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Employee Engagement Is The New Norm

April 9th, 2014 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in customer relationship management | Time and Attendance Blog, Workforce Management Software | Time and Attendance On-Demand - (Comments Off on Employee Engagement Is The New Norm)

For some companies, happy and engaged employees are important to them. Others, who are perhaps, cognizant of a tight employment market, do see the need or feel it’s their responsibility to ensure there is engagement within their workforce. Employee engagement can mean different things to different employees and employers. There are numerous surveys and online webinars designed to help companies understand the benefits of an engaged workforce.

Kevin Kruse, contributor to forbes.com wrote an article, titled “What Is Employee Engagement”. Here are excerpts of the article that we believe succinctly, describes employee engagement.

“Employee engagement does not mean employee happiness. Someone might be happy at work, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are working hard, productively on behalf of the organization. While company game rooms, free massages and Friday keg parties are fun–and may be beneficial for other reasons–making employees happy is different from making them engaged.

Employee engagement doesn’t mean employee satisfaction. Many companies have “employee satisfaction” surveys and executives talk about “employee satisfaction”, but the bar is set too low. A satisfied employee might show up for her daily 9-to-5 without complaint. But that same “satisfied” employee might not go the extra effort on her own, and she’ll probably take the headhunter’s call luring her away with a 10% bump in pay. Satisfied isn’t enough.”

Another example of an unengaged employee might be; Tracy is a sales rep for ABC Company that sells billing software to the healthcare industry. She has been working for the company for 2 years and meets her target every quarter. It takes her 4 hours to drive to work both ways each day. One day, she approaches her supervisor and asks if she can work one or two days from home. Her reason, a lot of her work is done by phone and through web demonstrations. She has access to the company’s online CRM tool, punches in and out through the company’s online timesheets, and is in constant contact with her supervisor each day. The supervisor says no and his reason is simple. “We have always done it this way”. After hearing an explanation like this, it’s possible, while Tracy might be looking for a new one. While this story is fictitious, its purpose is to simply illustrate one reason why employees in a company might be disengaged.

Many of today’s companies are using software tools and other management strategies to gauge employee engagement. Does your company use any tools analyze workforce engagement?

Employee Engagement Is The New Norm

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Profitable Companies Yearn For Happy Employees

January 21st, 2014 | Posted by Apex Time Solutions in Time and Attendance Blog, Workforce Management Software - (Comments Off on Profitable Companies Yearn For Happy Employees)

Over the years the debate about what makes a great company has been discussed to no end by countless pundits and scholars alike. Great companies seek to achieve profitability and happy employees at all levels of an organization. One will simply not work without the other. In cases, where companies are pulling in record profits and their employees are not treated well, chances are…those profits will not last. We found this article, written by Meghan M. Biro a contributor to Forbes.com to be both profound and inspiring.

The article is titled “Happy Employees = Hefty Profits” and includes a list of 5 tools that companies can use to foster a great working environment for employees.

Profitable Companies Yearn For Happy Employees

“1) Pay fairly. At the end of the day, it’s about the pay. Yes, many employees love their work, love their jobs, love their colleagues, but the bottom line is they are there to earn a living. Smart leaders pay people well. This is non-negotiable.

2) Deliver awesome benefits. Whether it’s a good health plan, childcare, transportation, a fitness center or free lunch on Fridays, benefits make people’s lives easier and better. They feel appreciated and cared for, which leads to increased loyalty and a willing to go the extra mile.

3) Keep an open leadership door — and an open mind. Numerous studies have down that when management is approachable and responsive, employee engagement soars. People spend a big chunk of their lives at work, and when they feel voiceless their frustration grows. Actively solicit feedback via social media and old-fashioned management by walking around.

4) Share the profits. When employees share in the good times, their investment in the company grows and they will be far more likely to work hard — and to dig deep during the not-so-good times. When the international literary sensation Fifty Shades of Gray lifted publisher Simon & Schuster to record profits, the company gave every employee a $5000 bonus. This is just plain smart leadership.

5) Make your workplace fun. No, I don’t mean cheesy balloon-a-thons and annoying rah-rah rallies. This is about encouraging people to bring their personalities, quirks and passions to work. This leads to an increasingly seamless work/life mesh, a sense that people can really be themselves at work. Games, laughter, fun are great stress relievers; they renew and refresh us, and build very real bonds between employees.”

So, if your company is using the 5 tools above, then kudos to you!

 

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