According to U.S. Labor Department, 5.8 million job opportunities were open in July, topping the records since 2000. The fact that the level of job opportunities in the job market is still high, business firms try their best not to resort to turning over employees and keep it high for top-tier talents. Since then, promising companies are practicing a culture of engagement to stay significant and appealing to a diverse, united workforce.
Melanie Nichols, director of organizational effectiveness, Ingram Micro, believes that creating a culture of engagement is about building a work environment and leadership habits so employees thrive and are emotionally invested in the company’s success.
“Engagement sometimes becomes an activity in measuring and responding to a survey. However, a culture of engagement is embedded in how a company thinks and behaves,” she says.
The following are signs that a company is practicing a culture of engagement:
• They provide a mission or vision that will be employees clear basis of worthwhile and purposeful, meaningful engagement in work in.
• Possessing transparent and two-way communication that explains to employees why they have to establish such strategy.
• Establishing a trustworthy environment by empowering employees, providing appropriate challenges, demonstrating accountability at all levels, and recognizing individual and group successes.
• Promoting continuous learning that enables employees to take on new challenges, develops leader, and spur continuous business improvement.
• Showing value to adult workers and providing them a fun and well spent working environment.
Companies that establish a culture of engagement are finding out to have significant revenue out of its efforts. Harvard Business Review reports that the annual revenue growth for companies with a culture of engagement is 682 percent, compared to 166 percent growth for those without.
The benefits are not only in finances aspects, but also stats from Gallup show that absenteeism is 37 percent lower; customer ratings are 10 percent higher, productivity is 21 percent higher. And, the data shows employees are six times more likely to stay with an organization.