Does Employee Engagement Improve Business Performance?

This is a no brainer. All you have to do is remember a time when you received excellent service from someone on the job. If that person gave you service that was respectful and fast, they knew the product or service inside out, and they seemed genuinely glad to serve you… they either just won the lottery or they were an engaged employee. Clients, customers, and colleagues don’t soon forget that kind of treatment. And whether they know it or not, they’ll be back to that organization and/or that employee because of it.

Engaged employees want to be there

When employees feel valued and respected for their contributions at work and they know that their employer is looking out for their best interests, they want to be there. They like to be there. The end result? Statistics prove that absenteeism and turnover on the job drops — big time! As noted in the Harvard Business Review report entitled, The Impact of Employee Engagement on Performance, “…business leaders know that having a high-performing workforce is essential for growth and survival. They recognize that a highly engaged workforce can increase innovation, productivity, and bottom-line performance while reducing costs related to hiring and retention in highly competitive talent markets.”

Engaged employees give more

An article in Engagedly.com, titled, The Impact of Employee Engagement on Productivity, says that Gallup research has found that when employees are engaged, they’re 21 per cent more productive. Also, engaged employees are innovative. They’re more likely to think of ways they can do better. Plus, when employees are happier, they work harder to give excellent service. Better service means organizations get things done faster and more correctly. That boosts the organization’s reputation with both colleagues and outsiders. Lastly, when employees feel good about their responsibilities, they want to go above and beyond – to give back.

Engaged employees increase productivity

There’s no doubt about it. Just ask anyone who has worked in a boring job that they hate. If you don’t like what you’re doing and who you’re doing it for, there’s a huge chance you’ll slack off while you’re doing it. Long term: That affects the bottom line for the organization. But when employees feel good about what they’re doing they easily give it all they’ve got.

According to an article in the Harvard Business Review called, Employee Engagement Does More Than Just Boost Productivity, it just makes sense. “Engaged employees are more attentive and vigilant. They look out for the needs of their coworkers and the overall enterprise, because they personally ‘own’ the result of their work and that of the organization.” So organizations that want better performance would be smart to look at their employees and start finding ways to engage them.