Do you consider yourself to be “engaged” when at work? What about your peers, direct reports, or even your boss? For our purpose, we’ll define being engaged at work as “a commitment to support your brand”, and “a measurable degree of positive or negative emotional attachment to your job, colleagues, and the organization as a whole”.
“Thrilled employees create more customers worldwide. The problem is that only about 30 million, or 30%, in America, Inc.’s workforce are engaged”.
—Jim Clifton – CEO at Gallup
U.S. Workforce Engagement . . . Per CEO Clifton:
30% of workers are engaged
50% are just showing up
20% are actively disengaged
We find these numbers staggering! Consider how your results and levels of productivity would grow if you could influence just 20% more of your workforce. (Or if you could move the needle for the 20% that are actively disengaged).
Clifton says it’s the role of managers of all levels to understand what’s happening with the 30% of employees that ARE engaged.
What differentiates them from the remaining 70%?
Salary is one factor, but researchers have found that happiness does not increase once a $75,000 annual salary is reached. BOTTOM LINE: It’s not about the money!
There are 2 things that DO make a difference:
- Having someone at work who encourages development
- Having the opportunity to do what the individual does best every day (you’ve heard us speak about “magic dust“; your uniqueness, special skills and strengths)
Engagement levels grow when:
-Individuals lead integrated lives in which their careers and their personal lives fit seamlessly and harmoniously together
-Ambition, talent and capacity serve individuals well, rather than enslave them
-Passion, energy, and focus are leveraged
-Individuals/leaders learn to fulfill their own vision, and assist others to fulfill theirs
-Individuals/leaders are persistent and don’t give up easily
As an individual, what actions are you taking to increase your level of engagement?
As a leader, do you have a goal to increase engagement levels for your team?