Blog Post: A Global Epidemic More Costly to Organizations than H1N1 – Disengagement

In our current economic environment, it is all too common that employee morale is suffering.  Co-worker positions have been eliminated and folks are left behind to pick up the extra slack.  Managers are pressured to reach higher profit goals with fewer resources.  Employees may still be wondering if their job will be cut next.  Emotional stress is coming at us from every direction in the workplace.  As a leader, if you are not doing something about it now, expect a mass exodus of your top people in the near future.  Disengagement and the departure of critical talent have a huge impact on your bottom line. 

The link between engaged employees and happy, repeat customers is undeniable.  There are all kinds of studies out there that show the connection between employee engagement and business results.  A study conducted by Towers Perrin found that 84% of highly engaged employees believe they can impact the quality of their organization’s work product compared to 31% of the disengaged.  James K. Harter, Ph.D., Gallup ’s chief scientist of workplace management and well-being says “in good times, employee engagement is the difference between being good and being great, and in bad times, it’s the difference between surviving and not.  In good times and bad, low engagement reduces performance and profit.”  Gallup states that companies with engaged staff have 38% higher customer satisfaction, 22% higher productivity and up to 27% higher profits.  According to the Corporate Leadership Council, engaged employees perform 20% better and are 87% less likely to leave.

Ok, so as leaders, what do we do to engage our people or even ourselves?  It’s simple, but easier said than done.  I see it as a three-tiered, cyclical approach that organizations need to take.  Communication is a common thread.

Talk About Your Vision - Your vision describes what a company will look like when it reaches its goals.  It should inspire, focus and clarify everyone’s work within the organization.  Your vision helps employees understand where they are going.  Keep talking about it.  Reinforce ideas that are driving you and determining the direction of the company.

Align Your Practices With the Vision - Is the way you are doing business and the initiatives you decide to take on moving you closer to realizing your organization’s vision?  Employees need to see that you are doing what you say you are going to do.  Are you walking the talk or is your vision just lip service?

Developing Leaders – Your top talent wants to have opportunities to grow.  Providing those opportunities is a powerful retention tool for the employees that share your vision.  These are the people you want to keep.  Also, in order to continue communicating the vision and aligning your practices accordingly, you need to have leaders and managers with necessary skills and abilities.  You need other leaders that share your vision and have the skills to execute.

For any size company, this is a continuous cycle and it is the leaders’ job to keep the process going by creating commitment and alignment among everyone in the organization.  According to Dr. Gary Rhoads, Alliance Engagement Expert, “managers have a significant impact on how much employees like their jobs, how they feel about their role in the organization, and how much their role benefits themselves, customers and the company.  When managers do not support employees, do not lead by example, and do not exhibit actions that are consistent with the values of the company, then employees are less likely to be emotionally engaged.”  So, for the sake of your bottom line, get out there, set a good example and engage your staff.