Employee engagement is one of the most important indicators to measure job satisfaction and, consequently, productivity. It gives the exact dimension of the professionals' enthusiasm, and it is increasingly fundamental for the sustainability of the business.
To give you an idea, “belonging” is the desire that is at the top of the Global Human Capital Trends survey, by Deloitte. In this survey, 79% of respondents said that fostering a sense of belonging in the workforce was important to the success of their organizations, and 93% agreed that it drives organizational performance.
In 2022, with the challenges of the pandemic behind us, and professionals coming back together in offices, engaging workers will be quite challenging for leadership. At the same time, this is what Deloitte experts recommend as an urgent task.
We will help you reflect on this throughout this article. Follow up!
Is employee engagement an important value in your company?
While employee engagement is theoretically seen as positive across the company, most employees are not engaged at work. According to global data collected by the Gallup, during 2021 only 39% of professionals declared themselves 100% involved, against 36% in 2020.
This low commitment can be caused by a number of factors, including a lack of recognition from managers, poor communication, and a lack of alignment with the business mission.
Why is employee engagement so important?
More than ever, employee engagement is a strategic business objective because it ensures long-term talent retention, higher levels of productivity and better quality of work.
According to one glassdoor researchOn average, a 1-point increase in a company's employability rating is associated with a 1,3-point increase in employee satisfaction.
In practice, when professionals are engaged, they are more likely to invest in the work they do, which leads to a higher quality of deliverables. Otherwise, they will likely do just the bare minimum to survive.
This applies to organizations across many industries. And according to a study published in Harvard Business Review regarding employee involvement in the healthcare sector, improvements in this area ensure both the safety of professionals and clients (patients). Those with the highest scores reported 48% fewer safety incidents and 41% fewer patient incidents.
In short, by investing in employee engagement, companies are able to increase productivity, work quality and retain the best talent. And all this, we know, results in revenue gains, profitability and market competitiveness.
What pillars to work on to improve employee engagement?
Finally, let us now see the most important points to be improved by managers who seek to involve their subordinates more. Check it out below!
- Confidence in leadership: people need to admire their leaders; see in them the example and inspiration for continuous improvement.
- Proud to Belong: more than having a job, professionals want to be sure that they are part of a mission; and that they are accepted and recognized as part of the community.
- Communication focused on dialogue: in the midst of digital technology, it is no longer possible for leaders to just issue announcements or hold meetings. It is necessary to work on two-way communication, with active and interested listening.
- Provision of conditions (sociocultural and technical): a culture of welcoming and belonging is further enhanced with the availability of tools that facilitate the day to day work. Therefore, investing in modernization of equipment, tools, methods and technological services is very important in this mission.
→ Also read: How Alexa for Business powers your team's results!
How is employee engagement in your company? Can we help you to reflect on this topic? Leave your comment!
