Savvy business owners, executive leaders, and management teams know that the success of a business isn’t usually hinging on just one factor. But these smart business people also know that employee engagement is a crucial ingredient for driving business, increasing sales, growing company revenue and reach. Here’s how improving employee engagement can lead to better business and a more robust bottom line.
The relationship between employee engagement and a successful business.
What is employee engagement?
Employee engagement is about more than just happy or satisfied employees. Employees can be happy with a paycheck or their coworkers and not be truly engaged. Employee engagement is measured more by an employee’s commitment to your organization, efficiency and skill in their job and daily performance, and a dedication to meeting goals that help not just their career, but your company. Companies with higher employee engagement rates often see the following benefits:
- Greater productivity: Engaged employees work harder and get more done. Why? Because they believe in the work they’re doing. More often than not, employee engagement is linked to a good corporate culture or good job perks, which makes it much easier for an employee to go all-in on their job – all to the benefit or your business.
- More sales: More productivity often means more output, which can certainly mean more output – more sales calls, more follow-up emails, etc. But engaged employees are also usually more positive, which can lend itself to better relationships with clients.
- Better marketing: Engaged employees are more creative. They’re not just doing the bare minimum; they believe in the work they’re doing. This often translates well in the marketing department, where many creative ad campaigns and other marketing communications are developed and benefit from sharp, creative, committed minds.
Methods of Employee Engagement
What are the best employee engagement strategies to improve employee organization at your organization? It will depend on things like your budget, technological capabilities, industry, and size, but here are some ideas to get you started:
- Pay: Employees who feel they’re paid what their work is worth tend to feel more valued and are therefore more engaged in their day to day work and workplace relationships. Evaluate your compensation matrix and make sure it’s aligned with industry standards and reflective of any positive performance reviews.
- Benefits: Similarly, employees feel more engaged when they work for employers who want the best for them – employees want to do a good job for companies who value their health, happiness, and work-life balance.
- Work environment: Some employees respond better to different office settings, so having different options for various work styles and personalities can help your employees do their best work. Some may prefer open workspaces that foster and encourage collaboration, while others may need quiet, set apart spaces to focus. Many employees do their best work at home, in familiar surroundings with no distractions. Offer your employees the options that make the most sense for your business.
- Feedback opportunities: One of the most important employee engagement strategies is to make sure your employees have a voice and that they feel they’re represented in the organization. Whether it’s just about HR-related matters – like performance reviews, compensation, hours, and benefits – or enterprise-wide issues like product development, employees need an outlet to share their thoughts and organizations who heed advice or listen to their workforce find that their employees are much more engaged and productive.
- Hire well: Make sure that your company focuses on recruiting people whose experience and skill set shows that they are determined, dedicated, and able to establish and meet goals. These individuals are habitually more proactive and engaged, no matter where they work.
Employee engagement isn’t just a buzzword – it’s a worthwhile place to invest the time, energy, and dollars of your business to continue establishing a strong foundation and secure future for your company.
