Why is employee engagement important?

Engaged employees usually care about the company they work for and feel committed to their organisations goals and values and as a result they work hard and are motivated to contribute at work. This changes from employee to employee, but also from company to company and therefore different organisations will have a variety of strategies in place. 

It is common knowledge that a good engagement strategy will not only lead to higher retention but also return on investment. Showing interest into employee’s wellbeing and looking into their key motivators at work will ensure your workforce is functioning as well as it can to improve productivity. It is also just as important to look at the reasons your employees may be disengaged or demotivated, as engagement is all about how the employees feel about coming to work and what they think about the company. Employees should feel involved in the company culture and feel as if they have a voice and someone to talk to no matter what their role is. Engaged employees when given the freedom to voice their thoughts and are encouraged to do so, come up with truly remarkable ideas.

In our recent employee engagement seminar, we looked at what the attendee’s opinions of employee engagement were and what it feels like to be engaged at work. When asked for their opinion of what engagement felt like to them, it was suggested that engagement included feelings of being valued, confidence and being appreciated at work. 98% of people involved in this discussion said that employee engagement is important to work and culture. When asked how it feels to be disengaged the attendees said it can feel like there is a lack of communication, “that nobody cares” and can even give employees a low self-esteem. This highlights further the importance of engagement strategies to be driven from leadership level of the business in order for the strategies to work and be sustained long term.

Focusing on a good employee engagement strategy is vital due to the impact that low engagement can have on a business. Engaged employees help create a sense of purpose in the workplace which results in a more productive workforce thus increase in business performance.