Employees with Low Engagement are 4 Times More Likely to Resign

Does your staff show up to work? Not just physically, but mentally as well? If they don’t, it’s possible that it might not be because they are bad employees, but rather that their hearts and minds aren’t in it resulting in low engagement. As with most relationships, people only stay committed to each other if they feel that their needs are being met.

According to Kelleher, Konselman, and Benowitz, employees with low engagement (those who have, in keeping with the relationship analogy, fallen out of love with their employer) are four times more likely to leave their jobs (also see Forbes), which has costly consequences, as we recently discovered.

Some employers still don’t take the matter of job satisfaction seriously. After all, there are many fish in the sea, right? This isn’t the case. Not all job candidates are a good match for your business. Plus, you wouldn’t want someone working for you who is just in it for the paycheque. Chances are, they will pack up their desks without a second thought if a better prospect comes along. Kelleher and colleagues distinguish between employee satisfaction and employee engagement:

– While a satisfied employee will do their job, an engaged employee will go above and beyond what is expected

– While employee satisfaction focusses on personal success, being engaged at work is about the joint success of employers and employees. Employees who are highly engaged are, according to Kelleher, 480% more committed to contributing to the success of their company;

– While employee satisfaction involves their personal commitment, employee engagement involves mutual commitment. Keeping your employees engaged doesn’t mean that you need a fancy espresso machine and nap pods in the break room (although these won’t hurt). Instead, it means creating a working environment that is more than just a place for someone to earn a salary. Creating a place that assists in further developing their staff’s skills. A place that takes an active interest in their concerns, and acknowledges and rewards commitment and hard work. Kelleher and colleagues note that employees who are highly engaged are 370% more likely to recommend their company as an employer, which has the additional benefit of boosting the company’s reputation in general.

If you find yourself unsure about how to stifle low engagement, visit us at ezzely.com so we can help you get started.