Employee Engagement Is Key to Business Success

Effectory is a Business Reporter client.

Employee feedback can be the secret weapon to building a great employee experience, making a company’s growth sustainable and building a world-class workplace.

Employee engagement is the dedication and commitment an employee has to their work and organization. It describes more than just being satisfied; it’s when someone has the sort of relationship with their work where they go the extra mile to perform well—and see their managers and colleagues doing the same. It’s about building workplaces whose employees are motivated to help an organization succeed and are committed to its goals and values, and feel that their well-being is being taken into consideration.

Research conducted by Effectory of more than 17,000 employees in 57 countries around the world shows that high employee engagement corresponds with high eNPS scores for the organizations those employees work for. Engagement rates also affect employee commitment, retention and performance—all important metrics for businesses seeking sustainable growth. After all, a company’s human capital needs to be performing at a high level and as efficiently as possible.

The effects of engagement on a business

An unstable and unengaged workforce drains resources and energy. This ultimately results in a negative impact on an organization’s bottom line. For example, think of all the costs associated with high staff turnover, which occurs when the employee experience is very poor. From constant employee branding, job advertisements and onboarding to the qualitative losses when experienced people and expertise exit, high turnover is a damaging phenomenon for any organization. But how can engagement be cultivated among a workforce so that this doesn’t happen?

Typically, the human resources team leads the way when it comes to engagement. The team is not just tracking it; HR is often responsible for implementing projects that boost it. It can refine the onboarding process, make sure that interpersonal relationships within teams are positive and introduce policies around bonuses and additional benefits that make employees feel cared for. But how exactly can HR know what is keeping people engaged?

Boosting engagement with an employee listening strategy

While employee engagement is consistently ranked as a top priority for HR and business leaders around the globe, many organizations still find that they are not tuned into the thoughts and feelings of their people. The way to rectify this is by developing a feedback culture and implementing a continuous listening program that keeps HR and the C-suite in constant dialogue with frontline workers and office staff.

In our work with businesses that are seeking to embrace the full power of employee feedback, we often hear the refrain that “employees want to be heard.” It’s not just about sending out a survey once a year; these days, it’s essential to demonstrate to a workforce that their thoughts and feelings are being continuously considered and are helping to drive and shape the organization and its goals.

A listening strategy isn’t just about engaging employees; it’s also a way to facilitate business growth. Feedback can provide essential insights that others may miss, which can then be transformed into action plans that heighten HR’s effectiveness in dealing with some of today’s major business challenges, such as the Great Resignation. A listening strategy is a circular approach that builds a sustainable and successful business. And rather than just stating what the company culture is, a listening strategy helps organizations bring their values to life and encourages people to take ownership of them.

Tracking performance, upskilling and reskilling workers and the degree of an organization’s inclusivity are just some of the themes by which a business can measure its success and plan improvements. Often, those in the workforce know best what further training they need, or how a management approach is experienced by people of different backgrounds. Simply put: If you don’t ask, you will never know, and may continue making decisions based on biases and assumptions.

It’s time to empower employees

It’s time for leaders to live the values of listening and curiosity and embed them in business operations so that they become part of the company culture. Leaders can be empowered on this journey with a smart and intuitive employee listening platform such as Effectory’s. We provide the solutions for management and HR to get insights into the most important themes of the day and to easily perform short, regular pulse surveys that keep the feedback loop in constant motion. This is crucial in an era of constant connectivity and rapid development.

Employees who feel heard and are engaged are much more likely to be ambassadors for a company. They’ll celebrate its culture to the outside world, which can mark the company as a world-class workplace. This won’t just help retain talent, but will also attract the best candidates for future job openings.

Organizations around the world are forecasting that engagement and the employee experience will only increase in importance in the future, and business leaders are recognizing the importance of the HR strategy to business success. Employee feedback is your secret weapon to engage your people and achieve your business and sustainability goals in 2022 and beyond.

Find out more about employee listening strategies in Effectory’s recent report.

This article originally appeared on Business Reporter. Image credit: iStock id1192717854