Image

Unlocking Employee Engagement

April 2, 2015
Employees who aren't engaged in their jobs likely won't be driven to innovate.

The benefits of having engaged workers are not a secret.

Research has repeatedly shown that companies with engaged employees have lower absenteeism, lower turnover, fewer safety accidents, higher productivity and higher profitability.

The tricky part has always been in figuring out how to get engaged employees.

It turns out that managers have the biggest impact on employee engagement, according to a new Gallup report.  One in two adults, in fact, have left a job to get away from a manager, according to Gallup’s study of 7,272 adults.

In the U.S., only 30 percent of workers are engaged, while 52 percent aren’t engaged and 18 percent are actively disengaged, according to the report. Yet, employees who have engaged managers are 59% more likely to be engaged.

How to Engage Employees

Communication: Consistent communication leads to greater engagement.

Employees with managers who hold regular meetings with them are nearly three times more likely to be engaged. But the most engaged employees are those who have some form of daily communication with their manager.

Performance Management: The most disengaged employees are those who aren’t clear about what their expectations at work are. Those employees, thus, often consider annual reviews to be superficial. Instead, employees need to understand what they’re supposed to be doing and how that work meshes with everyone else’s work.

Strengths over Weaknesses: Managers who help employees develop their strengths are twice as likely to have engaged workers.

About the Author

Ginger Christ | Associate Editor

Ginger Christ is an associate editor for EHS Today, a Penton publication.

She has covered business news for the past seven years, working at daily and weekly newspapers and magazines in Ohio, including the Dayton Business Journal and Crain’s Cleveland Business.

Most recently, she covered transportation and leadership for IndustryWeek, a sister publication to EHS Today.

She holds a bachelor of arts in English and in Film Studies from the University of Pittsburgh.

Connect on Google+ | LinkedIn | Twitter

Sponsored Recommendations

Committing to Safety: Why Leadership’s Role in Safety Excellence is Key

Jan. 13, 2025
Leadership has the power to transform an organization through their behavior and vision, which can result in the creation of an organizational culturethat supports safety excellence...

Speak Up! Cementing "See Something, Say Something" to Drive Safety

Jan. 13, 2025
Many organizations promote "see something, say something" to encourage their people to intervene and make work safe. But most don't go far enough to equip teams with the skills...

The Truth and Challenges of Cultivating Chronic Unease

Jan. 13, 2025
DEKRA announces its latest white paper, “The Truth and Challenges of Cultivating Chronic Unease,” as a definitive look into why being vulnerable to incidents strengthens our commitment...

Mitigating Risks: Strategies for Safeguarding Workers in Hazardous Workplaces

Jan. 13, 2025
Join our expert team in taking on the challenge to make safety part of your organization’s DNA as work, the workforce, and workplaces evolve.

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of EHS Today, create an account today!