Employee Engagement: Do I need it?- By Pat Gonzalez

There's a buzz about employee engagement.  Either you have it or you don't, and I really think it's something you want if you like being successful.  In a nutshell employee engagement is an operation management concept that indicates employees are emotionally committed to your organization and it's goals.

Have you ever dined out and experienced incredible customer service that left you eager to return?  On that same thought have you ever experienced horrible customer service that made you decide to never return?  The difference in the experiences was the employee engagement factor at both establishments. Engaged employees made the difference in your experience and are making the difference on the bottom line of those restaurants.  I think we can all agree that engaged employees are good for your business.

Do you consider yourself an engaged employee at your workplace?  Can you identify the engaged employees at your place of business?  Engaged employees feel satisfied, eager to meet the company's goals, and sometimes don't even view their job as "work", but instead perceive their work as enjoyable and fulfilling. (I have to share that working with people that lean forward during their morning commute because they can't wait to start their work day are incredible people to be around.)

If you feel you're not an engaged employee- don't feel that you're alone.  Gallup's State of the American Workplace delivers some grim news below on employee engagement:

If you're a manager (decision maker) at your organization and suspect you have a significant number of disengaged employees an evaluation of your workplace should be considered.  Is your organization's culture to blame?  While I don't believe an organization can create employee motivation or employee satisfaction it can build a strategy to create a working environment that encourages employee engagement.  The key thing to remember is that employee engagement is a choice an employee makes along with other decisions about how they want to be involved at their place of work.

Look for my next blog where we take a look at how an organization can encourage employee engagement.  Your comments and feedback are always appreciated.  If you have a topic you would like to see on my blog please e-mail me your request.