How does Employee Engagement Increase Productivity in your Organisation?

We hear a lot about the positives that high employee engagement can bring to your organisation; reduced turnover, a happier group of workers, and increased productivity. 

So, if this is really true, how does employee engagement increase productivity, and do we measure productivity and assess whether an engaged workforce is more productive than those who aren't? And if this is the case, surely employee engagement should be factored into the overall business strategy because of its impact on an organisation’s output and potential profits? 

With research suggesting that the average employee is productive for three hours out of their eight-hour working day, it’s essential to boost engagement and productivity.

Are engaged employees more productive?

Many studies and research show that engaged employees are more productive. This makes sense because if an individual has job satisfaction, feels valued by their manager and company, and feels a sense of belonging where they work, etc. It seems apparent that they would be motivated and engaged in doing their job and giving the best they can back to their employer.

Research by Gallup shows that highly engaged teams are 21% more productive, yet 85% of employees are not engaged. In the UK, allegedly, only 8% are engaged! 

Gallup describes engaged employees as those who are ‘Involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace." 

Aon Hewitt adds that engagement is, ‘The level of an employee's psychological investment in their organisation.’

How does employee engagement increase productivity?

A 2021 global culture report showed that to increase your engagement and create a ‘thriving culture,’ you need to focus on the following aspects of the employee experience:

• Purpose
• Opportunity
• Leadership
• Success
• Wellbeing

So, if these factors improve engagement and employee engagement increases productivity, what can you do internally to increase productivity:

1. Create a sense of belonging

You can’t underestimate how much a sense of belonging forms part of employee engagement. According to Deloitte’s 2021 Global Human Capital Trends survey, 93% of respondents said that a sense of belonging drives organisational performance, and 79% said that the sense of belonging felt within a workforce would be critical to the success of their organisation over the next 12 to 18 months. 

And this sense of belonging and its importance is hardly surprising when the world has felt very unsettled due to the pandemic, and many may find themselves searching for belonging at work more than ever.

According to the survey, a sense of belonging includes being treated fairly and feeling respected at work.

Furthermore, additional research reports that a sense of workplace belonging leads to a convincing 56% increase in job performance, a 75% decrease in absenteeism, and a 50% decrease in turnover risk. Therefore, you must focus on and include this sense of belonging when you consider improving employee engagement in your workforce.

2. Increase job satisfaction

Job satisfaction will differ for each employee; therefore, managers should find out how individuals feel about their job and what could be done to improve satisfaction. For example, it could be that managers need to delegate more complex tasks to individuals or give them more independence to feel more in control of their job and career. 

It could be that some individuals crave more teamwork and may benefit from being involved in a project rather than solo work. And it goes without saying that a safe and comfortable environment is essential to job satisfaction, as is a fair salary for the work someone is doing.

3. Give your people the right tools

If you want to increase productivity, you need to ensure that each person in the organisation has the right and the most efficient tools to do their job properly. It’s is likely to be in the form of technology, but it might also be about having the right team around them and a manager who can provide feedback and expertise. 

While you might not be able to give them everything they need in an ideal world, it's worth discussing with each person if there's anything they need that could help them do their job more efficiently.

4. Limit meetings

Although it's vital for team members to catch up with their manager and team members in scheduled meetings, too many meetings or meetings for the sake of can take up too much time, create distractions, and reduce productivity. 

Therefore, managers should review meetings and ensure that only essential ones occur and have a set time limit so they don't run on for hours! Equally, all employees must have the opportunity and access to these meetings whether they are in the office or work remotely.

5. Encourage a work-life balance

While it might be easy to give productive employees more work, you do need to consider how hard you're pushing them. If it gets to a point where they're doing too much or feel too much pressure, it may not be sustainable and could result in absence through stress or burnout. 

Managers need to find the balance between giving enough work but not overworking individuals because work-life balance is vital for productivity and should be practiced by all. 

Managers can do a lot to encourage time off and well-being by encouraging employees to finish up at a certain time, giving long lunch breaks or early finishes for jobs well done, and leading by example. 

How high-performance working contributes to employee engagement?

High performance often involves engagement. For example, if an individual is performing well, feels like they're receiving recognition for their performance, and feels valued in terms of feedback, skill development, and adequate compensation, they'll likely be motivated and engaged.

But there’s a risk it could go the other way because if an individual is performing well, but nobody notices or they feel overworked and their performance goes unnoticed, then their engagement and productivity levels may be low.

Employment engagement is directly linked to productivity. Factors including job satisfaction, an inclusive, fair, and positive culture, recognition, and the right tools to do the job will impact engagement and productivity. Generally, if an employee is satisfied with their job and how they are managed, they will likely work hard and put in the extra effort to do their job, leading to increased productivity.

Sorwe provides the tools you need to assess, evaluate, and improve employee engagement. Please get in touch with us to learn more about how Sorwe solutions can help you improve your employee engagement practices.