INFOGRAPHIC // How to determine if you need an engagement boost.

Think you may have en employee engagement problem but not sure what to look for? Some engagement indicators are obvious - unhappy employees, lack of participation in meetings, etc. Research tells us that lack of engagement can have a much broader effect on a company from teamwork to overall results. Here are some signs you should consider increasing engagement.

Signs you should consider a social recognition program.

It is widely accepted that recognition will help increase engagement, but what are the signs that your employees are not engaged? Here are some things to look out for.

High employee turnover.

Stats tell us that over a third of employees are looking for a new job. Employees will look for and stay with a company that has a great culture, values employee input, offers career opportunities and has trusted leadership. A social recognition program will improve and highlight these key elements, increasing retention (Ernst & Young).

Lack of productivity.

If your employees are spending more time around the coffee machine discussing the latest reality TV craze, than focussing on their job – they are probably not engaged. Formal recognition will help focus employees and when engagement increases, so does discretionary effort. That beats any reality show – hands-down!

Minimal - or no - teamwork.

Teams not working together to meet goals? It may be a sign your employees are looking for a high-five from management – or their peers. Companies that focus on engagement enjoy higher levels of cross-functional teamwork and who are employees willing to go above and beyond. 

Frequent time off.

If your employees frequently don’t show up for work – the flu for the fourth time this year – they may be disengaged. There are multiple links between wellbeing and engagement. A recent study found that engaged employees take, on average, 57% less days off because they are more likely to be active and healthy (Gallup).

Dissatisfied customers.

If your customer service stats are so low you can hardly read the actually number, it might be worth looking at their interaction with your employees. Companies with engaged employees achieve twice the number when it comes to customer happiness results (Kruse).

Low quality scores.

Recognising employees for great work will not only build higher quality output company-wide, but a higher quality team. Companies with high levels of engagement report 41% fewer quality issues than those with low levels of engagement (Gallup).

Failure to meet company goals.

Feel like you are trying to pull a rabbit out of a hat at the management meeting - every month? Engaging your team might help. You won’t find the rabbit but studies have shown that companies with highly engaged employees have three times faster profits growth than those that don’t (Lupfer).

Safety standards are sub-par.

Unhappy employees lack focus on the job and in workplaces where safety is a priority, the results can be serious. Improve engagement and you will double your safety record. Research tells us that highly engaged organisations report 48% less safety incidences (Gallup).

Low return to shareholders.

Is the AGM more of an Annual Grouches Meeting than the usual fun affair? It goes without saying that shareholders want to see good
returns on their investment and your employees are key to succeeding in this area. Improving employee engagement can have a profound impact on shareholder returns, with top quartile companies enjoying double the returns of those with less engaged employee (Aon Hewitt).