Sustaining high degrees of employee engagement and developing future organizational leaders is at the forefront of human capital challenges.—SHRM 2017
Would you be surprised to learn that relationships with coworkers was the #1 factor for determining employee engagement levels?
What about that the single highest scoring component for a “want” in the workplace was for the “Respectful treatment of all employees at all levels”? (65%)
The other high scoring components were Compensation and Trust (both scored 61%), Job Security (58%), followed with the Opportunity to Use Skills and Abilities (56%).
SHRM’s survey also discovered that only 38% of U.S. employees were very satisfied with their jobs. This is daunting as side effects are many. When satisfaction levels are low, expect high attrition, reduced productivity, lower work quality, sagging morale, and minimal collaboration, inspiration, and accountability.
Other interesting findings included:
- Only 38% of employees “very satisfied” with the level of respect at work
- 26% were “very satisfied” with their compensation
- 33% were “very satisfied” with the trust between employees and senior management
- 36% were “very satisfied” with their Job Security
- 44% were “very satisfied” their Opportunity to Use Skills and Abilities
Another study showed that employee turnover is higher than it’s been in ten years, and the cost is equated at $160 billion a year (for U.S. companies alone). This study also reported that high performers deliver up to 400% more work than a worker that it is considered “average”.
As leaders, we have the ability to influence, and even increase most of these numbers. It’s up to us to set the standards, to utilize leadership behaviors that we hope others will emulate, and take action against the behaviors that are inappropriate or impact satisfaction levels.
We need to encourage interactions, collaboration, and inclusiveness; we need to set the stage for sharing and building on the inspiration and ideas of others, and to work together to make them even better. We also need to acknowledge contributions and create a culture that everyone feels they are a part of. We need to value differences (skill-sets, styles and behaviors), and we need to leverage the talents and “magic dust” (strengths) of others.
Bottom line – don’t waste talent, and take the time to build and sustain strong relationships so engagement levels soar!
Employees want to feel good about their organization and what it offers the world. They want to be able to say, ‘I like what this company stands for.’ If employees do not believe in their company or do not believe the company can successfully uphold its brand or reputation, they are likely to look for a different job – Gallup News