Employee Engagement Benefits

Employees are the heart and soul of any business. You can have the best idea, the most innovative product, or the most unique and enticing corporate identity, but without the people who go beyond simply working towards a pay check (i.e. employees who are engaged in their work), a business would be more likely to merely survive than to truly thrive. That’s why the 2014 Gallup report on employee engagement comes at such a shock – it indicates that a massive proportion of US employees (68.5%) are not engaged in their work. Much fewer than half of US-based employees reported being “involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace”. That’s not a promising finding if you’re the one footing the bill for salaries.

The world of business blogging and corporate research has focussed on employee engagement. Trying to understand why so many employees aren’t engaged at work, what this means for businesses, and how to prevent it. It’s prudent to explore the research on employees who are more engaged in their work, and their antitheses.

Which employees are the most/ least engaged?

• In their report, Gallup found that higher-level employees such as executives and managers reported greater engagement levels than other employee categories, particularly those involved in Manufacturing and Production jobs who reported the lowest employee engagement of all investigated categories. Perhaps it’s because individuals in managerial positions are more likely to attribute greater significance to their work and have greater input into the direction of the company. Therefore, they report greater commitment, enthusiasm, and involvement in their work than other staff. Food for thought: Would a wider range of employees perhaps be more engaged if they had a vested interest in the organization they work for?

• The Traditionalist generation was also found to have the highest level of employee engagement (42.2%) when compared to other generations currently employed. Gallup postulates that this is because the few Traditionalists currently employed, re-entered the job market of their own accord. Consequently, they derive greater enjoyment from their work than Millennials, Generation X, or Baby Boomers.

• Incidentally, Millennials report having the lowest level of employee engagement (28.9%), and Gallup’s research suggests that it might be because the Millennial respondents tended to express that their current jobs do not offer opportunities to use their perceived talents, thereby leading to work disengagement. Gallup’s and others’ research indicates that different generations require different things from their workplace to facilitate productivity and employee engagement.

So, where does this information leave us?

Although Gallup’s report only delved into two specific variables, it is already evident that a salary is a necessary, but not sufficient aspect of the decision to stay in a job and in stirring up enthusiasm, commitment, and active involvement therein. Employers would do well to implement initiatives to facilitate greater employee engagement, where employees at various business levels and from different generations feel that they are being heard, valued, and taken into consideration in the greater scheme of things.

That’s where Ezzely comes in – we help businesses to attract, recognize, retain, review, train, and reward their staff; click here to find out how, and check back again soon for some more awesome content!