Employee Engagement

Employee engagement does not mean employee happiness. Someone might be happy at work, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are working hard or 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.Employee Group Employee engagement doesn’t mean employee satisfaction. Many companies have “employee satisfaction” surveys, but the bar is set too low. A satisfied employee might show up for their daily 9-to-5 without complaint. But that same “satisfied” employee might not give extra effort on their own, and they probably take the headhunter’s call luring them away with a 10% bump in pay. Satisfied isn’t enough.

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 contribute discretionary effort.
In the struggle to attract & retain high value talent, Abraxas Sustainable FM Services is poised to support clients in executing their employee engagement initiatives. Initiative examples might include;

  • Employee Satisfaction Program: the concept of employee (job) satisfaction has been developed in many ways by many researchers and practitioners. One of the most widely used definitions in organizational research is that of Locke (1976), who defines job satisfaction as “a pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job or job experiences”. Spector (1997) lists 14 common facets: Appreciation, Communication, Coworkers, Fringe benefits, Job conditions, Nature of the work, Organization, Personal growth, Policies and procedures, Promotion opportunities, Recognition, Security, and Supervision. While it is implied that employee satisfaction does not necessarily guarantee employee engagement, regular measurement of employee satisfaction can provide an early-warning signal for larger workplace concerns.
  • Design for Workplace Productivity: workplace productivity is one (physical) aspect of employee engagement. This goes beyond the earlier definition of workplace services and amenities. Productive workplaces encourage collaboration, providing inspiring spaces to gather – formally or informally. These spaces must consider many qualitative aspects of inspirational design, incorporating access to natural light, superior indoor air quality including temperature and humidity, visual & acoustic privacy considerations to mitigate noise and other distractions – just to name a few. While creation of such spaces is typically domain of architects and interior designers, Facility Management (FM) is frequently sought out for their insights and expertise.
  • Wellness Program: Some companies have come to recognize that the wellness, or well-being, of their employees has a direct correlation to the health and well-being of the company itself. Moving beyond basic employee satisfaction surveys and workplace productivity, a Wellness Program. Seeks to advance the employee’s physical, mental and emotional well-being with respect to their work and work environment.
Learn how Abraxas can partner with you to deliver a successful employee engagement program.
Employee Engagement.Feature-Benefits Ladder