The price for low employee engagement

Is employee disengagement costing your company money? Absolutely. A disengaged employee costs you around 34 per cent of their annual salary, which comes out to an average of $17,503 per year. That's a massive hit to your bottom line, and it's something that you need to be aware of. Studies show that companies in the USA lose approximately $500 to $550 billion yearly due to employee disengagement.

Engaged employees are the secret to your business's success. This data should be enough to make you want to improve employee engagement for your company. An increase in employee engagement will lead to increased productivity and greater profits. Better workplace culture will also lead to happier employees who are more motivated and want to work at your business.

So if you're not already taking steps to address low employee engagement, now is the time. Here, we'll look at the different indicators of employee engagement and how they can be improved.

Levels of employee engagement

We can categorize a workforce into three groups based on employee motivation, happiness, and dissatisfaction.

1. Engaged employees: These employees are passionate, motivated, and always willing to go the extra mile. They're assets to any organization.

2. Passively disengaged employees: These people are only at their job for the paycheck and will only do the bare minimum to keep their jobs.

3. Highly disengaged employees: These employees are those who are unhappy in their roles, unmotivated, and have a negative impact on their co-workers. Managers see these employees as healthy attrition when they eventually leave the company.

The critical thing to keep in mind is that all three of these categories can rapidly change places. Someone who is highly engaged and performing well can quickly become demotivated and move down to the disengaged level, and vice versa. Therefore, creating a work environment that supports making positive contributions is essential.

What are the top reasons for employee disengagement?

There can be many reasons why employees might not be engaged at work.

Some possible reasons are:

1. Poor Management: Workers disengage when they have managers they don't feel good about. It doesn't matter how much they like the company or how much talent it has; if the manager isn't good, the workers will feel bad.

2. Communication Gap: When employees feel they can't share their ideas, it stifles their productivity and creativity. They might feel like they don't belong in the organization, which can lead to apathy and poor performance. Managers should create an environment where employees feel comfortable sharing their views and know their contributions are valued.

3. Below Par Paycheck: Just like an organization needs to make a profit each year to stay afloat, employees need to earn money to support themselves and their families. This is why businesses need to offer industry-standard salaries and annual increments - it keeps employees happy and motivated and helps retain top talent.

4. Lack of Rewards and Recognition: It can be incredibly disheartening to feel like your efforts go unnoticed, especially after working so hard for an extended period. People need to feel appreciated through verbal recognition or rewards to stay motivated.

5. Overburdened: Employees can feel overburdened or exhausted for various reasons, including a lack of training, support, and domain knowledge. Often, employees who work late hours are applauded, but the reason for their extra work is ignored. Perhaps the profession needs additional tools, resources, or training.

Poor leadership is one of the main reasons employees become dissatisfied at work. To create a healthy and productive work environment, managers must be attentive to employee needs and cultivate a positive culture. Employee engagement strategy ideas won't work unless there is an acknowledgement of the problem and a plan of action.

How to overcome low employee engagement

The evolving employee experience

Acknowledging the issues causing disengagement is the first step toward improving employee engagement. This can be done by surveying employees and holding group meetings or sessions to discuss the survey results. The next step is to strategize accordingly. This means that you will need to devise a plan of action that considers the results of the survey and the meetings. Finally, you will need to implement the plan of action. This includes setting up a system to track progress and ensure the project is carried out correctly.

Promote Transparency

If you want your employees to be passionate and engaged, you need to create a work environment where they feel valued and trusted. That starts with being transparent about what's going on in the company. It also means being respectful and fair to everyone so that employees feel like they're part of a team working towards a common goal. Showing employees that their hard work is appreciated will motivate them to do their best for the company.

Regular Connects and Feedback

Managers need to get feedback from their employees as often as possible through methods like monthly one-on-ones, skip-level meetings, and informal talks. This way, you can get an accurate pulse on how your employees feel and what changes need to be made.

Taking immediate action after receiving feedback shows employees that their voices matter and

that you're committed to making improvements.

Make Room for Flexibility

Employee engagement is mainly dependent on work-life balance. Flexible businesses succeed because they allow their staff to complete their tasks at their convenience and refrain from imposing rigid schedules on them. If a person must drive an hour to work, working from home can be more efficient than wasting time on the road.

Make work Enjoyable

Bringing "fun" into the workplace doesn't have to be a chore. There are plenty of ways to get employees engaged and excited about their work, and one great way is by organizing fun activities in the office. This is a chance for employees to let loose, have fun, and get to know their co-workers better. Not to mention, it's a great way to break up the monotony of day-to-day work routines.

Don't forget your remote employees.

Remote employees are a big part of the workforce and can quickly become disengaged if they're not managed properly. One way to motivate them is by promoting virtual clubs and regular communication like team chats and video conferencing capabilities. These are all great ways to keep remote workers engaged and motivated.

Low employee engagement can have a significant impact on the success of your business. When employees feel their opinions matter and that they're part of the team, they'll perform better and be more motivated. To improve employee engagement, answer the following questions: What makes your employees want to come to work every day? What would make them want to stay longer? What would make them want to tell their friends about your company? What would make them want to work harder? Once you can answer these questions, you can set a plan to improve them. For example, if your employees aren't happy, you can start improving your workspace. You can start by offering more growth opportunities if your employees are bored. We hope this blog post has helped you start thinking about ways to improve your employee engagement!