Why Employee Engagement is Good for Business

At HCCI, we understand that employees want to be deeply engaged with your business – at least at the start. Most individuals join a company with the genuine intention of helping leadership achieve their mission and drive towards their vision for the future. However, along the journey, research shows that many employees – nearly 7 out of every 10 – lose that initial commitment to their company’s success.

A recent study by the management consulting firm Gartner supports this. Their June 2023 survey of nearly 3,500 employees worldwide reveals that almost 70 percent don’t feel a meaningful connection to their job. These findings are consistent across gender, age, and geography.

To put this into perspective, imagine if your favorite soccer team had similar scores. Only four of the 11 players on the field would know which goal is theirs, and just three of 11 would care.

Fortunately, there are proven strategies to beat these odds and engage more of your employees effectively. Here’s how HCCI can help:

1. Communicate with Clarity and Consistency Employees inherently want to be engaged, to understand your mission and vision, and to contribute to your success. As a business leader, you play a crucial role in driving employee engagement. Your employees look to you for overarching messages about the company’s direction and strategy.

Therefore, it is vital to communicate your definition of success and expectations clearly. Be specific about company goals and how employees can contribute to achieving them.

1. Prioritize Conciseness In today’s information-overloaded world, less is often more. People spend an average of just 26 seconds reading an article or email, preferring to skim rather than read thoroughly. Additionally, they check their phones approximately 350 times a day.

This shouldn't deter you from sharing information. Remember, your employees want to hear from you. Aim for direct, less formal, and more casual communication. Avoid "corporate-speak" and include clear, easy-to-understand calls to action or key takeaways.

1. Foster Interaction Communicating to your employees is beneficial, but communicating with them – engaging in dialogue – is far more effective. There are various ways to foster dialogue, from encouraging comments and questions to holding virtual or in-person roundtable sessions with small groups, or regular All Hands meetings where you solicit questions and feedback from the entire organization.

Understanding your employees’ feelings about your message, mission, and vision is crucial to building engagement.

1. Stay Positive and Inspirational The role of communication extends beyond explaining what’s happening; it also involves providing inspiration. The real challenge and responsibility lie in winning both hearts and minds with your message. Everyone wants to feel proud of their role and the products or services their company provides.

Therefore, it’s beneficial to share positive stories. Highlight your company’s successes, spotlight employees who go above and beyond, and share how your customers benefit from your work. A bit of inspiration can go a long way.

1. Activate Discretionary Effort Most employees start out wanting to be engaged with your business, but this can wane over time. Employees typically gauge engagement by first understanding their job responsibilities, seeking feedback on their performance, and then looking outward to understand the company’s direction. As a leader, you play a key role in answering these questions.

Once these foundational questions are answered – What is my job? How am I doing? Where are we headed? – employees will almost always ask the next logical question: How can I help? This indicates that an employee is ready to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their colleagues and go above and beyond to get the job done. That is the essence of discretionary effort – of true engagement – and it’s something we should strive for with every employee.