Musings from the CU Suite

Written by Anthony Demangone

I stumbled across a fascinating "employment engagement" report issued by Quantum Workplace.  You can download a free copy here.

The annual report is based on feedback from more than 500,000 employee responses representing roughly 8,700 companies. I'd say that should give you a good picture of what is going on out there. 

The Towanda 1986 All-Star Team. I tried to think of a photo that means "engaged" to me - and this was it. This was the best ball team I was ever on. A number of those boys went on to play college ball. We almost made it to states. I will say this - everyone on that team was dialed in. Good times, and better friends!

Interesting things that caught my eye...

Successful companies often have engaged employees.

The study found that companies that improve in the following five areas have highly engaged employees:

1. Profit
2. Revenue
3. Market share
4. Stock value
5. Employee retention

It begs the question. Is success causing highly engaged employees? Or is it the other way around?

What were the top drivers of engagement?

1. My job allows me to utilize my strengths
2. I trust our senior leaders to lead the company to future successes
3. The senior leaders of the organization value people as their most important resource
4. If I contribute to the organization's success, I know I will be recognized
5. My opinions seem to count at work
6. I believe this organization will be successful in the future.

What's interesting? No mention of pay, benefits, or ping-pong tables. 

Other interesting tidbits.

• As company size increases, employee engagement generally decreases. 
• Engagement in non-profits is less than public and private companies.
• Employees who recently experienced a merger are less engaged. 
• New employees are more engaged.
• Engagement increases as rank increases.
• Salaried employees are more engaged than hourly. 
• Baby boomers are the most engaged age group.

Fascinating stuff. I'm a firm believer that engagement is so important. Think of times when you were most "locked-in" at work. Productivity and creativity increase. You whistle while you work. You have fun.  And the converse is true. Disengaged times? Work is a drag. You go through the motions. Creativity and ownership decline.

I'm not sure the report will give you any silver bullets, but the data is certainly worth a look.

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Please join me in San Diego froM October 2-6 for NAFCU's Management and Leadership Insitute. We'll have fun, work on our leadership skills, and become better employees, leaders, and colleagues. It is a powerful week. Find out more here.