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This guide will take you through all that you need to know regarding what employee engagement is and what some of its benefits are.

Employee engagement has emerged as one of the most crucial aspects of a business, becoming a high priority for human resource managers and corporate leaders globally. This factor has kept employee turnover rates at the lowest, more so in this economy where replacing a qualified workforce may prove challenging. 

Engagement in the workplace has been proven to increase productivity, increase retention, boost innovation, and positively impact your relationship with customers. All this impacts your bottom line, which is to create a good name for your brand and ultimately boosting sales. 

So what exactly is employee engagement, and what role does it play in the workplace? Read on to find the answers to your questions. 

What is employee engagement?

The term employee engagement refers to the level of connection an employee has towards their organization. It is the extent to which workers generally feel passionate and committed to their jobs while putting discretionary effort into their work. This has emerged as a critical driver of today’s business success as it improves organizational performance, increases stakeholder value, and fosters customer loyalty. 

There is a huge difference between employee engagement and employee satisfaction, even though many people still get confused over these two terms. 

On the flip side, employee satisfaction is the measure of how happy and content an employee is at their place of work.  For some, being satisfied at the workplace entails getting your paycheck while putting as little effort as possible at work. By contrast, employee engagement is driven by passion and commitment, and the employees are driven to do more than the bare minimum to get the job done.

To have a better grip on the topic, here are the key attributes of an engaged employee: 

• They believe in teamwork and team spirit
• Commitment to performance
• Attention to detail in the workplace
• Passion for learning
• They accept responsibility
• Takes the initiative on tasks
• Values the contributions of peers

Why is employee engagement important?

Employee engagement in the workplace allows them to have a deeper look into the objectives of the company and figure out their roles and how they fit in. This drives performance and better decision-making. Engagement is a significant differentiator in growth and innovation; hence, the reason why an engaged workforce is able to outperform the competition. 

So what else makes employee engagement this important? Here are five research-backed benefits of employee engagement: 

1. Increased productivity

This is a straightforward argument as; 

Engaged employees =  increased productivity.

A study by Gallup indicates that engaged employees are 21% more productive in the workplace; hence, helping the organization to attain (and even surpass) its goals. 

      2. Lower attrition 

It costs a lot to recruit and train new staff members, as you await them to ramp up to full productivity. However, engaged employees are 87% less likely to leave their work as they feel connected to it, saving the employer tons of time and other resources. 

       3. Increased revenue

According to a 2019 Kincentric report, companies tend to experience a 3% increase in revenue for every 5-point increase in employee engagement levels. Whenever team players feel engaged and appreciated, they will naturally go the extra mile to achieve their goals and objectives ‒ ultimately boosting the organization’s revenue. 

       4. Reduces employee absenteeism

An engaged employee feels invested in their job and knows their purpose and contribution to the success of the team. In that regards, it only makes sense that they show up to work on time, with the sole intention of playing their role to ensure that they hit their daily targets. 

As an employer, you should also strive to provide employees with a good work-life balance, wellness programs and ideal vacation policies, which are great strategies to further reduce employee absenteeism.

Besides making them look forward to working for the company every other day, employee engagement in the workplace builds up loyalty, which is pretty difficult to achieve. Today, whenever an employee is offered a better-paying opportunity at a competing firm, chances are that they will give in. However, loyal employees will prove to be a little harder to break off from your company. This gives you peace of mind knowing that your employees will stick with you as they feel more connected to your organization.

       5. Positive vibes

There is a high level of energy that engaged employees bring to the workplace. Their motivation and urge to succeed catches up with others, lighting up the mood of the workplace. This vibe tends to open up the workplace, opening lines of clear communication among employees, which ultimately leads to better customer service. 

A lively work environment encourages employees to work on all cylinders, making them less likely to make mistakes, providing higher quality by-products of their work. 

Wrap up

There are many other benefits associated with employee engagement, but these five are enough to show you how crucial this is an important aspect for any workplace. With team engagement comes increased productivity, personal & general development, increased loyalty, and much more. Learn how to improve employee engagement at your workplace today to start enjoying all these benefits.