What is the culture like at your company? Are employees motivated to do their best work? Is your company using employee engagement strategies to improve productivity?
A company indulged in employee engagement activities.
What is the culture like at your company? Are employees motivated to do their best work? Or are most people just going through the motions: clocking in, clocking out and collecting a paycheck?
The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the traditional workplace in countless ways, many of which involve employee morale. With vaccines being widely available in the U.S. and other countries across the world, many organizations are bringing staff back to the workplace in person or creating a hybrid working environment. We recently discussed some of the challenges companies are experiencing to retain their best employees.
According to Gallup, employee engagement helps companies measure and manage employee’s perspectives on the crucial elements of their workplace culture. They define engaged employees as those who are involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace. It can be difficult to determine engagement levels by just observing employees, reading communication and participating in meetings. Has your organization regularly conducted surveys, interviews or polls to gauge employee engagement?
Importance of Employee Engagement
Here are four reasons why employee engagement is more important than ever:
- Pandemic Health Concerns- Even though vaccines are being used by many people in the workforce, a lot of employees still have legitimate health concerns about group gatherings in the workplace. Organizations have created new policies and procedures that have involved designing what their workspaces will look like in the future. Engaged employees will be more likely to trust their employers have their best interest and safety in mind. These staff members would be more inclined to return to the office and feel positively about it.
- The Great Resignation- Due to new workplace policies, individual health conditions and changing attitudes about working environments, many professionals are quitting their jobs if remote or hybrid conditions don’t continue. “The Great Resignation” is a phrase to describe the large group of people leaving their jobs for other opportunities or exiting the workforce all together. The rate of people quitting their jobs in 2021 has reached its highest point in the last 20 years. Organizations with high levels of employee engagement tend to see lower rates of turnover.
- Employees Have Options- Online professional networks and social media have increased the ability to connect with others. Recruiters are actively reaching out to employees online about career opportunities. There are millions of open jobs in the U.S., which has increased competition among companies to attract and retain top talent. Employees who are enthusiastic about their position and company are less likely to be enticed by a slight raise, new incentive or additional benefits. Do your employees know that you value and appreciate them?
- Many People are Burned Out- Employee burnout has been described as an epidemic over the past year and a half. Since many professionals have been working remote, they’ve been working longer hours. Without set start and stop times dictated by in office work, many people found themselves continuously working without boundaries. A Microsoft report recently found that 54% of global workers surveyed were currently feeling overworked. When organizations are cognizant of work life balance of their staff, it is easier to keep their teams engaged and excited about their positions.
Current health circumstances surrounding the pandemic and “The Great Resignation” have amplified the effects of employee engagement. Companies tend to see positive correlations between employee retention, performance and increased financial outcomes with increased employee engagement. Due to the large amount of job openings, many professionals have options and could be actively targeted by recruiters online. In addition, the majority of employees have felt overworked and burned out during the pandemic. How can your company address employee engagement?
Porschia Parker-Griffin is a Certified Coach, Business Consultant, and Founder of Fly High Coaching. (https://www.fly-highcoaching.com) She helps companies cut the costs of turnover and improve the performance of their employees.
