So what exactly does Gallup mean when they talk about engaged, not engaged and actively disengaged employees? It’s wise to get clear on exactly how each of these levels of engagement look in action. Having an awareness of / being able to know something when you see it, makes it easier for you to know what to do to transform the situation if needed (in the context of not engaged and actively disengaged), so let’s dive a little deeper.
Engagement Definitions
According to their wide ranging and in depth analysis, Gallup has created the following three definitions for the three types of employees it identified as common across the global workforce:
Engaged employees work with passion and feel a profound connection to their company. They drive innovation and move the organisation forward.
Not Engaged employees are essentially “checked out.” They’re sleepwalking through their workday, putting time, but not energy or passion, into their work.
Actively Disengaged employees aren’t just unhappy at work; they’re busy acting out their unhappiness. Every day, these workers undermine what their engaged coworkers accomplish.
It’s highly likely that HR professionals, Managers and Leadership alike are aware, on some level, that actively disengaged employees have the kind of impact stated above. However, how many of you choose to ignore the depth of the issue because it just seems like it’s too insurmountable to tackle?
Measuring Engagement
Gallup’s advice states clearly that measurement without targeted action is useless. So, just knowing that there’s an issue is only part of the equation, knowing what to do to resolve the issue is a necessity. As is taking the steps to create resolution. Moreover, if employers do not follow up on their awareness about engagement levels, or the results of actively assessing them, employees’ disengagement may actually increase.
It is also highly advisable that as an organisation you track the correct data-based interventions around employee engagement so as to promote growth. Employers will be better able to ensure that their workforce is meeting its potential and maximising its performance outcomes if this type of process is embedded within your organistional culture.
A good place to start would be to measure the strength of employees’ connection to your organisation’s brand. As pointed out in a comment we received about last week’s blog, it’s important to do this even at the recruitment stage of the employee lifecycle. Ensuring that all potential employees are aligned with your brand really is essential to your success. Gallup’s research shows that employees who know what their organisation stands for and what differentiates it from its competitors, tend to be more engaged, and they more actively support and endorse their company’s products and services.
Leaders often say that their organisation’s greatest asset is its people, however in reality, this is only true when those employees are fully engaged in their jobs. Engaged workers stand apart from their not engaged and actively disengaged counterparts because of the discretionary effort they consistently bring to their roles day after day.
It is these employees who will willingly go the extra mile for you because of their strong emotional connection to your organisation. Reaching this unique state goes beyond having a merely satisfactory experience at work to one of 100% psychological commitment. Any employee can achieve this state in an engaging workplace, but leaders can only be sure that they are creating and maintaining this type of environment if they actively measure and manage the true drivers of engagement.
The Connection Between Engagement and Performance Outcomes
Gallup’s meta-analysis further confirms the well-established connection between employee engagement and the following nine performance outcomes:
- Safety incidents
- Shrinkage (theft)
- Absenteeism
- Patient safety incidents
- Quality (defects)
- Customer ratings
- Profitability
- Productivity
- Turnover (for high and low-turnover organisations)
As a part of their research, Gallup studied the differences in performance between engaged and actively disengaged business/work units and found that those scoring in the top half on employee engagement nearly doubled their odds of success compared with those in the bottom half. Those at the 99th percentile had four times the success rate of those at the first percentile.
Median differences between top-quartile and bottom-quartile business unit performance was as follows:
- 10% in customer ratings
- 22% in profitability
- 21% in productivity
- 25% in turnover (high-turnover organisations)
- 65% in turnover (low-turnover organisations)
- 48% in safety incidents
- 28% in shrinkage
- 37% in absenteeism
- 41% in patient safety incidents
- 41% in quality (defects)
Additionally, Gallup continues to find that the strong correlations between engagement and the nine outcomes studied are highly consistent across different organisations from diverse industries and regions of the world.
Next week we will look at how Gallup actually measures engagement, as well as exploring the four stages of employee engagement that they have clearly identified throughout their years of research. This will enable you to build a more fully rounded picture of the engagement lifecycle, as well as giving you an understanding of how to approach this issue within your organisation.
Credit: The image used in this blog is taken from Galllup's State Of The Global Workforce Report 2013.
