An engaged employee is the most productive member of the team!

The concept of Employee Engagement has been topical in many organizations, both locally and internationally. A great deal of the discussions are around that many Managers in organizations believe that they offer their employees the “best deal” in terms of employment conditions (mainly salary and benefits) – however more often than not they end up frustrated as this does not seem to translate into improved employee productivity. This has brought greater prominence to the question: what really is Employee Engagement and how can organizations create the optimum engagement levels and enjoy its benefits?

Employee engagement refers to the level of enthusiasm, passion and commitment that an employee has towards their job and their organization. It is an outcome of a wide range of employment conditions, interactions and interventions that result in employees truly caring about their work and the performance of their organizations. It’s important to note that Employee Engagement is more than just remuneration – no amount of money can buy employee passion, enthusiasm and commitment. According to the McLeod Report (Engaging for Success: Enhancing Performance through Employee Engagement, 2009), with the optimum engagement levels, employees offer more of their capabilities and potential thereby driving productivity and business performance. Research shows that there is a positive correlation between an improvement in employee engagement and business performance. According to Doug Conant, “to win in the marketplace you must first win in the workplace.” Organizations need to win the hearts and minds of employees before they try to sell their belief (products and services) to the customer. Once you win the hearts and minds of employees you create passion, ownership and accountability.

It is important to note that there are two levels of engagement, the primary level (the organization) and the secondary level (the job). In the first instance the employee needs to believe, commit and be passionate about the purpose and values of the organization. The organizational purpose has to be vividly articulated to the employee. The leadership of the organization should be able and willing to transfer the organizational beliefs and aspirations to the employee. It’s only when the employee is aligned to the organizational purpose that he/she meaningfully invests maximum effort and passion in his/her job. At the secondary level, the employee needs to have “meaningful work”, a job that is correctly configured and aligned to the organizational purpose – it must be a job that requires that guarantees full employment. At the secondary level, the employee needs to have a clear line of sight between their role in the department and the organizational mission as well as the relationship with other jobs within the organization. Successful engagement at the primary level influences engagement at the secondary level. Optimum engagement is realized when an employee is fully engaged at both the primary and secondary levels.

Some of the observed benefits of an engaged workforce are:

1. Productivity

According to a study by the Hay Group, engaged employees are as much as 43% more productive than disengaged. This productivity stems from the passion and enthusiasm that engaged employees have as they fully understand the big picture and how their contribution fits into it. Engaged employees go the extra mile, take less off days and are more focused on achieving the desired results. Engaged employees are also more profitable and research has shown that engaged employees produce 26% higher revenue per employee. The more engaged the employees are, the more efficient and productive they become.

2. Skills Retention

Because of their passionate and commitment to the organization engaged employees are loyal to the organization, meaning that skills and energy remain within the organization. Skills retention aspect also saves on employment costs as studies have shown that it costs up to 40% of an employee’s annual salary to replace him/her. Retaining engaged employees therefore saves employment costs from talent acquisition and talent development perspectives. Engaged employees are also a repository of institutional memory and culture thereby providing organizational continuity.

3. Innovation

Engaged employees are passionate about their jobs and this leads them to continually seeking better and more efficient ways of achieving their objectives. Engaged employees have a sense of ownership of the vision of the organization thus they tend to constantly seek innovative ways of improving their work and that of their teams in order to realize the vision.

4. Customer Service

To win in the marketplace you must first win in the workplace. In the modern business world, success is largely down to differentiation. Customer experience is a major part of this differentiation. Engaged employees are happier and passionate about their jobs and their organizations thus they tend to provide superior customer service. They are more positive and proactive thus achieve positive impact to customer experience.

5. Brand Ambassadors

Engaged employees have been known to be effective brand ambassadors for their companies. These employees have a strong sense of belonging and heightened emotional connection with their companies. They are proud to be associated with their brands (company and its products and services) so much that they propagate positive messages wherever they go.

How then do managers and business leaders go about achieving this employee engagement that’s seems so important for superior organizational performance and sustainability? How does one get to engage employees at the purpose level, at the strategy level, at process level and at the service level?

Part 2 of this article will address in practical terms the initiatives that management can take in order to build the optimum levels of employee engagement.

Emmanuel Jinda is the Managing Consultant of PROSERVE Consulting Group, a leading supplier of Professional Human Resources and Management services locally, regionally and internationally. He can be contacted at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.tel: 263 773004143 or 263 4 772778