Work engagement is worth the investment!
Engaged teams are the engine of growth. In a large meta-analysis, Gallup compared the teams with the highest and the lowest engagement. The most engaged teams were 23% more profitable and 18% more productive in sales, and had 81% less absenteeism. Gallup How great is that? Engaged employees also feel healthier and perform better. UBES manual Managers see that reflected in less absenteeism and turnover, and in more energy and a positive atmosphere at work.
Work engagement in brief
Work engagement is the almost magical state that arises when people:
- are strongly involved in their work, because it contributes to a shared higher purpose (dedication);
- do what they enjoy and are completely absorbed in their work (absorption, an experience of flow);
- are bursting with energy and feel strong and proud while doing so (vigor).
Work engagement and purpose
So engagement starts with the extent to which people experience every day that their work contributes to a higher purpose they feel connected to. We assume that every human being wants to give their life meaning by adding value to the world around them. Thinkers such as Viktor Frankl, Daniel Pink and Dan Ariely have written extensively about this. Self-determination theory also shows that people are most motivated when they do work they themselves consider important. Self-Determination Theory
More and more employees are aware of their personal purpose, and look for an environment in which they can use their talents for it. When the employee's personal purpose matches the organisation's goal, a multiplier effect arises. Engagement, involvement, energy, enjoyment of work, customer satisfaction and productivity go up; absenteeism, turnover and failure costs go down.
Research by Utrecht University among 680 bank employees supports this. Employees who can be themselves at work are more engaged and more satisfied, and perform better. Metin et al.
How do you find the sweet spot?
So the art is to find the right match between the personal purpose of your employees and that of your organisation or team. Find that sweet spot and you have an intrinsically motivated team. A few steps to get started:
- Make your organisation's purpose clear. Why do you exist, and what difference do you make for customers and society?
- Ask about your employees' purpose. What drives them? What makes them happy, and what do they want to contribute to?
- Look for the overlap. Show how each team member's work contributes to the bigger goal.
- Use talents. Give people work in which they can use their strengths.
- Keep it alive. Regularly tell stories about how you make a difference.
Also read purpose gives your work value and purpose: what is it, really? Want to know how engaged your people are? You can measure it with the Employee Engagement Survey.
