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ADVERTORIAL:
“To win in the marketplace you must first win in the workplace” - Doug Conant.
Mention the phrase “employee engagement” to most senior managers and business owners and you will be greeted with a blank stare and a nonchalant shrug of the shoulders.
Fact, also, is that companies in more developed markets such as the UK and USA are investing great resources in the development and improvement of their employee engagement practices.
They are doing so because the proof has been in the pudding – with companies reporting high levels of employee engagement also reporting sharp increases in profits and productivity, and sharp declines in staff attrition rate.
What is Employee Engagement?
In short: An engaged employee is one that positively and proactively influences business operations. They are innovative, they are problem solvers and, as research from around the world shows, they contribute massively to the productivity and profitability of their companies.
No Fluff . . . Real numbers.
Ignoring the concept and writing it off as “fluffy stuff” is to the detriment of companies and the economies in which they operate, with research by Gallup estimating that unengaged (unproductive) employees cost the UK economy $64.8bn a year.
That’s over R770bn every 365 days.
For a glimpse of the cost on a local scale, take into consideration that last year’s Numsa strike cost in excess of R300m a day, with total cost to economy estimates in the R10bn range . . . caused by one union, in just a few months.
This does not even touch on the economic costs of hundreds of thousands, or millions of South Africans, just going through the motions and being at work solely to collect a paycheck.
Considering that 85% of respondents (as per 2014s State of Employee Engagement in RSA Survey Report) revealed that their companies could do significantly more to engage more openly, actively and frequently with staff . . . this number could be staggering.
The 2014 report, (conducted by local communications and technology company, PDT) also revealed that 67% of South Africans were unsatisfied with the clarity and overall quality of leadership at their organisations – pointing to consistent communication failures between management and staff.
From Good to Great – What’s Stopping Us?
Currently the biggest obstacle to enhancing engagement in local companies is management buy-in.
South African executives do not recognise employee engagement as a real factor that impacts their business. As long as those attitudes remain in place it will be nearly impossible to affect the positive change required.
This year’s survey on the State of Employee Engagement in RSA is now open for participation, with the report due towards the end of July when PDT will publish its findings on Fin24.
It will be certainly be interesting to see if South African businesses, like their global counterparts, are heeding the call, showing initiative, being innovative and motivated to make employee engagement count . . . in all spheres of business.
About the 2015 State of Employee Engagement Survey:
• The 2015 edition consists of 17 multiple choice questions
• All answers and details are strictly confidential
• All participants stand a chance of winning one of four 32” Samsung LED TVs.
