Employee engagement has a very real impact on business success, and it should be considered a part of your business strategy. Employee engagement is the key to building a successful business, but engaging employees is easier said than done. Around the world, only 20% of employees are engaged in their jobs. Why is that?
We’ve put together a list of 8 employee engagement statistics that you should know to help you better understand its importance and help you drive engagement moving forward.
Before diving into numbers, let’s take a look at what employee engagement is and why it’s important in the workplace.
Employee Engagement is an HR term; according to Gallup, engaged employees are “those who are involved in, enthusiastic about, and committed to their work and workplace”. In other words, it’s the positive attitude exhibited by employees. It refers to their level of enthusiasm towards their role and their eagerness to contribute to the betterment and success of the organization.
Nowadays, the market is becoming very saturated in almost every industry, and employee engagement is becoming more important than ever. Engaging your workforce can be game-changing; it can help you retain your top talent and scale up to achieve its goals, or it can be the reason why you lose your top performers.
There are so many interesting statistics on employee engagement out there. But to make things easier for you, we’ve picked the top stats you should know about if you want to create an engaging company culture. Let’s dive in!
According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace, only 15% of employees are engaged in the workplace. This means that the majority of the workforce around the world is either viewing their workplace negatively or only doing the bare minimum to make it through the day, with little to no emotional attachment.
In a survey, most employees said they appreciated when the employers took their feedback as it made them feel as if they were a part of the community. In the same survey, more than half of the employees expressed their concerns regarding the minimal acquisition of employee feedback. Additionally, employees who were surveyed four times each year instead of once a year are much more actively engaged in the workplace.
A Harvard Business Review study found that the majority of executives believe it’s a high level of employee engagement that sets their company up for immense success. Further breakdown of this percentage tells us that the biggest employee engagement driver is the recognition of high performers. It is followed by having a clear understanding of their role and contribution to the strategy, communication with senior leadership, understanding of business goals, socialization skills, and corporate training and development of the individuals.
According to Gallup’s meta-analysis, the business or work units that scored the highest on employee engagement showed 21% higher levels of profitability than units in the lowest quarter. Companies with a highly engaged workforce also scored 17% higher on productivity. Successful organizations focus on employee engagement by ensuring all employees have the best tools and resources available to perform their jobs as well as possible.
Company culture and employee engagement go hand in hand. Businesses that focus on employee engagement and improving their company will enjoy the benefits of increased revenue, increased productivity, and increased employee engagement.
A recent report shows that 84% of highly engaged employees were recognized the last time they went above and beyond at work compared to only 25% of actively disengaged employees.
According to a survey on rewards and recognition, 43% of people like to receive recognition privately in a one-on-one with a manager, and 10% would prefer to receive recognition publicly in front of their peers.
According to a Korn Ferry Survey, the majority of those changing jobs cite boredom and the need for new challenges as the top reason why they are leaving. While it may sound unbelievable, the lack of challenges can significantly exhaust an employee. Hence, it is crucial to ensure that the employees have sufficient challenges and variation in work to help keep them engaged.
From wages to work culture, the major reason behind employee absenteeism is the lack of engagement. On a positive note, working on this can ensure you have a stable workforce available at all times. Employee engagement is more than keeping your employees happy and content. It’s about motivating, assisting, encouraging, and providing direction.