Workforce Development
ENGAGING YOUR
BY PAUL BEESLEY
Research* in the United Kingdom tells us that only 33% of employees are fully engaged in their work. Yet the same evidence tells us that 64% of employees want to give more. Add the two statistics together and you‘ve almost got 100%.
USA-based thought leader David Ulrich tells us in his research that for every 10% increase in employee engagement, customer service increases by 5%. This translates into a 2% increase in profitability.
We know that people buy people. Who wants to be served by a disengaged employee? We know in whatever business we are in it takes people to solve problems. Who wants solutions fixed by someone who doesn’t really care?
As customers become even more choice rich and time poor, increasing engagement levels is taking greater focus. Today customers want relationships with brands. Only fully engaged employees will deliver quality relationships.
The improving economy in the UK means that employers in the UK run the risk of losing their most talented people. Employees are becoming more selective about who they work for. Disengaged employees become restless and will look elsewhere.
Where economies are struggling, benchmarking suggests that employee engagement increases in high performing organisations during the time of economic downturn. Disengaged employees sit tight until things improve.
If you still need convincing then I can point you to lots of research that shows low engagement results in more accidents, greater shrinkage and higher employee turnover.
The flip side of the research shows how higher engagement shows increased customer advocacy, productivity and profitability.
40 | TRAINING MAGAZINE EUROPE MARCH 2015
PEOPLE FOR SUCCESS