A Leader’s Guide to Employee Engagement
In today’s competitive work environment, the one thing that makes you stand out as a company is your people. And when Dale Carnegie Training conducted a study of 1,500 employees, they discovered that employees who are engaged significantly outperform those who are not.
But how do you effectively engage your employees? Get creative! Your employees want to feel valued, included and empowered. They are waiting for you, senior management, to show that you respect them, that their opinions matter, and that you welcome and appreciate their significant contributions to the company. If you’re stuck for ideas to engage them, we’ve thought of plenty. And we’re certain that you can think of more. Try one today. Your people are counting on you!
Why is employee engagement important?
1. Increase productivity and ROI.
Study by Accenture 2011 states: “A workforce that is highly engaged is the engine driving the gain in profitability and productivity that are critical to business success in a competitive global environment.”
2. Reduce employee turnover.
According to the Bureau of National Affairs: “In 2013, the turnover rate will rise to 65 percent which will lead to a loss of more than $11 billion annually for U.S. businesses.”
3. Outperform the competition with the most valuable asset—employees.
According to Gallup: “Companies with engaged employees outperform others by as much as 202% percent” Dale Carnegie Training Research Study shows that “in the fight for competitive advantage where employees are the differentiator, engaged employees are the ultimate goal. Actively unengaged employees express mistrust,undermine the work of others and sow seeds of negativity.”
4. The effect of engagement can be seen in increased employee output and performance quality, which leads to happier customers and higher ROI.
“Any shift to engaged employees reduces turnover costs and increases productivity.”
-Dale Carnegie Research Study
5. Engaged employees are more productive.
“High-engagement firms had total shareholder return that was 19 percent higher than the average.” Gallup estimates that “unengaged workers in the U.S. cost $305 billion a year.” Dale Carnegie Training Research Study found that “actively engaged employees are more productive, make more money for the company, stay with the organization longer, and are ethical and accountable. 69 percent of disengaged employees will leave for as little
as a 5 percent pay increase, while only 25 percent of engaged employees will leave for the same amount.”
