Let’s Do It Because We Care

There are many reasons to focus on employee engagement at work.  Recent research has shown that engaged employees are more productive, creative & safe. They offer better customer service. Financially the results are astounding. According to an article in Fast Company magazine, “Organizations in the top decile of engagement outperform their peers by 147%  in earnings per share, and have 90% better growth trend than their competition.”

The trouble is, most employees don’t give a hoot about employee engagement

(Perfect for tweeting @vickihess)

No one that I know, wakes up in the morning and says “I can’t wait to go to work to be engaged today.” In fact, according to a 2014 Accountemps survey, one of the most annoying business buzzwords is employee engagement. Yikes! Why do we keep talking about it if it’s so irritating?

Hopefully, because you care!

Whether you are thinking about engagement for yourself or you’re a manager and thinking about your team…being engaged (aka “to occupy oneself; become involved” – Dictionary.com) is good for YOU!

As a refresher, my definition of engagement is when you’re “satisfied, energized & productive.” When I ask participants at my workshops or keynotes about the benefits to individuals who feel this way, here are some of the most common responses:

More energy More fun Time flies

Less stress Better teamwork Sleep better

Don’t you want to experience all those things? I know I do!

Today, pay attention to the times when you feel satisfied, energized & productive. Notice how YOU benefit in many of the ways listed above (hopefully you aren’t experiencing the sleeping benefit at work – haha).

If you are in a formal leadership role, start asking about the personal benefits of engagement because you care.

If you are looking for ways to find those benefits yourself, find a way to connect directly to what makes you feel satisfied, energized & productive and pay attention while it’s happening. That’s the ticket to all those lovely outcomes.

I’d love to hear the benefits you experience when you are engaged at work. Feel free to post your comments below.