How Engaged Are Your Employees?

Companies often wonder how to measure whether or not their employees are engaged.  Many surveys have been created to assist organizations with this.  But what does this really mean….engaged employees??

Gallop’s Q¹² (a 12 question survey designed by Gallop to predict employee and workgroup performance) defines it as follows: “engaged employees work with passion and feel a profound connection to their company.  They drive innovation and move the organization forward.”

Gallop further states that “The world’s top-performing organizations understand that employee engagement is a force that drives performance outcomes. In the best organizations, engagement is more than a human resources initiative — it is a strategic foundation for the way they do business.”

That being said, it would make sense that truly understanding what it means to have engaged employees would be critical to the success and profitability of an organization.

Based on my experience and ongoing research on this evolving topic, engaged employees:
[listdot]

• Understand and connect with the Company Mission, Vision and Values
• Have clearly defined roles and responsibilities within the organization and therefore, know what is expected of them
• A continuation of the statement above….Receive communication (and are part of the input process) about their individual and group goals and objectives
• Value the relationship they have with their Manager
• Experience greater productivity
• Believe that their work is significant and understand the impact their roles play to the bottom line
• Promote the company brand and in essence become sales people for the organization.
• Have the proper tools and support needed to perform their job
• Significantly influence others (at all levels in the organization)in a positive way
• Have opportunities for continuous development and/or career advancement

[/listdot]
These points all influence the profitability of the company either directly or indirectly.

You might fear that you don’t have the resources to commit to a formal survey with proper follow-up at this point.  If this is the case, I suggest you to take a quick pulse on how engaged your employees are by looking at your voluntary turnover statistics, exit interview data, policies and programs that currently exist and perhaps form some focus groups.  It might well prove to be worth it!