I’m not sure if the title of today’s post is a major surprise. We’ve been talking about employee engagement for quite some time. In fact, I’m concerned that the conversation has turned to noise. But regardless of what you call the term, engagement remains a key business issue.
That’s only a one part of the 2015 Employee Engagement Trends Report compiled by Quantum Workplace. The report analyzed close to 500,000 surveys to uncover workplace trends at a national, regional, organizational and industry level. I really liked that they prepared this infographic to share some high-level themes from their research.
I walked away from their report with three takeaways:
1) Leadership matters. It’s time to invest in their development.
2) Employee recognition is critical for growth and retention.
3) Companies have got to start paying people competitive wages.
If you’re interested in a deeper dive on these trends, you can find the full trends report here. To attract and retain the best talent, organizations have to be ready to complete. To effectively compete, you have to know what the competition is doing.
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Infographic courtesy of Quantum Workplace
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Ralph says
Great post, as usual!
I agree with this 100%; but here is what my takeaway is:
Employees and lower-mgmt already see this. It may be a refresher for low-admin but on the whole, most understand this.
Its Management proper, owners, and those who control these things at the top that are missing the boat on this. Even some in government see this, but most (especially at the top) either don’t subscribe to this or don’t realize it.
Big-business may do better but have a long way to go. Since small-business are something like 80% of the businesses out there, guess who needs to pick up the torch and run with it?
I know, the age ol’ excuse from every business: we can’t afford it.
On all three points. Alas, our leaders have propagated excuses and backing down on all fronts. We need our courage back, our attitude back, our swagger to take chances and make bold decisions. These are POSITIVE suggestions/matters, really. Lets see them for what they really are (needed!) and MOVE on this! We can all do our part….LETS!
Thanks HR Bartender!
Hope this conversation continues here!
Sharlyn Lauby says
Thanks for the comment Ralph. I agree that organizational hierarchy can insulate senior leaders. And that’s where HR can play a role in keeping the C-Suite informed and drive policy to make change. Hopefully, organizations will make the necessary moves to fix this before it’s too late.
Tom Gimbel says
Companies have to make employees feel valued, and that starts from the top down. Senior leadership needs to spend time with staff and compliment them on a job well done…even if that means just shooting them a text or an email. You’d be surprised how far that goes.
Also, give employees the tools they need, and then empower them to make their own decisions…invest in training even before someone makes a contribution.
Breda says
Love that infographic! Leadership is critical for businesses going forward and human resource efforts are critical for shaping business leaders of tomorrow.
Ewa says
There is an understanding of the problem, that’s true, but not everyone knows where to seek solutions. Many enterprises have simply slept through technological innovation and the new modes of communication. Employees are disengaged because they simply don’t know – are they doing a good job? Is the project progressing in the right direction? It’s time to take a good look at the processes of how the feedback is shared and how does it fit with the way we communicated today.
Daniel says
Fascinating infographic! Despite the fact that employers know that employee engagement is their #1 challenge and employees are their #1 asset, it really is mind-boggling that leaders aren’t investing more in them. I recently helped write an article about 29 Employee Engagement Ideas to apply at the office. Hope it serves as a valuable addition to the conversation!
http://www.snacknation.com/blog/employee-engagement-ideas/