Employee Engagement is a hot topic in business today. Organizations of all sizes are struggling with keeping employees productive and engaged. Dale Carnegie Training is working hard to uncover the reasons behind disengaged employees and to discover solutions to creating more employee engagement in the workplace.
A recent interview with some Dale Carnegie Franchise owners helped shed some light on this important issue.
Q: What’s the definition of employee engagement?
“You have employee engagement when workers feel personally and emotionally bound to the organization and when they recommend their company as good place to work. They may enjoy more than just monetary compensation and may feel attached to the values and ethics of the organization.”
Q: Why is employee engagement so important?
“Everyone agrees there are tangible benefits to Employee Engagement …things like retention, shareholder value, operating income etc. The hard reality is that flawed management practices contribute significantly to employee disengagement – and disengaged employees are unproductive employees. In fact: Companies with engaged employees outperform others by as much as 202% and companies with engaged employees tend to keep their best talent longer.”
Q: Would you say it’s tougher today to get employee engagement than in years past? If so, why?
“Definitely tougher. Companies are so committed to the bottom line that it’s difficult to focus on the things that keep employees engaged. Employees are asked to do more with less and yet maintain quality which adds to stress. Leaner management structures lead to less manager/employee interaction which directly affects employee engagement.”
Q: What are some things employers should look for when determining if his or her employees are engaged?
“Our research shows that the individual who demonstrates full engagement will:
- Emphasize the positive about the organization—what is going right
- Look for occasions to say good things about the organization, their manager, department or other people who work there
- Volunteer for extra duties
- Express approval about what the organization is doing and why it is doing it
- Speak highly of the organization to coworkers, friends, relatives, and members of the community”
Q: You are offering a How Smart Leaders Create Engaged Employees workshop in March. How can this workshop help employers?
“While Employee Engagement’s value is clearly documented and closely measured the actual drivers of employee engagement have not been extensively explored. Dale Carnegie Training commissioned MSW Research to study the emotional elements that affect engagement levels in employees. This workshop will help employers get, keep and sustain engagement at a high level over time. And you can attend the workshop for just $49.00.”
Q: Who should attend this workshop and how do they sign up?
“The workshop is designed for Presidents, CEO’s, HR Directors, and Other Senior Team Leaders that are interested in developing a productive and engaged workforce that can positively impact the bottom line.”