Viewpoint - April 2018

Employee Engagement: What is it?

By Bob Gershberg, CEO & Managing Partner, Wray Executive Search Employee engagement is a workplace approach resulting in the right conditions for all members of an organization to give their best each day, committed to their organization’s goals and values, motivated to contribute to organizational success, with an enhanced sense of their own well-being. Employee engagement is an emotional state where we feel passionate, energetic, and committed towards our work. In turn, we fully invest our best selves – our hearts, spirits, minds, and hands – to the work we do. Defined as follows: “This is about how we create the conditions in which employees offer more of their capability and potential.” David Macleod “The emotional commitment the employee has to the organization and its goals.” Kevin Kruse, Forbes Contributor and NY Times Best Selling Author "The art of getting people to believe what you want them to believe.” Jim Whitehurst, CEO of Red Hat “Emotional connection an employee feels toward his or her employment organization, which tends to influence his or her behaviors and level of effort in work-related activities.” Business Dictionary “A business management concept that describes the level of enthusiasm and dedication a worker feels toward his/her job. Engaged employees care about their work and about the performance of the company and feel that their efforts make a difference.” Investopedia “The illusive force that motivates employees to higher (or lower) levels of performance.” Workforce Performance Solutions “An emergent and working condition as a positive cognitive, emotional, and behavioral state directed toward organizational outcomes.” Michael Shuck and Karen Wallard Research shows that companies with high levels of employee engagement are more efficient and effective, and that highly engaged employees:

1. are more customer-focused, find they are more creative at work, and take less time off for sick days,

2. care about the future of their organization and put in greater effort to help meet company objectives,

3. feel proud of the company they work for and are inspired to do their best and motivated to deliver the company’s objectives. Many leaders mistakenly think that increasing employee satisfaction will increase employee motivation and engagement. Satisfaction is transactional and contractual. In return for their work, you promise to provide employees with the basics: compensations, tools and resources, physical safety, dignity, and respect. Both the organization and the employee must continue to make constant deposits in the relationship “bank account.” Employee engagement is based on trust, integrity, two-way commitment and communication between an organization and its members. It is an approach that increases the chances of business success, contributing to organizational and individual performance, productivity and well-being. It can be measured. It varies from poor to great. It can be nurtured and dramatically increased; it can be lost and thrown away. Engagement is a 50/50 proposition with the responsibility to become engaged on the employee and the responsibility to create an engaging environment on the organization. A culture of engagement is created when both the organization and the individuals are becoming engaged. All the best,

Bob Gershberg | CEO | Managing Partnerbob.gershberg@wraysearch.com(888) 875-9993 ext 102 Finding tomorrow’s leaders today!