Employee Engagement

So what exactly is employee engagement? In the past, the idea that "our people are our most important asset" has been labelled the biggest commercial untruth since "the cheque is in the post". Today, however, there is clear evidence that business leaders are not simply saying this – they are actually beginning to mean it too.

Why the change of heart? Because the body of evidence that employee engagement is a key driver of organisational performance grows almost daily. But with recent research highlighting the fact that employee disengagement is a global epidemic, organisations still clearly have much work to do to ensure that their workforce can be properly inspired and motivated.

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Essential Reading

A road map for employee engagement

Now that we have identified the key drivers of employee engagement, how can we start to create – and implement - a road map for achieving outstanding organisational performance?

Attitude and engagement creates turbulence in corporate America

Corporate America is not aligned with the needs and requirements of its increasingly diverse workforce and radical changes in attitudes mean that a growing number of young Americans are dissatisfied, disengaged and unproductive.

A is for Apathy

A quick search on Amazon reveals not one single business book or pamphlet about overcoming apathy. And yet anyone who been a manager for more than a week must surely recognise that proving that effort is worthwhile is the real essence of leadership.

Employee disengagement a global epidemic

At a time when companies are relying on their workforces to achieve growth, a major new survey has found that only one in seven employees worldwide are fully engaged with their jobs and willing to go the extra mile for their companies.

Employee engagement: What exactly is it?

The notion of employee engagement is causing a big buzz in management circles at the moment. It's a topic that employers and employees alike think they understand, yet often can't articulate very easily. So what exactly is it?

Employee engagement: the what, why and how

Employee engagement is the new Holy Grail for organisations worldwide. But what exactly does it mean? Why is it so important? And if you haven't got enough of it, how can you get some more?

The keys to employee engagement

Keeping your employees engaged really isn't rocket science - it's just a metter of listening, learning and leading by example.

Managers critical to employee engagement

Managers' behaviour has a huge impact on the work climate and is a critical component in employee engagement and motivation. Yet too many reward programmes simply focus on money and ignore this human factor.

Engage me or enrage me

More managers and leaders ask me "how to engage" and, "how to innovate" than any other question. As well they might, given that so many of us have to disengage just to survive their endless ill-conceived meetings, badly-laid plans, and the waste, day by day, minute by minute, of our lives.

Latest on Employee Engagement

Positive thinking: does it really get results?

The idea that positive thinking can affect our lives for the better has been gaining momentum over the past 80 years, and even more so recently. So does the concept work? I dare say it does - within reason.

Generation Y the least engaged

The knives are out again for Generation Y as a new survey finds that in almost all parts of the world, employees born since 1980 are the least engaged members of the workplace.

Five simple keys to building solid teams

When I ask teams what they would like from their supervisors, the same simple things keep coming up. You might think they're obvious - but if they are, teams wouldn't continually be mentioning them!

The rise and rise of the four-day week

A four-day work week might seem like a radical way to cut energy consumption, but it is gaining acceptance among state governments across the U.S. and looks set to spread further still.

Get rid of managers and we'll all be happier

It's not the lack of money, the daily commute or even the mindlessness of what they are doing that makes workers feel most unhappy. It is - you guessed it - their managers.

Pare back perks at your peril

In a downturn cutting back on benefits may seem like a win/win decision. But according U.S business school Wharton, firms that take an axe to their perks may soon live to regret it as it.

Green credentials can boost employee loyalty

With rising fuel prices hitting workers' wallets, an employer's green credentials are becoming an increasingly important retention tool as well as something nice to have from a brand perspective.

What are you doing to increase trust?

Without trust, there's no passion or desire for excellence. Employees stop contributing, valuable new ideas are never brought the table and bad ideas are never challenged. An organization suffering from these conditions eventually becomes incapable of correcting its own mistakes.

Managers fail to live up to expectations

Seven out of 10 employees still trust their bosses highly, despite the fact that the vast majority of managers generally fail to live up to their expectations and aspirations.

Meetings and emails take the happiness out of work

It's official. Endless meetings and the constant deluge of emails really do drain most of us of the will to live, let alone work effectively.

Is your work an obligation or an opportunity?

People tend to see work either as an obligation, overbearing, or an opportunity. And if you want to take the opportunity to rise above the mundane and "make a difference", try thinking like an entrepreneur.

Bitter workers feel ignored and overlooked

The modern workplace is a hot-bed of simmering resentment, with workers feeling ignored and overlooked and preferring to communicate by email rather than actually speaking to each other.

Americans bitter as the dream turns sour

Half of US workers believe that the American dream of a nice home, financial security for you and your family and hope for the future is now unattainable.

Are you dead on the job?

Here's a challenge for you. Find someone doing something good today and tell them what a good job they're doing. Because praise is the thing that motivates us the most, even though it takes so little time and costs nothing.

Avenues for employee complaints seem to be closed

A prime reason for employee unhappiness is that companies do not adhere to a set of standards. Some are too forgiving of employee misconduct, while others are managed by people who themselves overstep boundaries and could care less about rules.

What makes managers tick

Interesting and challenging work is what drives most managers to go the extra mile, not performance-related pay, cash bonuses or a stake in the business.

Passion and purpose at work

There's much discussion these days about passion and purpose in the workplace – and also much confusion. The important thing is the end towards which passion is directed. Because passion isn't always a good thing and it needs purpose to complete the equation.

Engagement crisis could tip UK into recession

With the outlook increasingly uncertain, the UK's appalling record on employee engagement could be just the catalyst that tips it into an even deeper economic malaise.

The kids are all right

The Generation Y of up-and-coming workers are all too readily dismissed as spoilt, demanding slackers. But, as a survey suggests they are in fact just as hard working and hungry to succeed as their parents, is it just generational sour grapes?

Thank you costs nothing, but is worth a fortune

Open and honest communication is far more valuable than cash when it comes to keeping staff happy.

Four out of 10 managers sap the will to work

Fewer than a quarter of managers mange to create a high-performance culture in their organisation – and four out of 10 actually act as a demotivating influence on their staff.

U.S. workers are more loyal, but only when they're old

Workers in Europe and Asia may have itchier feet than their counterparts in the U.S, but American employers still have plenty to worry about.

Lions led by donkeys

Managers may weep at office politics, despair at the latest initiative from on high and worry about poor performers. But half have also experienced moments of real clarity about their role and how they are meant to lead.

Employee engagement has a ring to it

When I think of engagement I think of a smiling couple, shiny rings and promises of a bright future together while everyone smiles and thinks "I'll give it three years". Come to think of it, that's not that different from hiring employees.

Getting to the heart of the disengagement gap

As another survey confirms that over a third of the workforce is disengaged, perhaps it's time to look a bit more closely at exactly what this means and what employers can do about it.

Why loyalty pays

Loyalty is something that seems to have been lost in many modern organisations. Corporate decision-makers seem to think that paying people more will gain their loyalty. It does not. All it gains is their compliance.

The many faces of employee engagement

For Britons and Americans it is all about respect. For Indians and French it is the type of work they are doing. For the Japanese, it is pay. Employee engagement takes many different forms around the world.

Can we stop the rot?

Complacent senior management is tearing TJ's company apart, causing an epidemic of demotivation among staff who genuinely want to contribute. Is there any hope, or is their cause hopeless?

British bosses are bullying bureaucrats

It's little wonder so many British workers are sulky, unproductive and unmotivated when they're pedominantly managed by authoritarian, unimaginative bureaucrats

Clarity the key to employee engagement

Committed and engaged employees will generally have a clear line of sight of where their company is going, something that can only come from good management.

Earlier Stories on Employee Engagement . . .