What Is Employee Engagement ?
What is employee engagement anyway? Let's start with what it's not...
Employee engagement does not mean employee happiness.
Someone might be happy at work, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are working hard, productively on behalf of the organization. While company game rooms, free massages and Friday keg parties are fun--and may be beneficial for other reasons--making employees happy is different from making them engaged.
Employee engagement doesn't mean employee satisfaction.
Many companies have "employee satisfaction" surveys and executives talk about "employee satisfaction", but the bar is set too low. A satisfied employee might show up for her daily 9-to-5 without complaint. But that same "satisfied" employee might not go the extra effort on her own, and she'll probably take the headhunter's call luring her away with a 10% bump in pay. Satisfied isn't enough.
Definition: Employee engagement is the emotional commitment the employee has to the organization and its goals.
This emotional commitment means engaged employees actually care about their work and their company. They don't work just for a paycheck, or just for the next promotion, but work on behalf of the organization's goals.
When employees care—when they are engaged—they use discretionary effort.
Learn more | forbes.com
Employee engagement does not mean employee happiness.
Someone might be happy at work, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are working hard, productively on behalf of the organization. While company game rooms, free massages and Friday keg parties are fun--and may be beneficial for other reasons--making employees happy is different from making them engaged.
Employee engagement doesn't mean employee satisfaction.
Many companies have "employee satisfaction" surveys and executives talk about "employee satisfaction", but the bar is set too low. A satisfied employee might show up for her daily 9-to-5 without complaint. But that same "satisfied" employee might not go the extra effort on her own, and she'll probably take the headhunter's call luring her away with a 10% bump in pay. Satisfied isn't enough.
Definition: Employee engagement is the emotional commitment the employee has to the organization and its goals.
This emotional commitment means engaged employees actually care about their work and their company. They don't work just for a paycheck, or just for the next promotion, but work on behalf of the organization's goals.
When employees care—when they are engaged—they use discretionary effort.
Learn more | forbes.com