WorkLife Balance & Employee Engagement
WorkLife Balance & Employee Engagement
“A happy employee enjoys coming to work and is more productive,” says Martin Cantor, director of the Long Island Economic and Social Policy Institute at Dowling College and author of Long Island, the Global Economy and Race: The Aging of America's First Suburb, a book that addresses employee retention and the tightening job market. Cantor says a company's bottom line is being impacted not only by morale, but by how that morale enables the company to deal with competition both here at home and abroad, from skilled workforces in India, China and Europe.
“Since labor costs nearly 25 percent less in the Pacific Rim than in the New York metro area, you need greater productivity and loyalty from your employees here to meet that competition. If morale is low, employees tend to be less competitive,” says Cantor.
Recent statistics from a Gallup Management Journal report showed that only 29 percent of American workers are engaged at work. A Gallup study found that companies with high numbers of disengaged employees generally have more absenteeism and higher turnover rates, costing the American economy an estimated $350 billion per year in lost productivity. Just last year, the Conference Board formed a global working group to further study employee engagement and its apparent connection to productivity, retention, customer service and the overall financial health of a company.
A pat on the back and appreciation for a job well done, says Cantor, go a long way to engender teamwork and employee morale. “Employees who feel that their input is appreciated will think more about the job they are doing, take pride in the outcome and come forth with more ideas.” In fact, a March 2007 report released by the Society for Human Resource Management said an employee's emotional commitment to a job or company can also be a key lever to employee engagement, stating, “Employees with the highest levels of commitment perform 20 percent better and are 87 percent less likely to leave the organization.”
With so many companies on Long Island holding the line on salaries or only increasing them by nearly one percent annually, Cantor says non-cash benefits like flextime, telecommuting, daycare, family leave and other quality-of-life innovations become crucial to bolstering morale and retaining qualified employees. In a tightening job market, it might behoove Long Island companies to take a closer look at the issue, and lend a sensitive ear to the voices of their workers.
How to Engage Employees
1. Foster communication, trust and integrity among management and workers.
2. Establish policies and practices that promote a workplace culture that stimulates employee engagement.
3. Consistently communicate day-to-day organizational goals.
4. Hold managers accountable for demonstrating organizational values.
5. Take the pulse of employee engagement; what is working and what is not?
WorkLife Balance Employee Engagement - To learn more about this author, visit Judy Martin's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
Walking into my local pizza joint recently, I was greeted by a gentleman who rapidly switched from twirling a high-flying dough disc to serving me a slice of pizza in an instant–with an enthusiastic smile. I asked him why he was in such a great mood. “I love my job…plenty of free pizza,” he responded. But I don't think it was just the free pizza. Observing other employees, it was evident that all were in good spirits. Maybe that's why that pizza parlor has a consistent flow of customers.
“A happy employee enjoys coming to work and is more productive,” says Martin Cantor, director of the Long Island Economic and Social Policy Institute at Dowling College and author of Long Island, the Global Economy and Race: The Aging of America's First Suburb, a book that addresses employee retention and the tightening job market. Cantor says a company's bottom line is being impacted not only by morale, but by how that morale enables the company to deal with competition both here at home and abroad, from skilled workforces in India, China and Europe.
“Since labor costs nearly 25 percent less in the Pacific Rim than in the New York metro area, you need greater productivity and loyalty from your employees here to meet that competition. If morale is low, employees tend to be less competitive,” says Cantor.
Recent statistics from a Gallup Management Journal report showed that only 29 percent of American workers are engaged at work. A Gallup study found that companies with high numbers of disengaged employees generally have more absenteeism and higher turnover rates, costing the American economy an estimated $350 billion per year in lost productivity. Just last year, the Conference Board formed a global working group to further study employee engagement and its apparent connection to productivity, retention, customer service and the overall financial health of a company.
A pat on the back and appreciation for a job well done, says Cantor, go a long way to engender teamwork and employee morale. “Employees who feel that their input is appreciated will think more about the job they are doing, take pride in the outcome and come forth with more ideas.” In fact, a March 2007 report released by the Society for Human Resource Management said an employee's emotional commitment to a job or company can also be a key lever to employee engagement, stating, “Employees with the highest levels of commitment perform 20 percent better and are 87 percent less likely to leave the organization.”
With so many companies on Long Island holding the line on salaries or only increasing them by nearly one percent annually, Cantor says non-cash benefits like flextime, telecommuting, daycare, family leave and other quality-of-life innovations become crucial to bolstering morale and retaining qualified employees. In a tightening job market, it might behoove Long Island companies to take a closer look at the issue, and lend a sensitive ear to the voices of their workers.
How to Engage Employees
1. Foster communication, trust and integrity among management and workers.
2. Establish policies and practices that promote a workplace culture that stimulates employee engagement.
3. Consistently communicate day-to-day organizational goals.
4. Hold managers accountable for demonstrating organizational values.
5. Take the pulse of employee engagement; what is working and what is not?
WorkLife Balance Employee Engagement - To learn more about this author, visit Judy Martin's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 | |
 |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
 | |
| |||
Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
 | |
|  |
Subscribe to Judy's articles
 | |
|
|  |
 | |
|
| |
 | |||||||
|
 | ||
 |
||
 |
||
 |
||
|
| ||
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
|
|
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
|
 Article Marketing Woman business success Disappearing Leader Caprino Career Path Assessment Feed your body, gain a life |
|
 | ||
 |
Guide To ERP Software
Business Management Software | |
 |
Top 50 Productivity Blogs
Top Blogs To Watch In 2009 | |
| ||
 | ||||
| ||||
|
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
|
|
|
