“Employees quit their boss, not the company.”
An employee’s willingness and desire to work hard, stay longer, behave ethically, and get along with co-workers is, among other things, largely dependent on the degree to which the employee enjoys positive relationships within the work environment.
Work and the most important relationship that the employee has in the workplace is with his boss or supervisor. Recent studies show that approximately 11% of the employee population is a “believer” in their organisation, depending on which study you read, and 40-70% of employees are classified as “neutral or agnostic.”
What’s worse is that an alarming 10% to 20% of your employees are actively “disengaged” with the company, minding their own business and not on the company’s, or worse, criticising or giving the organisation or company a bad name.
The economic impact of a low level of employee engagement can be devastating. It has been estimated that disengaged employees costs the company future business and essential profits.
Employee Engagement: The Key to Realising Competitive Advantage
Managers are surprised by these numbers and often say, “It’s like we haven’t been working on this!!!” But there is a difference between implementing initiatives to increase employee engagement and seeing the results.
On the other hand, one could easily attribute the low level of engagement to constant downsizing leading to the erosion of loyalty and commitment.
We can define engagement as to how people enjoy and believe in what they do and feel valued for doing it.
Clues Worth Considering
1. Enjoyment:
People tend to receive more pleasure and satisfaction from what they do if they are in positions or roles that match their interests and abilities.
2. Belief:
If people feel that they are making valuable contributions to their jobs, organisations, and society, they will be more committed to the organisation. The connection between what people do every day and the organisation’s goals and mission is crucial to engagement.
3. Appreciation:
People want to be recognized and rewarded for their contributions. Reward and recognition come in many different forms, including competitive compensation packages, work-life balance, health plans, business class travel, etc. But perhaps most important is the heightened sense of worth that employees experience when their leaders take just a few minutes to let them know that they are doing an excellent job and that their efforts are valued and appreciated.
While engagement is something that can be “felt,” it is also something that can be “seen”:
- The levels of arousal and energy jump out at you.
- You can witness people going the extra mile to solve customer problems.
- You can see an ethic of quality and continuous improvement.
Similarly, behaviours that indicate a low level of engagement: complaining, low energy, passive-aggressive behaviour, and lack of teamwork can be equally visible.
People have become the primary source of competitive advantage. Almost 80% of an organisation’s market value is made up of intangibles (brand, intellectual property, and most importantly, the quality of the workforce), which leaves only 20% for tangibles (machinery, products, facilities).
As we all know, products can be easily copied, a technological breakthrough can be fleeting, and facilities can be made or destroyed, but the quality of talent in an organisation, their passion, and commitment is almost impossible to replicate.
Employee Engagement Software for High Performing Teams
“Employee Engagement is the Fuel.”
Employee engagement software is the primary source for successfully implementing any business strategy: A committed software is your only competitive advantage. It’s nearly impossible to copy, and without it, executing most corporate initiatives becomes difficult, if not impossible.
Also Read: What Are The Benefits Of Using HR Software In India?
Increasing employee engagement is not a short-term initiative: The appropriate level of engagement is never achieved; it is a process of continuous improvement. It can take years of steady progress to achieve high levels of employee engagement, and without proper care and software, all gains can be lost surprisingly quickly.
Conclusion
Nothing impacts commitment more than the employee’s immediate boss: Although this sounds a bit exaggerated, most people don’t quit their jobs; they quit their boss. See a highly motivated team, and chances are you have a leader coaching them to success, setting clear goals, delegating responsibility, giving honest and open feedback, and making people feel valued.
Measuring the level of engagement and demonstrating its impact on the business is crucial, but it is only a small part of winning the battle: Many organisations spend hundreds of thousands of dollars measuring and re-measuring commitment, leaving little energy and budget for really improving engagement levels. Employee engagement software keeps engagement measures cost-effective and straightforward.
Also Read: Employee Engagement Software and These Effective Tips Can Boost Your Employee Performance
