What is employee engagement, and is it important to the success of my company? This is a question that almost every company owner, human resources professional and supervisor asks themselves at some point. With a sound understanding of employee engagement, it’s possible to harness its power to build a stronger team.
So, what is employee engagement?
Engaged employees, as defined by Gallup, are “those who are highly involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace.”
This excerpt from Blessing White’s The State of Employee Engagement 2008 provides additional clarity:“Engaged employees stay for what they give; disengaged employees stay for what they get.”
Why is employee engagement important?
According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) — an expert in matters regarding employee engagement in HR — a growing number of executives say that “enhancing employee engagement is one of their top five global business strategies.” And they’re homing in on this strategy because of the many benefits associated with a higher level of employee engagement. These benefits include:
1. Reduced Turnover
There’s nothing worse than a high employee turnover rate. Not only does this keep you on a constant chase for new talent, but it also costs you money in training costs. Consider this: Highly engaged employees are 12 times less likely to leave their company than those who are not engaged.
2. Happier Employees
Employees tend to feel happier in their roles if they feel heard, respected, and have a clear idea of their purpose. Engaged employees are also more likely to maintain a positive outlook and enjoyable attitude, which is important for cultivating a collegial atmosphere at work and for ensuring good client interactions. In addition, happier employees are easier to motivate.
3. Increased Productivity
There’s no better feeling than realizing that your team is working at peak efficiency while meeting all productivity-related goals. Time after time, research studies show that engaged employees are more productive than those who are simply going through the motions. For example, a Gallup study noted that “organizations with highly engaged employees have 21% greater profitability.”
4. Higher Level of Trust
When your employees are engaged, it’s easier to trust that they’re doing their job without fail. And with that in mind, you won’t feel nearly as inclined to micromanage. That saves you time while also giving your workers freedom.
Trust in the workplace is critical to short- and long-term success. Employee engagement is one of the many things that can help with this.
5. Better Home Life
Get this: Engaged employees often have a better home life. And work-personal life balance is something that every worker is seeking. Here’s an excerpt from a Kansas State University study titled “Employees Who Are Engaged in Their Work Have Happier Home Life”: They found that employees who are engaged in their work, which includes higher levels of vigor, more dedication and absorption in daily activities, have better moods and more satisfaction at home.
So, when you do your part in boosting employee engagement, you’re helping more than your company. You’re also helping your employees lead a better life at home. And that can do wonders for performance, turnover rate and more.
Leverage internal communication systems to boost engagement
There’s no shortage of tactics you can employ to boost employee engagement. However, leveraging internal communication systems is one of the best ways of boosting engagement. With these systems already in place, success comes down to using the technology in the right way at the right time.
Here are some easy-to-implement tips:
- Reach all employees through existing internal communication channels with the organization’s most important news to keep everyone informed on a regular basis
- Share the organization’s mission and values so that employees can understand the purpose of their work
- Prioritize feedback via internal communication systems
- Use these systems to implement an engaging management style that helps employees feel seen
- Distribute employee satisfaction surveys to understand where improvements are needed
- Use internal communication tools to improve onboarding and training processes
- Encourage employees to share their thoughts, feedback and advice
The right internal communication systems can make the difference between a highly engaged organization and one that struggles to win in this area of business. This holds true regardless of what other types of employee engagement tactics are used.
Use internal communication analytics to help with employee engagement
It’s one thing to provide robust internal communication to employees, but another thing entirely for you and your team to use them effectively. By focusing on internal communication analytics, you can more successfully:
- Analyze high- and low-performing communications
- Boost engagement among inactive and infrequent users
- Compare user behavior
- Identify trending topics
- Identify bottlenecks
With the help of Tryane’s analytics tools — such as those for SharePoint and Yammer — you’re able to better understand how internal communications impact engagement. Contact us to learn more and to get started.