Employee Engagement Roundup

Employee Engagement has become a mainstream buzzword found in all corners of the globe.  But unlike most buzzwords, the power of positive employee engagement has supporting data.  We’ve depicted this data multiple times in the form of infographics, but it’s not just NBRI extolling the value of engaged employees.  Many other companies have published data that is valuable for organizations to understand, so that they can get the most out of their workforce.  The caliber of management remains a driving factor in employee engagement levels.

Dale Carnegie: What Drives Employee Engagement and Why it Matters

The study revealed that a “caring” manager is one of the key elements that drives employee engagement.  That is, employees want their managers to care about their personal lives, to take an interest in them as people, to care about how they feel, and support their health and well-being.  A manager’s ability to build strong relationships with employees, foster strong team interaction, and lead in a “person-centered” way creates an engaging environment in which employees can perform at the highest possible level.

Gone are the days of bosses with a stiff upper lip, whose only concern about an employee was if they were going to be punctual.  Nowadays, younger employees do not feel as tied down to their jobs as their parents once did.  And they will bolt from a job if their bosses manage them with only one frame of mind.  We will all encounter issues outside of work that will affect work performance, whether it is a death in the family, trouble at home, or other issues.  A supportive manager will help the employee grow, both in and out of the office.

Towers Watson: Driving Engagement Through a Consumer-Like Experience

Retaining employees has more to do with the quality of the work experience overall.  While some elements — like pay — affect both attraction and retention, the latter depends far more on the quality of employees’ relationship with their managers, their trust in senior leadership, and their ability to manage stress on the job.

The caliber of managers is found to play a vital role in an employee’s engagement with both the company and their work even more so than their salary.  Toxic work environments are real, and a manager who overloads and places stress on employees is a large contributor to that kind of environment.  Managers should be able to understand an employee, and be able to recognize when they need some room to breathe.  When employees trust management, they will feel more secure and comfortable about their role in the company.

But don’t take these companies and their data at their word.  Your company is its own universe with many different moving parts and personalities.  At NBRI, we recommend deploying an employee engagement survey of your own.  The data you receive will help you create an improvement initiative plan of your own.  Then, you can resurvey periodically to evaluate the effectiveness of your initiatives. Contact us today to get started.