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WorkLife Balance & Employee Engagement

Written by: Judy Martin

Article Overview: An engaged employee is likely a more productive employee. An attitude adjustment or a morph of strategy can foster worker loyalty for both small and large businesses. Addressing the concerns of your workers with regard to worklife balance is another way to create better relationships between the rank and file - and top brass. And those changes just might impact your bottom line in the end.

WorkLife Balance & Employee Engagement

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?

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Article Tags: absenteeism, american economy, apparent connection, consistent flow, employee engagement, employee morale, employee retention, financial health, free pizza, global economy, india china, management journal, new york metro, pacific rim, pat on the back, pizza parlor, slice of pizza, turnover rates, workforces, york metro area



Related Forum Posts
Re: Sources of Cash - Thanks for the help. The items will be recorded in the Balance Sheet. But why does the Balance Sheet always balances. Is there a specific reason
Evan's Engaged! Congrats! - CONGRATS! on the Engagement!
Re: Sources of Cash - Thank you for guidance and direction. Is there a simpler way of understanding the Balance Sheet and all the components that are to be recorded.
HRPreneur - Hi everyone, I am new to the forum and I recently started my own Human Capital (HR) consulting firm called HRPreneur Inc. HRP focuses on making human capital a strategic differentiator for SME's. Below is a summary about HRP; Who We Are: HRP is a Human Capital consulting firm with 30 years of experience that becomes an extension of your company by providing a full array of services to help you create a highly engaged workforce focused on achieving strategic results in order to build a long lasting great company! Mission: HRP provides small and medium sized businesses a Strategic HR Business Partner to increase employee engagement, resulting in cost savings, increased productivity and results at an affordable rate! Vision: To inspire and warrant SME's reach their full competency! Cost Effectiveness: We provide over 30 years of experience at a fraction of the cost at a strategic executive HR business level You will save between 50% to 60% in costs per year on salary, bonus, benefits, training, office space alone We will provide you additional cost efficiencies through our services Services: • Strategic Human Resources Planning • Organizational Redesign • Change Management • Organizational Culture Development • Employee Engagement Programs • Leadership Assessment and Development • Compensation Design • Talent Acquisition • Assimilation and On-Boarding • Performance Management • Talent Management & Succession Planning • Human Resources Due Diligence • Human Resources Audit • Full Service HR Outsourcing
Post subject: It's Not Personal, just business - I so agree! Actually, the business world as we know it IS in trouble. I heard some stats last week that they expect by the time 2050 that 70% of workers will be freelancers. Employee/Executive Bullying won't be able to stand it when it could be easier for someone to simply contract with the nicer guy (or gal). I, for one, will be choosing the nicer ones!


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