Here’s a post from our partner, Achievers.
“And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”
Modern companies would be wise to heed the everlasting words of The Beatles. At the root of the band’s famous quote from Abbey Road is a belief that what you get is a result of what you give first. Applying the Fab Four’s idea to the corporate world isn’t a stretch; in fact, more and more companies are beginning to understand that to get the best results from their employees, it’s essential to give to your employees first. This starts with helping employees stay happy, healthy and engaged. Companies who choose to ignore the undeniable trend of providing a positive employee experience will run the risk of contracting one of the most significant threats to most organizations’ success: employee disengagement.
The cost of employee disengagement
Employee disengagement is rarely limited to an individual; it often spreads like a disease, infecting multiple workers in different facets of an organization. It can have a negative impact on numerous, measurable aspects of a company:
- Disengaged employees call in “sick,” costing companies an average of $2,650 per year per worker
- Disengaged workers have a 60 percent higher rate of general errors
- Disengaged employees provide poor customer service. According to research from NewVoiceMedia, companies in the U.S. lose $62 billion dollars a year because of poor customer service
While the numbers above are scary, perhaps the most detrimental effect employee disengagement has on a company is manifested in decreased employee retention. Some reports have stated that as many as 66 percent of employees will look for work outside of their current employer if they feel undervalued or underappreciated. Replacing a departed employee can cost a company upward of six months of their salary. As a result, choosing not to address disengaged employees can end up impacting an employer’s bottom line.
Address the problem of disengaged employees
While there’s no single remedy to alleviate all of the ailments of employee disengagement, there’s ways to start reversing the trend. Here are three tips to foster an engaged workforce:
1. Create a Culture of Recognition
Build a culture of recognition to encourage frequent employee appreciation. A recent survey, Achievers’ New Year, New Job?, revealed that 69 percent of employees cited Recognition and Reward as a motivation to stay at their current job.
2. Enhance Employee Well-being
Focus on the physical and mental well-being of your employees. As an employer or manager, emphasize employee well-being to reinforce the fact that you value your employees — not just for their contributions in the workplace, but for the totality of their well-being.
3. Support a Healthy Lifestyle
Provide employees with access to the necessary tools and support for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Offer work-life balance and demonstrate that you value them as people outside of the office walls.
In the workplace, creating a positive environment that encourages frequent recognition, offers well-being opportunities, and gives employees control over when and how they work can further solidify your commitment to provide an engaging employee experience.
Even the best companies in the world lose employees. Retaining employees will always be a challenge in the modern corporate world; today’s workers rarely stay at the same company throughout their entire career. But by putting these tips into action, you can help minimize disengagement and, in turn, help reduce employee turnover.
If you’re concerned about retaining employees in your company, download Achievers’ e-book, Is HR a Cost Center? The True Cost of Employee Disengagement. This resource will give you the tools to remedy the adverse influence employee disengagement may be having on your company.
Want to learn more about the Achievers and Limeade partnership? Watch the video below to see the partnership in action:
About the Author
Achievers is a behavior-driving employee engagement platform that listens to employees and aligns them with business objectives and company values. Achievers’ award-winning employee recognition platform and active listening interface with insights enable enterprise organizations to accelerate engagement and improve employee retention. Learn more about Limeade’s partnership with Achievers here.