Over the past decade, employee engagement has become a buzzword that not many business owners have been able to get away from. This is because employee engagement has become a key performance indicator of the effectiveness of workplace culture. Through employee engagement, leaders can gauge employee happiness, job satisfaction and productivity, which has let them know if their culture is on the right track or if there are opportunities for improvement.
According to Gallup data, only 33% of employees are engaged at work.
You read that right, a dismal 33%. That means, more than half of your staff don’t want to be involved in their work and are not happy about the organization. Imagine the cost of the lack of engagement and the effect it can have on the rest of your workplace culture. Attitudes and outlooks such as these frequently affect your employees who are engaged as they start to question if they are really happy at your organization.
It is clear that leaders need to start viewing the combination of employee engagement and workplace culture as a number one priority. Companies can’t afford to have these two areas affecting productivity anymore.
So what are some of the focus areas that leaders need to pay attention to in order to ensure their employee engagement and workplace culture are working for and not against each other?
Employee Retention
Employee retention is vital to remain competitive in today’s global marketplace, and it’s a key area of focus for HR leaders. Employee retention is an excellent indicator of how well your employee engagement and workplace culture are functioning together. The higher your retention, the lower your turnover, and that means you are achieving more business goals, hitting your objectives, and saving on hiring costs.
A healthy employee retention rate means your employees align with their goals and provide the utmost value to your business. This adds to the vibe of your workplace culture by contributing to overall happiness and satisfaction.
Employee Productivity
Every leader wants their workplace to be productive and have every employee operating like a Terminator. More engaged employees are likely to be more effective, resulting in more revenue and profit to the business on a more consistent basis. With more consistent productivity, innovative ideas are continually being brought forward and actioned within operations, allowing the company to truly set itself apart in the marketplace and industry.
Communication Flow
Effective communication is underestimated as a tool in the workplace. Communication is one of the top three reasons employees feel misaligned to their purpose at work. When you have communication problems, you must find the source fast and put in new protocols and practices to make it smooth like molasses.
Creating simple yet powerful communication best practices will ensure that all key stakeholders are on the same page and accountable for their actions. Having regular meetings such as daily team stand-ups, bi-weekly status reports, and quarterly activity reviews will ensure that your employees on the front lines understand what is working and what is not. From there, you can quickly fix and adjust those trouble spots to ensure no bad habits spread further.
Customer Satisfaction
Happy Customers = Happy Employees.
Customer satisfaction is a great indicator of how well your employees are engaged in the workplace. When measuring customer satisfaction, it can highlight and address the critical areas in your culture that are working exceptionally well and those that need a bit more TLC.
For example, if customers emphasize quick and fast service, you know that your employees truly care about providing a world-class experience. If on the other hand, there are indicators that it is taking five business days for a simple email to get a reply, then you know that something is not lining up correctly. Remember, your customers likely have other business options, so ensuring that their experience is a good one can keep them as lifelong customers.
Employee engagement and work culture are like peanut and jelly; they go hand in hand. It’s essential to understand the factors that affect these crucial areas of your business, so if any warning signs creep up, you know the steps to take to course correct.
Understanding the importance of developing employee engagement and a positive culture can harness the benefits of both concepts. This is the antidote for a robust and progressive organization. Can you think of a better reflection of good employee engagement if not a positive culture and impressive results? Exactly.