There are lots of costs associated with a disengaged workforce. Gallup says that disengagement costs U.S. businesses over $350 billion annually.
But as an HR pro, I’ve always found it difficult to sell the absence of expense. That’s why I think it’s more important to talk about what engaged workforces bring to the party.
- Highly profitable companies have 50% more engaged employees
- Teams with high levels of engagement sell over 20% more
So it only seems logical that, for our companies to be more successful, we need to engage our workforce. The question becomes how do you create engagement?
Dan Pink in his book “Drive” calls it autonomy. It means giving people freedom. But in a business context, you have to teach people how to effectively be autonomous. Managers can’t just say “be free” and expect employees to know exactly what to do. That’s why I believe the key is self-direction.
Self-Directed behaviors = Employee Engagement = Business Succe$$
If you’re interested in knowing specifically what those self-directed behaviors are, please check out my new whitepaper titled “6 Ways to Create an Engaged Workforce” sponsored by Ultimate Software. The whitepaper is free and no registration is required.
My thanks to Ultimate Software for sponsoring the whitepaper. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it. Cheers!
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Catherine Soplet says
Hi, Sharlyn
I’m a foodie too.
Check out this map of Mississauga, Ontario which shows a 1%cluster of high-ranked secondary schools identified in thinktank Fraser Institute 2012 Report Card on Schools pic.twitter.com/s821N2hh
School catchments serve vulnterable newcomer/low income populations and privileged long-time residents alike. The common feature is that, since 2008, parent councils and principals in schools have routinely accessed microfund grants which help parents learn how to help students do better in school.
Workshops are self-selected and self-directed by schools, with report-back to Ministry of Education on literacy, schools success and other standard metrics.
Sharlyn Lauby says
Hi Catherine. I agree that self-directed behaviors are best if learned early in life then reinforced through corporate training efforts. But I’ve had a lot of success with introducing self-management concepts to an adult workforce because they fully embrace the benefits of empowerment and autonomy. Thanks for sharing.
Mahesh Guruswamy says
As a techie i constantly keep looking for ways to stay motivated in my current role. I am pretty much on my own and need no direction from my bosses and they stay out of my way as well. But the only way i can keep producing high quality work is to become part of the solution (as you mention in your paper) and not just my immediate problem but the problems of the other groups as well, which i think is more empowering. I feel that the key is for upper management to allow and encourage cross functional team engagement and when employees successfully solve problems, they should be instantly rewarded. I am not talking about monetary awards. These rewards can be just bragging rights. Nothing works better than bragging rights (at least for techies like me it works every time). I will probably expand on this in my next blog post. But overall a nicely written white paper. One thing i think will be nice is to see a case study which applies the principles (and measures feedback) you outlined in your paper.
Sharlyn Lauby says
Hi Mahesh. Thanks for the kind words about the whitepaper. Self-Direction is a subject near and dear to me and my company. In addition to this abstract, I have a book and training program on the subject that goes into more depth about how organizations can leverage self-direction for powerful business results.
You are absolutely correct about the importance of staying motivated. If individuals are able to learn what motivates their behavior, they are better equipped to manage themselves.
Teri Hontas says
Hello Sharlyn!!! Love you site, love the concept and content. So cool to see you at doing what you love while we benefit.
Sharlyn Lauby says
Thanks Teri! It’s truly a labor of love. We need to catch up sometime soon.