Oftentimes we hear about the term "employee engagement" but don't fully understand what it means and what it refers to. However, people who read topics and articles about human resources management, employee motivation, manager and employee communication understand what "employee engagement" actually means.
Employee engagement defined
Employee engagement is the employees' passion of their work. It also shows how proud they are of what they are doing and of the company they belong. They believe and adhere to the company's mission and vision and feel enthusiastic of their work as they know that they are valued as employees and as individuals.
Although engaged employees are happy and enthusiastic at what they do, the term "employee engagement" is not a measurement of employees' satisfaction.
The importance of employee engagement
Research has shown that the higher the employee engagement, the better are the employees' performance which results in satisfied customers and ultimately, higher revenues. However, only about 30% of all the employees in most organizations are actually engaged. Most of the employees are there to work just for the sake to earn or comply to what is considered as a normal way to do things in society.
Engaged employees are assets in organizations but most of the other employees are actually disengaged. While disengaged employees may not necessarily mean that they are obstacles to a company's growth, the "actively disengaged" employees can negatively affect their colleagues, the customers, and the organization. For this reason, it is essential that organizations and their managers need to know the reasons for their being "actively disengaged" and how they can improve their behavior and attitude and hopefully, transform them into "actively engaged" employees. However, without knowing the reasons, management has no way of solving a problem that they know nothing about.
Measuring employee engagement
Organizations typically conduct a yearly employee engagement survey to all the members of the organization. The questions on employee engagement surveys give employees a chance to rate their organization by agreeing or disagreeing to statements such as the following:
My talents are useful in this organization.
I would recommend this organization to my friends.
I believe and live up to the mission of the organization.
I feel that my work is recognized and valued by the management.
I have a sense of direction as to where my career is going.
Questions on employee engagement relate to specific topics about how employees feel and think of the organization they belong. These questions also aim to make them express their passion for the company, if they are among the "actively engaged". For the "actively disengaged", the survey aims to discover the causes of their negative attitudes and behavior. Although there may be various questions that may be asked, those who need to develop an employee engagement survey don't really need to formulate a near-infinite number of questions.
Most employee engagement surveys focus on the factors that drive employee engagement such as their satisfaction with peers, dissatisfaction with management, pride in the company, feelings of being valued -- these are some of the things that need to be considered when creating simple yet straightforward questions on employee engagement.
Sample questions on employee engagement
Most employee engagement survey questionnaires ask the employees to rate their response to the questions on a scale of 1 to 10. From those questions, the employee survey provider can analyze the degree of employee's engagement or disengagement. Here are a few samples that we can find in most employee engagement surveys:
1. Measuring overall satisfaction: On a scale of 1 to 10 where 10 is the highest and 1 is the lowest,
can you rate how happy you are at work?
how do you rate the culture of your organization?
If given the chance to choose between your organization and another company that offers 10% higher than your present salary, how likely would you leave?
2. Measuring how employees feel valued and appreciated:
Has a manager or superior shown you appreciation or given you recognition in the past few weeks?
On a scale of 1 to 10, how valued or appreciated do you feel at work?
3. Measuring an employee's satisfaction with peers:
On a scale of 1 to 10, rate your team members and your colleagues.
4. Measuring employees' satisfaction with supervisors/managers:
On a scale of 1 to 10, rate the performance of your immediate supervisor.
5. Measuring growth opportunities:
On a scale of 1 to 10, how much opportunity do you think you have to grow professionally in this organization?
6. Measuring employees' pride in their company:
On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely would you recommend your organization to a friend?
On a scale of 1 to 10, how well do you think you serve your customers?
Questions on employee engagement that probe the range of the employees' feelings and beliefs about some important matters in the organization show the level of their satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Learning about their employees' thoughts and feelings can greatly help improve employee engagement especially if the organization puts its heart into working on achieving its goals.