It would seem that one of the never-ending challenges faced by corporations is how to produce more with fewer resources. The intense focus on productivity and efficiency has undoubtedly driven many business decisions. Experts in employee engagement suggest that it is in fact engagement that leads to increased productivity.
Below are the top 5 ways that employee engagement increases productivity.
Engaged team members tend to be more co-operative, focused and able to concentrate on their efforts. When people are more focused, they make less errors. Fewer errors means a lower rate of rework, which helps to reduce wastage. With less wastage and rework, organisations have more resources to dedicate to growth.
A company's culture is built through the cumulative effect of many small interactions over time. Each individual can affect a company's culture for better or for worse. Engaged employees tend to exhibit positive behaviours and actions, which positively shape daily interactions and therefore the culture. As these positive interactions replicate, company culture and productivity improve hand in glove.
When team members are engaged by their work and find it meaningful, they tend to strive for excellence and push their limits. They want to go above and beyond because it means something to them personally. They are committed to excellent work. Because engaged team members feel close to and motivated by their company's cause, they see a personal win for them in the success of their company.
The image that a business creates in its community can impact engagement levels. For example, when a business gives back to its community and inspires the public, employees can experience a heightened sense of engagement and alignment with the business' purpose. If this goes so far as to make the business an employer of choice and a highly sought-after place to work, engagement levels can increase. There is subsequently an interesting link to recruitment and selection in that the business would be more likely to hire top talent, thereby increasing performance, productivity and growth.
In one of their studies, the Gallup Organisation found that engagement levels can be predictors of employee sick days and general absenteeism. The more highly engaged employees took an average of 2.7 days per year, compared with disengaged employees who took an average of 6.2 days per year. The higher number of days from disengaged employees leads to drops in productivity.
There is extensive research on the topic of employee engagement. In its simplest form, employee engagement represents the relationship between an organisation and an employee. This series calls out some of the benefits of high employee engagement: