The case for engagement and culture
|
More inspiration
|
If you’re looking to build your competitive advantage through the culture of your team or business we can help.
Here are some of the key headlines and data that we used in a recent speech on the value of culture and engagement. We hope this helps you make your case. If you’d like to discuss further then please give us a call.
Here are some of the key headlines and data that we used in a recent speech on the value of culture and engagement. We hope this helps you make your case. If you’d like to discuss further then please give us a call.
The Case for Engagement and Culture
What is employee engagement?
Search under ‘engagement’ and you’ll get an image much closer to the definition of how world-class organisations see employee engagement:
Employee engagement is about creating the conditions within an organisation whereby people love coming to work.
Just like this picture engaged employees are committed, excited, ambitious and proud. They see a big adventure before them and are willing to do what it takes to make it work; whether that means fighting for what they believe in or making compromises. They are connected to what their organisations believe in and stand for. |
What is culture?
Put simply, culture is ‘the way we do things around here’. What’s interesting about it is that it can be influenced and to some degree controlled which enables businesses to differentiate and deliver on their promises. Two holy grails.
World-class leaders understand that employees are only as engaged as the conditions they create. They see it as a two-way deal and one that they must work at constantly in order to maintain.
Put simply, culture is ‘the way we do things around here’. What’s interesting about it is that it can be influenced and to some degree controlled which enables businesses to differentiate and deliver on their promises. Two holy grails.
World-class leaders understand that employees are only as engaged as the conditions they create. They see it as a two-way deal and one that they must work at constantly in order to maintain.
Why bother with Engagement and Culture?
People are at the heart of everything your business is and will ever be. Their energy, lethargy, thoughts, ideas, relationships, conversations, actions, inactions, decisions and indecisions all inform how you set yourselves up internally and what you say and do externally.
Unfortunately your people are also your most complex resource. Navigating the plethora of factors that influence their mood, capability and productivity is a constant challenge. No surprise then that a global survey* revealed that 2 out of every 3 employees aren’t engaged in their work.
The benefits of employee engagement are clear and thankfully now widely proven.
People are at the heart of everything your business is and will ever be. Their energy, lethargy, thoughts, ideas, relationships, conversations, actions, inactions, decisions and indecisions all inform how you set yourselves up internally and what you say and do externally.
Unfortunately your people are also your most complex resource. Navigating the plethora of factors that influence their mood, capability and productivity is a constant challenge. No surprise then that a global survey* revealed that 2 out of every 3 employees aren’t engaged in their work.
The benefits of employee engagement are clear and thankfully now widely proven.
Some data to help you make your case:
Profit (Kenexa 2010)
Employee Engagement databases of 5,700 employers (5 million staff globally) found that organisations with high engagement (65%+) had shareholder returns 22% higher than the market average. Businesses with low engagement (45% or less) generated returns that were 28% lower than the same market benchmark.
Income (Towers Perrin 06)
52% gap on income performance for those with engaged staff vs unengaged staff over 1 year (664,000 staff across 50 global companies).
Customer delight (Gallup)
Companies with engagement scores in the top quartile averaged 12% higher customer advocacy.
Productivity (Gallup)
Companies with engagement scores in the top quartile averaged 18% higher productivity.
Less absence (CIPD)
Engaged employees in the UK take an average of 2.7 sick days per year, while disengaged take 6.2.
Competitive advantage (Hay)
93% of the world’s most admired businesses believe their efforts to engage their employees have created a competitive advantage.
The opportunity (Towers Watson)
Globally only 1 in 3 people are engaged at work.
Engaged employees consistently perform better, work harder, longer and smarter. So much so in fact that 93% of the world’s most admired businesses believe their efforts to engage their employees have created their competitive advantage (Hay Group).
Profit (Kenexa 2010)
Employee Engagement databases of 5,700 employers (5 million staff globally) found that organisations with high engagement (65%+) had shareholder returns 22% higher than the market average. Businesses with low engagement (45% or less) generated returns that were 28% lower than the same market benchmark.
Income (Towers Perrin 06)
52% gap on income performance for those with engaged staff vs unengaged staff over 1 year (664,000 staff across 50 global companies).
Customer delight (Gallup)
Companies with engagement scores in the top quartile averaged 12% higher customer advocacy.
Productivity (Gallup)
Companies with engagement scores in the top quartile averaged 18% higher productivity.
Less absence (CIPD)
Engaged employees in the UK take an average of 2.7 sick days per year, while disengaged take 6.2.
Competitive advantage (Hay)
93% of the world’s most admired businesses believe their efforts to engage their employees have created a competitive advantage.
The opportunity (Towers Watson)
Globally only 1 in 3 people are engaged at work.
Engaged employees consistently perform better, work harder, longer and smarter. So much so in fact that 93% of the world’s most admired businesses believe their efforts to engage their employees have created their competitive advantage (Hay Group).
How do you go about it?
Ultimately it’s about seeing and treating your people as human beings rather than employees. It’s about having a clear sense of what your business stands for and the collective spirit you need to drive your business model, deliver on your promises and exceed the needs of your customers.
It’s about ensuring the way you hire, fire, induct, lead, manage, communicate, share, feedback, innovate, celebrate and reward is supportive of what you expect from people. These factors go an astonishingly long way to making work a more inspiring part of people’s lives. It helps everything just ‘flow’ for people.
It’s not easy. It takes honesty, courage, belief, tough choices, fresh ideas and lots of hard graft to keep it going. It’s a never-ending journey but a very fruitful one for employees and businesses alike.
Ultimately it’s about seeing and treating your people as human beings rather than employees. It’s about having a clear sense of what your business stands for and the collective spirit you need to drive your business model, deliver on your promises and exceed the needs of your customers.
It’s about ensuring the way you hire, fire, induct, lead, manage, communicate, share, feedback, innovate, celebrate and reward is supportive of what you expect from people. These factors go an astonishingly long way to making work a more inspiring part of people’s lives. It helps everything just ‘flow’ for people.
It’s not easy. It takes honesty, courage, belief, tough choices, fresh ideas and lots of hard graft to keep it going. It’s a never-ending journey but a very fruitful one for employees and businesses alike.