Employee engagement in the workplace. What it is, why it matters and how to measure it

What do my employees think about their workplace?
How can I improve the culture of my organisation?
Are my employees enjoying their job or just going through the motions?

We’re here to help answer these questions by taking a deep dive into employee engagement, including Purpose’s specialised service in identifying, measuring and improving employee engagement in the workplace.  

What is employee engagement?

Employee engagement, put simply, is a measure of connection and effort between an employee and their workplace.

It’s something we can probably all relate to… Maybe you had a job that you were so invested in that you were willing to stay after hours to see it through. Conversely, you may have had other jobs where lunchtime couldn’t come fast enough and you found your eye counting down the seconds till home time. 

When employees are engaged and believe in the work they’re doing, they will go above and beyond to be successful. It’s that feeling when work doesn’t really feel like work.

Benefits to the organisation
There are a manifold of benefits that an organisation receives when employees are engaged. This includes but is not limited to:

Excellent customer service
When staff are happy, they will serve customers well. Engaged employees care deeply about their jobs, and thus, the customers. And that’s good news for your business because 7 out of 10 consumers will spend 13% more money with a company that provides an excellent customer experience (Quantum Workplace Report).

Increased productivity
Engaged employees are more likely to work diligently and expend discretionary effort in their jobs, supercharging productivity and innovation. This, in turn, results in higher profitability for your organisation.

Reduced absenteeism
When staff are engaged, enjoy their work and are invested in the success of their team and organisation, they are less likely to take days off. Less time away means more work gets done.

Job satisfaction
When employee engagement is high, employees feel satisfied with their contributions and impact. They have a connection to their performance and who they work for and therefore will do their best in every aspect.

Produce better quality products
Tom Peters, the author of In Search of Excellence, says: “Techniques don’t produce quality products and services, people do. People who care, people who are treated as creatively contributing individuals.” Engaged employees are less likely to make mistakes and more likely to achieve excellence. In a recent study by Quantum Workplace, highly engaged organisations saw 40% fewer quality defects.

Measuring engagement
There are a number of core elements used to determine whether employees are engaged (or not). These elements include:

• Pride in the business
• Intention to stay with the business
• The likelihood of recommending the business as a great place to work; and
• The extent to which a person is motivated to ‘go above and beyond’

While measuring ‘engagement’ matters a lot, we recognise that engagement is an outcome. As a result, it is important to first understand the factors that influence engagement.

This is where our Employee Engagement Survey comes in. Our team offers a specialised service that’s designed to measure employee engagement. Through this service, we will manage the process, give you detailed insights and provide a report explaining the results. When the time is right, we will work with you to plan the next steps to keep your business thriving and most importantly, show your team you’ve heard them. Speak to Purpose about starting your survey today.