people
better employee engagement =
better business success? Employers around the UK had a horrendous 2020 so it is only natural that several areas of employee engagement have taken a backseat. With the pandemic leading to tremendous changes in terms of how the world works, there also comes change in the sort of experience employees look for from their employers and business leaders. The core drivers for engagement have not changed, however its importance has been elevated in recent months. Everyone should enjoy their work. When they do, talent stays, customers are happy, and organisations succeed.
So, what is employee engagement and why is it so important? Employee engagement is the ‘involvement and enthusiasm of employees in their work and workplace.’ (Gallup). An engaged employee is defined as one who is fully absorbed by- and enthusiastic about- their work and so takes positive action to further the company's reputation and interests. Employers want engaged employees because, as well as being happier, healthier, and more fulfilled, they are more motivated and deliver improved business performance. Research has repeatedly pointed to a relationship between how people are
managed, their attitudes and behaviour, and business performance, with organisations with high levels of employee engagement achieving greater business success. If money is the language of business, engagement is the language of motivation and only through motivation does anything get done. When employees are engaged, they are naturally motivated to do work that is interesting, meaningful, rewarded and supported. There is no quick fix to creating an engaged workforce and there are many common misconceptions. Many people think that engagement is about money; thinking that if you pay more, employees will be more engaged. When actually, it has been proven that only 4% of people identify pay as being key to their engagement. This is not to say money is not important; if people are paid dramatically below the market rate then it will impact on how they are valued and in turn their engagement.
