Worker Happiness and Employee Engagement
“People who love going to work are more productive and more creative. They go home happier and have happier families. They treat their colleagues and clients and customers better.”
― Simon Sinek
Worker happiness is becoming a high priority among employees. More and more, people are moving towards jobs that make them happy. In fact, 83% of millennials prioritise work-life balance over anything else. A happy employee tends to be more engaged at work. In one survey 87% of happy employees said they were engaged at in their jobs. According to Gallup, companies with high levels of employee engagement see increase in profit of up to 23%.
But what is employee engagement?
According to Gallup, employee engagement is summed up as the relationship between organisations and their employees. When employees are fulfilled in their work, and experience an increased sense of personal well-being, this has a direct impact on the organisation’s values, goals and overall success.
Organisations with higher employee engagement reap the benefits. Here are some of the key areas positively impacted by a more engaged workforce:
1. Worker Happiness and Employee Retention
Researchers at Gallup have identified the correlation between disengaged employees and high turnover rates. In their report Gallup Workplace: Five ways to Improve Employee Engagement Now, they indicate that within a quartile of positive Employee Engagement, the rate of employee turnover dropped by 24%, proving the influence that employee engagement has on key business outcomes. Many organisations would agree that staff turnover can be a costly and timely exercise, making it of utmost importance in maintaining the sustainability and growth of any organisation.
2. Fewer Safety Incidents
We see too many incidents taking place due to non-compliance when it comes to health and safety. Employees who feel disengaged from their organisation tend to be less focussed on the task at hand, resulting in more accidents and lives lost. The same Gallup study mentioned above, reported that if you can move employees from a state of being highly disengaged to highly engaged, safety incidents can be reduced by as much as 48%.
3. A Positive, Productive Workforce
Often the perception that employees have about their organisation reflects in their interactions and opinions of the organisation. When employees feel cared for, supported and respected, they become brand ambassadors, and the natural output is higher performance and a drive that causes them to want to go above and beyond the call of duty. This will naturally increase employee productivity.
4. Worker Happiness = Customer Happiness
The knock-on effect of engaged employees is happy customers. The well-known saying that “the customer is always right” has seen its day, and more emphasis needs to be given to making employees happy, first. Happy employees are more inclined to provide helpful customer service that will contribute to a positive customer experience. In the same Gallup study mentioned above, researchers noticed that there was an increase of 10% in customer satisfaction within the first quartile of Employee Engagement, demonstrating just how crucial it is to business success.
Key Takeaways
Successful organisations that care about worker happiness and make Employee Engagement central to their business strategy communicate regularly, provide clear expectations and the right tools and support that enable employees to do their best work. These organisations experience low levels of absenteeism and staff turnover. Engaged employees show up every day with passion, purpose, presence, and energy.
To find out how your organisation can improve its employee engagement, talk to an expert.
Reference: Gallup Workplace Five ways to Improve Employee Engagement Now