Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/131821
Workforce Leadership The Employee Engagement Engine New data about the return on inspiration. By Aimee Lucas Employee engagement is becoming an increasingly hot topic. And the attention is justified. Engaged employees are assets that help companies outperform their peers in financial performance and customer experience. This year's Temkin Group Employee Engagement Benchmark Study examined the current state of this workforce dynamic. In this survey of more than 2,400 employees in the United States who work at for-profit organizations, 57 percent of respondents are moderately or highly engaged, a 13-point gain from last year. It turns out that leading firms have more engaged workers. Other findings: • In companies with above average financial performance, 75 percent of employees are moderately or highly engaged, compared with less than half of firms with below average results. • Companies with above average customer experience also have 75 percent of employees who are engaged, compared to only 25 percent of employees in companies that deliver sub-par customer experience. [48] HRO TODAY MAGAZINE | APRIL 2013 Why do the best companies seem to have the most engaged workers? Engaged employees create a virtuous cycle of positive customer experiences that result in more loyal customers and superior financial results. Simply put, when employees are engaged, good things happen. According to the study, engaged workers: • Are more committed to their work. They are more than twice as likely to work after their shift ends, help someone at work, and do something good on the job that is not expected of them. • Attempt to make things better. When it comes to making a recommendation for improvement at the company, engaged employees speak up more than their disengaged coworkers by a three-to-one margin. • Try to do their best. Ninety-six percent of highly engaged employees always or almost always try their hardest at work, compared to only 71 percent of disengaged employees. • Advocate for their employers. Engaged employees are more than six times as likely to recommend a friend or family member to take a job at the company.