as they only do the bare minimum to collect their paycheck. If they don’t find a sense of purpose in what they do, they won't care about the future of your company.
According to a Gallup study, 51% of the US workforce is disengaged in their jobs. These people pose a high risk to their companies and are most likely to jump ship without a second thought at the first sign of a better offer.
On the other hand, employees who have emotional engagement and attachment to their jobs will put in more effort. Thus, will produce work with far superior quality than their non-productive counterparts. These people will go the extra mile in every task they accomplish, come up with innovative ideas for the good of your company, and constantly exceed your expectations.
Fewer things are worse than losing top talents to your competition. One of them is the high cost of acquiring new employees. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, the average cost of hiring new staff is $4,129. This is one expense that any business doesn't want to deal with.
In addition, new employees will likely have a harder time adjusting to your company’s policies and protocols. When someone resigns, not only do they take valuable information with him, but it also affects the workflow, resulting in loss of efficiency.
Because engaged employees are less likely to leave, it significantly reduces recruitment and training costs. Employee retention also boosts morale, increases productivity, and helps you generate more profit.
When you have an office filled with employees who love what they do, this establishes you as the employer of choice in your industry. Engaged, happy employees are likely to say only nice things about where they work. Thus, will become your brand ambassadors. As a result, talents of the highest caliber will flock to your company and nowhere else.
Best of all, this engagement is contagious. As you build the right company culture and gain more workers who are deeply committed to their line of work, other employees will feel that they are a part of something meaningful and life-changing.
Employee engagement doesn’t only affect how other candidates view you, but it extends to your customers as well. When your employee is unhappy, it reflects in their voice, facial expressions, and especially in their performance.
Just think about it. Most negative reviews stem from poor customer service. Not from the quality of your product or service per se.
Stephen Covey once famously said, “Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers”.
Workers who are happy and proud of what they do are the ones who will treat your customers right. As a result, your customers will vouch for your impeccable service. Thus, are more likely to recommend your brand to friends and family.
Any business is only as good as the people in it. Despite your most aggressive efforts, success might be elusive without loyal people by your side. Treat your employees like family and not mere people you are paying. Then, they are more likely to deliver work to the highest standards. Plus, will act with your company’s best interests in mind.
Christine believes that every customer has a voice. She is the Community Manager at HissingKitty.com - a customer complaints website. Christine loves talking to customers on social media about their challenges with Fortune 500 companies. Her work is also on Huffington Post, Inc., SocialMediaToday, and Thought Catalog.
