Recently, Maritz Motivation Solutions highlighted several trends for 2013, including: employee engagement will continue to be a major topic but the emphasis will shift to gaining insights on how to personalize reward experiences; and wellness will continue to be a major focus area for companies due to its impact on healthier habits, lifestyles and personal health.
The Maritz Study also revealed engaged employees had a 50 percent higher rate of job satisfaction, 45 percent higher rate of job performance and 33 percent lower rate of turnover intention.
Without question, employee engagement is an intricate process. In a new study released by Florida State University’s College of Business, it found engaged employees can quickly become disengaged. This happens when they feel a company took advantage of them. Also, a formerly engaged employee can do more harm to the company than someone who never was engaged.
That’s why, it’s important to embark upon a formal engagement program that is embraced by your top leadership. It begins with having a common definition for what engagement means to your organization. Successful leaders make employee engagement a company-wide priority. They have an executive champion (or sponsor) who maintains a clear direction on employee engagement.
A formal employee engagement program requires cross-departmental acceptance and enthusiasm. There isn’t room for inflated egos or irresponsible mavericks. Additionally, these programs maintain open, two-way communication and set realistic evaluation tools into place.
Employee engagement can be a competitive differential as well as a solid business strategy to build loyalty, retention and trust among your workforce.