Written by
Totem
Published
July 27, 2021
Employee turnover is a common challenge faced by many CEOs, HR teams, and operations managers, but the causes can be incredibly varied. Many employees leave their job due to stress, poor management or because they feel undervalued. But one of the biggest factors underlying staff turnover is simply that employees are no longer invested in their employer’s success.
When employees are engaged, they value not only their work but their role in driving the organisation forward. There may be challenges to overcome, but ultimately the company’s goals and mission makes all the work worthwhile. Leaders may understand the importance of employee engagement, but be unsure about where best to invest their time and resources in keeping employees invested and motivated. In this article, we’ll be exploring the crucial role of employee engagement in reducing staff turnover.
Employee engagement refers to how actively committed an employee is to performing their role and tasks, while employee retention refers to their commitment to stay with their current employer.
Initiatives focusing on employee engagement and retention may overlap, but the actual concepts are quite different. For instance, an employee may be motivated to do their job well, but feel disengaged from the company’s overall mission. Therefore, they may be simply biding their time until the next opportunity comes along.
Engagement drives motivation, which in turn compels employees to realise their goals within their organisation rather than looking for external opportunities. Highly engaged employees have a strong personal motivation to perform because they feel a sense of purpose and fulfilment in their work. When this is the case, employees are far less likely to be lured away by new opportunities. Conversely, if employees are feeling dissatisfied or demotivated, they’re more likely to become disengaged. They’ll stop being proactive in their suggestions for improving company performance. They’ll also become less invested in their own personal development.
Too many leaders become complacent about investing in employee engagement. They may think: ‘I’m invested in my company’s success, I pay my employees for their hard work, and I think we have a good company culture. What reason do they have to leave?’
People know their value, and they won’t stay long term if they don’t have a good reason to. That’s why leaders need to continually invest in new strategies to keep employees engaged not only with their work but with the organisation’s long-term vision.
Engaging your workforce is about more than hiring enthusiastic or highly motivated people – it’s about actively creating an engaging work environment. This can be achieved with the creation and implementation of an employee engagement strategy. Here are just a few tips to help you get started:
Totem is an innovative, culture-focused employee engagement app, designed to help leaders get to the heart of their company culture. We use machine learning technology and always-on analytics for a rich insight into how employees feel about their role in an organisation. Finally, we provide a dedicated space for workplace culture so employees can connect and recognise both professional and personal milestones. Interested in finding out more? Request a FREE demo of the Totem platform today!