Staff who are recognised feel in control of their jobs

Beyond the power of a sizeable pay packet, employees worldwide are known to go the extra mile for their companies for a range of reasons that are often not linked to the colour of money.

In this climate, companies possess a large and very powerful untapped source of "discretionary effort" that many of their employees possess. Successful companies are increasingly realising how to best unleash this productivity and added performance, under the umbrella term of "Employee Engagement".

This dedicated focus on people performance is increasingly being recognised as one of the most powerful success tools for business efficiency. Companies such as Google are masters of employee engagement and internal branding, offering a range of lifestyle perks, staff communications and team-building which have served as a powerful talent attraction and retention tool.

It is proven worldwide that those staff who are recognised, communicated to (and, importantly, with), feel in control of their jobs and go to work knowing that they are contributing to a common goal, are three times more productive than their "clock-in, clock-out" counterparts.

This often seems commonsense but in the world of business and people management, staff do not always take priority seating. This tide of change is fast being realised.

Employee disengagement can of course be fatal to a company's bottom line as disengaged workers use vastly more resources to manage, can more easily spread negativity amongst a workforce, can be disloyal and also have very low production levels.

The Towers Perrin Global Workforce Study (2007), the largest of its kind, showed that just 21 per cent of employees surveyed around the world are engaged in their work, while 38 per cent are either disenchanted or disengaged and the remaining 41 per cent are only partly engaged.

Uncertainty

Actively disengaged workers are said to cost the US economy alone up to $350 billion (Dh1.28 trillion) per year. During times of economic uncertainty, now is a critical time for companies to tap in to the reservoir of employee discretionary effort and implement a sound engagement strategy to forge a competitive edge, maximise people-driven performance and attract and retain top talent.

Key areas companies can focus on include effective communications, teamwork, career development, and compensation and benefits. Strategic clarity is also important in providing a clear defined picture of the company's purpose and goals so everyone in the organisation is clear what they are working towards and each person's contribution to reach that target.

It can often pay for companies to somewhat audit themselves and their workers on the level of engagement to keep on track. High retention rates or loyalty are good indicators although being high in these areas alone does not always signal workplace health. Employee satisfaction surveys can also temperature test employee's thoughts.

Companies can ask themselves such questions as: "What would a majority of employees actually say about our company when talking to family and friends?", "Have staff within the past seven days received recognition, reward and/or praise for doing good work?", "Does our organisation provide an environment for continuous learning?", and "In the last six months, has someone at work talked to all staff about feedback and career progression?"

- Carolyn Deed is a senior consultant on employee engagement with biz-ability people performance Middle East