Did you know that employee engagement is greater when employees believe their managers are genuinely interested in their well-being? Did you also know that only 40% of employees believe that of their managers? What a disconnect to go into work each day and to not be assured that your manager has your best interests at heart.
According to Gallup, recent “Gallup research shows that keeping employees happy or satisfied is a worthy goal that can help build a more positive workplace. But simply measuring workers’ satisfaction or happiness levels is insufficient to create sustainable change, retain top performers, and improve the bottom line. Satisfied or happy employees are not necessarily engaged. And engaged employees are the ones who work hardest, stay longest, and perform best.
“If you’re engaged, you know what’s expected of you at work, you feel connected to people you work with, and you want to be there,” says Jim Harter, Ph.D., Gallup’s chief scientist of workplace management and wellbeing. “You feel a part of something significant, so you’re more likely to want to be part of a solution, to be part of a bigger tribe. All that has positive performance consequences for teams and organizations.”
Seven in ten workers have ‘checked out’ at work or are ‘actively disengaged.’ This is alarming given that actively disengaged employees – those who hate going to work – cost the US as much as $550 billion in economic activity annually. The US economy is an engine which seems to be sputtering, sparking to life and sputtering again. The lack of disengagement may be a real factor.
A great many US employers haven’t done a good job of ‘captivating’ the spirit of those who work for them. Beyond pampering employees, those who feel connected and believe they are making a difference are happier and more productive. Arguably there is the inevitable and necessary emphasis on profit generation, but to truly thrive and be agile in a challenging economy companies also need to be creating a sustainable workforce. Company’s with more engaged employees demonstrated higher earnings per share in Gallup’s State of the American Workplace: 2010-2012 report
Conclusively, we need to substantively re-think how we lead and manage our teams. We need to find ways of leading and managing which lead to more autonomy and allow individuals to synch their own sense of purpose with that of the company’s mission and vision. There needs to be shared responsibility for delighting customers at all levels of the organization. The pursuit of mastery (the desire to get better and better) at work; in the work place for each employee, has to become an essential success strategy complete with learning plans to chart the path to greater accomplishment. The secret according to Gallup’s Susan Sorenson says that “what workers truly want is an intrinsic connection to their work and their company. That’s what drives performance, inspires discretionary effort, and improves wellbeing. That’s what keeps people coming to work, makes them excited about what they do, and inspires them to push themselves and their companies forward.”
Get clear, gain confidence, make it happen – live your true calling. At Work, At Play, Everyday
Lynden
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