Employee Work Engagement: Best Best Best Practices for Employers

Employers recognize that business success depends on the human capital that drives and supports company objectives.1 But what happens when the individuals who comprise the human capital – employees – aren’t meaningfully engaged in their work? Research studies in the last decade show that only about one in every five workers is highly engaged.2 These findings means that upwards of 80 percent of workers are not bringing their best effort to the job. For example, a 2005 Conference Board survey of employees found that two–thirds of workers do not identify with or feel motivated to drive their employer's business goals; 40 percent of workers feel disconnected from their employers; and another 25 percent of employees are just “showing up to collect a paycheck.”3 The Gallup organization estimates that disengaged employees cost U.S. employers a significant amount of money – between $250 and $350 billion a year.2 The implications of these human capital management problems are not lost on corporate leadership. Indeed, according to a survey conducted a decade ago of over 600 CEOs from countries around the world, engaging employees is one of the top five most important challenges facing management.4