Employee Engagement

Employee Engagement is the level of commitment an employee has towards the organization. The primary behaviors of engaged employees are: speaking positively about the organization to coworkers, potential employees and customers, having a strong desire to be a member of the organization, and exerting extra effort to contribute to the organization’s success.

Many studies have shown a direct correlation between a company’s financial performance and its level of employee engagement. As the percentage of actively engaged employees increases, so does the company’s performance.

So how are American businesses performing in regards to employee engagement?

The Gallup Management Journal's last semi-annual Employee Engagement Index reports that 54% of employees are not engaged, and 17% are actively disengaged at work and only 29% are actively engaged.

According to Gallup, less than 1 in 3 employees in America considers themselves to be actively engaged in their job. Are you surprised by these numbers?

So what are the major cause of employee disengagement? According to the Gallup Organization the most frequently mentioned issues that employees say cause disengagement are:

• Poor management-uncaring and unprofessional managers;
overworking staff; no respect, not listening, putting people in
wrong jobs; speed over quality; poor manager selection
processes.

• Lack of career growth and advancement opportunities: no
perceivable career paths; not posting job openings or filling
from within; favoritism or unfair promotions.

• Poor communication: problems communicating top-down and
between departments; after mergers; between facilities.

• Lack of recognition.

• Lack of training: nonexistent or superficial training; nothing
for new hires, managers, or to move up.

• Lack of tools and resources: insufficient, malfunctioning,
outdated, equipment/supplies; overwork without relief.

• Lack of teamwork-poor coworker cooperation/commitment;
lack of interdepartmental coordination.

The impact of employee disengagement is a bottom line issue. Gallup statistics show that unhappy workers cost the American business economy up to $350 billion annually in lost productivity!

Are you actively engaged? How much is employee disengagement costing our company?

I’d love know your thoughts. Tony@repowell.net

Tony Christensen
www.repowell.net