Employee Engagement Promotes Bottom Line

In times of economic turmoil, most businesses are focusing on the basics. Unfortunately, employee engagement is not always something that executives see as making an immediate difference to their bottom line. Ed Sweeney, ACAS Chair, thinks otherwise: “There is plenty of evidence which suggests strong employee engagement can help boost the bottom line.”

Employee engagement is considered the degree to which an employee is willing to go the extra mile for their employer.

In addition to boosting their bottom line, businesses that invest in the ongoing promotion of employee engagement will see their businesses thriving as they come out of this recession.

As we enter the last leg of an economic downturn, it will be critical for businesses to work to retain employees, build lasting communicative avenues within the organisation, and invest in training to develop people management. A solid framework for longevity must include employee engagement as workers who may have taken “stop gap” jobs consider leaving their current position for more fulfilling or rewarding work. This trend will become apparent as more job opportunities arise and more competition creates the need to woo employees back to work.

It is critical then, to map out how to sponsor this attitude in our workers. “Enablers” of employee engagement are cited in the 2009 MacLeod report as including:

• Leadership – all members of an organisation must be clear on the company’s mission and how their daily activities play a role in making that happen.
• Engaging managers – management should provide clear expectations for employees and be free of prejudice and discrimination in the workplace
• Employee voice – all voices should be heard and considered in making decisions, and let it be known that they are heard.
• Integrity – this must be demonstrated by management to the utmost degree and employees expected to follow their example.

Ideally then, if all members of the organisation – front line workers up through senior management – are to share a common vision, line managers cannot be left alone to muster up employee engagement nor to maintain it by themselves. Every level of leadership must support this initiative in order to foster up engagement at all ranks. It is imperative that line managers are supported by senior managers and are given the proper tools to achieve such a goal. Leadership should demonstrate clear communication, positive reinforcement and maintain an environment conducive to development.