Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1: 5 FACTORS THAT AFFECT YOUR EMPLOYEE’S PRODUCTIVITY.…………………………..….….....2

CHAPTER 2: TALE OF TWO COMPANIES………………………………………………………..……………...………………...4

CHAPTER 3: ARE YOU ENGAGED?.........................................................................................................8

CHAPTER 4: EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT DRIVES CUSTOMER SATISFACTION……………..…………………….10

CHAPTER 5: ENGAGED OR DISENGAGED? THAT IS THE QUESTION…………………………………………………12

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CHAPTER 1: 5 FACTORS THAT AFFECT YOUR EMPLOYEE’S PRODUCTIVITY

1. Attitude Is Everything. Happy employees are productive employees. And it doesn’t take a rocket scientist or a

consulting firm to figure that one out. Negative attitudes can torpedo employee productivity much faster than

nonstop basketball being streamed over the Web. “An employee with a positive attitude usually enjoys the work that

they do and feels empowered and recognized for their contributions,” said Henning. “An employee that is complacent

and does not really enjoy their work, but is simply there for a paycheck usually does not produce at a high level,

develops a bad attitude and generally drags a team down.”

2. Boss Is the Barrier. How can you improve employee productivity when the boss stinks? A recent poll found that,

among other things, an employee’s productivity is determined by their relationship with their immediate supervisor.

When the bad boss fails to keep promises, never gives credit when due, makes negative comments, or blames others

for their mistakes, the productivity level of their employees is significantly impacted.“ A poor supervisor is definitely

the No. 1 factor that causes low productivity,” said Barry L. Brown, President of a Florida-based consulting group. “It’s

been my experience that a good supervisor will motivate, inspire, encourage and reward good performance. A poor

supervisor, of course, is just the opposite, only in multiples. Employees who do not have a direct connection with the

company begin to lose all the reasons for wanting to do that little bit extra and take the additional time to make

something right.”

3. Productivity: In Sickness and in Health. Health concerns, naturally, are a big drain on an employee’s ability to be

productive, and companies know it.

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At the SHRM Conference and Exposition last June in Washington, D.C., a survey showed that 85 percent of U.S.

employers said they were interested in services to increase employee productivity, minimize absences and enhance

the health of their employees. Estimates show that 18 to 20 million American adults age 19 to 64 are not working due

to a disability or chronic disease, or are not working because of health reasons. Roughly 69 million workers reported

missing days due to illness last year, for a total of 407 million days of lost time at work. Along these same lines, nearly

40 percent of U.S. workers experience fatigue, according to a study in the January “Journal of Occupational and

Environmental Medicine.” Researchers noted that the effects of fatigue, most related to a wide range of physical and

mental health problems, on health-related lost productive time is not just absenteeism but also days the employee is

at work and is performing at less than full capacity because of health reasons. For U.S. employers, fatigue carries

overall estimated costs of more than $136 billion per year in health-related lost productivity, $101 billion more than

for workers without fatigue. Eighty-four percent of the costs were related to reduced performance while at work,

rather than absences.

4. It’s the Tech Tools, Stupid. All the feel-good, psychological methods of improving employee productivity are

great, but they’re useless without the right tools. And the right tools mean the right technology. For an employee to

be efficient and productive in today’s job environment means equipping employees with the right gear. Companies

that don’t upgrade or ignore the necessity for tech tools like PCs, Blackberries, cell phones and other 21st century

tools, run the risk of diminished employee productivity.

Intel, the world’s largest semi-conductor maker, found that wireless notebook PC users increased their productivity

by 100 hours per year. They studied the work habits and productivity of more than 100 Intel employees who were

upgraded to wireless notebooks and found a gain of more than two hours per week, more than paying for the cost of

the upgrades in the first year. They also found that when workers were able to control more of their time, that

productivity increased as well.

5. Downsizing and Outsourcing Morale. Ever vigilant of saving a buck and satisfying Wall Street, corporate America

has turned to cutting corners by downsizing and outsourcing. Simply put, downsizing expensive labor while

outsourcing a cheaper version. For employees remaining in those offices and factories, their morale and motivation

can take a big hit. Translation: Will the moves to save money be contradicted by a loss in productivity from

disgruntled employees? In most cases, employers fail to recognize that if they downsize or outsource, they need to

provide support to the employees that remain. The psychological impact on employees can directly impact

productivity, forcing many to focus on their second careers instead of the job at hand.

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CHAPTER 2: A TALE OF TWO COMPANIES

Company A was the best of companies; Company B was the worst of companies. Both Company A and Company B

recently conducted employee engagement surveys. These surveys enabled executives at each business to put their

fingers on the pulse of their companies. Employee surveys are critical to business success. Research has shown

repeatedly that the attitudes and behaviors of employees influence the attitudes and behaviors of customers.

Executives from each company received two very different reports at the completion of the surveys.

Let’s begin with Company A. The employee engagement survey conducted by Company A covered five topics

including health, supervision, engagement, management style, and communications. The results of this scientific

employee survey were benchmarked against other companies in the same industry. Benchmarking is important

because it is impossible to meaningfully and objectively interpret raw scores as you have no standard against which to

compare them.

Benchmarking gives meaning to each score as it provides an objective standard. The 50th percentile represents the

national average for the industry. In the survey conducted by Company A, any topic scoring at the 75th percentile or

better was classified as a strength of that company. This means that when Company A is compared to other

companies in the same industry, most companies score lower on this particular topic. If a topic scores between the

50th and 74th percentiles, it is classified as an area of opportunity for the company. Topics are classified as

weaknesses if they score between the 25th and 49th percentiles and as threats if they fall at or below the 24th

percentile. All five of Company A’s topics scored as strengths, which is a remarkable achievement.

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The findings of an analysis of the individual survey questions comprising each topic were very impressive as well. This

analysis also provided benchmarked scores using the same categories discussed above. Eighty-eight percent of the

items on Company A’s survey scored in the strengths category! The remaining 12% of the items all scored in

the opportunities category. It is worth noting that all of these items were at the 70th percentile or above, scoring very

closely to the strengths category. Based on the results from the analyses of the topics and individual survey questions,

it is no surprise that Company A had an overall company score that placed their company in the strength category

with a score 28 percentiles above the national average!

The results of the survey at Company B painted a much bleaker picture. Their survey also covered five topics. Not a

single topic scored in the strengths category! Two topics, “safety” and “engagement,” scored in

the opportunities category and two, “supervision” and “performance evaluations,” scored in

the weaknesses category. Company B even had one topic scoring in the worst category, threat. The topic scoring in

this category was “human resources.”

An analysis of each survey question further illustrated the poor performance of Company B. Not a single survey

question scored in the strengths category. Eight questions scored in the opportunities category. Most of the questions

on Company B’s survey fell in the weaknesses category; with a total of 30 questions scoring in this range! Finally,

there was also one question in the threat category. Not surprisingly, Company B’s overall company score placed it

below the national average.

What are your aspirations for your own company? Which company would you like your own to emulate, Company A

or Company B? It is safe to say we would all like our companies to have scores similar to those of Company A.

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As an organizational psychologist I have had executives ask me on numerous occasions, “What do we need to do to

make our company score in the “best” category?” Not surprisingly, no one has ever asked me “What can we do to

make our company score in the “worst” category?”

No matter what scores our company earns when benchmarked against the competition, we would all like to improve.

Even when our scores are near the top we set goals to go even higher. Why? Because we all know…

A company that is not growing is stagnating.

When thinking about this statement we can get a mental image of stagnant water. Stagnant water is not appealing in

the least and neither is a stagnant company. A company must grow to remain competitive. In an article published in

the journal Long Range Planning, Mel Scott and Richard Bruce discuss stages of business growth. They state that

change is required in order to transition from one stage of growth to the next. According to Scott and Bruce, it is

imperative for companies to be proactive rather than reactive. Knowledge of how to bring about change is essential

for the growth and development of a company.

So how does a company bring about change for the better? Is there a “one-size-fits-all” solution to this question? The

answer is both “yes” and “no.”

The answer is in some respects “yes” because the starting point for bringing about change and growth is the same for

all businesses. That starting point is research. One thing that both Company A and Company B are doing right is

conducting scientific research with their employees. This research has identified areas of strengths, opportunities,

weaknesses, and threats. Once these results are obtained however, the course of action becomes unique. That is why

the answer to the question, “Is there a one-size-fits-all solution?” is also “no” because each company’s survey results

will produce a different set of marching orders. Let’s examine how this is true for Company A and Company B.

This time let’s start with the company most obviously in need of change, Company B. The results of their survey were

certainly discouraging. And with 77% of their survey questions scoring in the weakness category where do they begin?

Trying to decide which issues to address in such a situation can be overwhelming. But it does not have to be.

Fortunately, the decision of where to begin was an easy one for Company B. The scientific study conducted at their

company involved a sophisticated process of statistical procedures known as the Root Cause Analysis (RCA). This

procedure examines the relationships between the responses to all of the items on the survey from all of the

respondents.

Not only does the RCA identify which items are related to each other but it goes beyond mere correlations to identify

which items actually cause changes in other items. Thus, Company B’s survey report identified a few key survey

questions that, if improved, would bring about improvements in a large number of other survey questions.

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These key items, the Root Causes, are listed on the report along with a complete list of all the other survey questions

they drive. In the case of Company B there were two Root Causes. The primary Root Cause “My supervisor addresses

workplace issues in a timely manner” influenced 30% of the other questions on the survey. Meaning that if Company

B takes action to positively change employee perceptions of just this one survey question an additional 30% of the

questions on their survey will show improved scores as well. The secondary Root Cause identified was “I have the

training to do my job.” This question was driving 28% of the other survey questions. Thus, Company B need only bring

about changes in two survey questions in order to improve the scores on over half (58%) of the questions on their

survey! What initially appeared overwhelming is, with the proper statistical tools, a very manageable task.

Now let’s look at Company A. Their scores were great. However, executives at Company A want to keep on changing

and growing to ensure continued success. But where do you begin when your scores are so favorable? Answering this

question can be just as difficult, or more so, than when a majority of your survey items have scored poorly.

Fortunately, Company A’s survey report also identified Root Causes. Three Root Causes were identified that were

driving a total of 84% of all the survey questions! The primary Root Cause was “Management employees behave

according to the company’s values.” This Root Cause was driving 32% of the other survey questions. The secondary

Root Cause “I know who to ask when I have questions” was driving 28% of the survey questions. Finally, 24% of the

survey questions were being driven by the third Root Cause “I understand the short- and long-term goals of the

company.” By initiating changes to facilitate improvement in employee perceptions and attitudes about only these

three survey questions, Company A can bring about positive change in almost all of their other survey questions!

Could reaching for the top be any simpler?

To a certain extent, the bottom line answer to the question “Is there a “one-size-fits-all solution to bringing about

company growth and improvement?” is “yes.” As we have already established, you have to begin with research. Both

Company A and Company B did something right by conducting scientific research. Although their Root Causes were

different, once again they both need to do the same thing…

Take action.

They must both take action to bring about positive changes in their employee perceptions of their Root Causes.

Leaving the survey results lying in a file drawer and hoping that things will be better next year is just as successful as

burying your life savings in the backyard and hoping they will grow. It does not work.

There is something else that Company A and Company B both did right. They hired a consulting firm that would

provide them with the information they needed to take action.

Both companies were provided with a scientifically sound survey, benchmarking data, and root causes. Unfortunately,

these things are not provided by every consulting firm. Some firms try to present the data in such a way as to make

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executives feel good about their company. Such firms make me think of a T-shirt I’ve seen in catalogs that says,

“When all else fails, manipulate the data.” While sugar-coating survey results may make you feel good in the short-

run, in the long-run it will impede your ability to take action that will facilitate positive growth and change. NBRI

developed the Root Cause Analysis procedure to ensure your business can have confidence in the results of your

survey research.

CHAPTER 3: ARE YOU ENGAGED?

You or someone you know goes to work, they get through the day and pick up their check, but they fail to feel

connected to their work and to the organization in which they work. Sound familiar? The business diagnosis for this

malady is low employee engagement.

In fact, only 31% of employees are engaged in what they do at work, according to a global study in the 2011 Employee

Engagement Report.

Of 10,914 workers surveyed worldwide, India had the most engaged employees (37%) while China had the smallest

number (17%); 33% of the North American employees surveyed were engaged in the workplace. The numbers vary a

bit, depending on the study, but most numbers support the fact that low employee engagement is prevalent in the

workplace.

The Gallup Management Journal’s semi-annual Employee Engagement Index describes low employee engagement as

either ‘not engaged’ or ‘actively disengaged’. Employees who are not engaged on the job put in the time but

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sleepwalk through their day; actively disengaged employees act out their unhappiness and undermine the

effectiveness of their colleagues. Not exactly a ringing endorsement for employee of the year.

Adding insult to injury, Dale Carnegie estimates that companies collectively lose $350 billion a year due to low

employee engagement. Disengaged employees impact business productivity, levels of innovation, employee morale,

and ultimately, the bottom line.

So, what is employee engagement? An employee’s involvement with, commitment to, and satisfaction with their

work. The Conference Board, a non-profit business membership organization, blended several research studies to

describe employee engagement as “a heightened emotional connection that an employee feels for their organization,

that influences them to exert greater discretionary effort to their work.”

In his book, Intrinsic Motivation at Work: What Really Drives Employee Engagement, emeritus professor and

researcher Kenneth Thomas describes rewards we get from work. Extrinsic rewards, so named because other people

control their size and if they are granted, include financial rewards such as salary, raises, bonuses, and benefits.

Intrinsic rewards come from within each of us as the psychological reward we get from doing a good job.

“Today’s employees add value—innovating, problem solving, and improvising to meet customers’ needs,” states

Thomas, noting that engaged employees in this information age show initiative, choose to do things right, display

competencies on the job and are committed to making a meaningful contribution to the organization.

Engaged employees are enthusiastic, caring and committed. Engaged employees feel safe and secure to test new

ideas. They feel respected and valued for their contributions. Engaged employees move the organization forward,

believing they have a positive impact on the products and services of the organization.

Engaged employees feel a strong emotional bond to the organization for which they work. They recommend the

organization to others, without reservation, as they work tirelessly to ensure its success. It is not surprising, then, to

find that many organizations with highly engaged employees have high customer loyalty and satisfaction.

Engaged employees plan to stay for what they give while disengaged employees stay for what they get.

Business outcomes — including retention, productivity, profitability, customer engagement and safety — can usually

be linked to highly (dis)engaged employees.

At MolsonCoors, disengaged employees were five times more likely than engaged employees to have a safety

incident and seven times more likely to have a lost-time safety incident. By strengthening employee engagement, the

company saved $1,721,760 annually in safety costs.

So what’s the key to creating a culture of highly engaged employees? “You have to make the time to converse with

people; listening is more important than talking,” says noted business advisor and CEO coach Ram Charan. “You help

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people see how their project, their job, and their goals fit into a higher purpose. This helps people realize that their

contribution matters.”

Charan emphasizes the importance of honest feedback to employees on a regular basis to acknowledge high

performers as well as to provide growth opportunities for others. Taking time to learn about the person behind the

job is also important to facilitate employee growth throughout a successful career. And, be sure to do something with

the feedback data gathered from employees and other stakeholders in the workplace. Do not ask for feedback and

then let it sit in a report on a shelf. Taking action on gathered feedback fosters trust, credibility, and team building in

an organization intent on developing highly engaged employees.

CHAPTER 4: EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT DRIVES CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

Engaged employees can be described as being fully immersed in and enthusiastic about their work. Engaged

employees usually have an emotional attachment to their work and will go above and beyond what is expected of

them on the job. This enthusiasm and emotional attachment fuel employee actions in ways that support the

organization’s interest and move it forward.

Employee engagement differs from employee satisfaction, which is related to whether or not employees are happy at

work and in their jobs. It is not surprising to discover, however, that employee satisfaction is an important

prerequisite to employee engagement, according to a recent study conducted by the Forum for People Performance

Management and Measurement in the Medill Integrated Marketing Communications program at Northwestern

University.

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A national poll conducted in 2005 revealed that between 50 and 60% of the workforce in the United States is not

engaged; these disengaged employees cost their United States employers upwards of $300 billion each year,

according to that same poll. With employee disengagement so prevalent, how do companies cultivate employee

engagement?

Many things in an organization impact employee engagement, including organizational culture, human resource

systems, market characteristics, and financial outcomes. In today’s economy and business climate, organizations

need employees who are energetic, motivated, curious, and open to new ways of doing things to achieve ultimate

customer satisfaction.

Selecting the right employee for the right job at the right time influences how motivated and ultimately engaged that

employee will be. Research by Theresa Welbourne at the University of Chicago identified four employee motivators,

including the need for income to survive, the need for good pay and personal satisfaction, the need to ‘make a

difference’ while not motivated by money, and the need for work to be fun.

Research conducted by a large European human resource and development firm, found that the main drivers of

employee engagement included having opportunities to share your views with those above your pay grade, feeling

informed about what goes on in the organization, and believing your manager is committed to the organization.

Both of these studies are supported by Herzberg’s theory of motivation in the workplace. Herzberg observed that pay

and working conditions only minimized an employee’s dissatisfaction with work; neither pay nor working conditions

promoted satisfaction or subsequent engagement. Herzberg further observed that employees were motivated by

factors like responsibility, achievement, recognition, type of work, and potential for advancement. Motivated

employees had the potential to become fully engaged in their work.

Managers desiring engaged employees need to take the time to discuss and clarify employee roles and

responsibilities relative to the work to be completed. Devoting that extra time and attention at the beginning of a

project to ensure understanding saves time and resources later on.

Recognition is also important in creating an engaged workforce. And, that recognition need not be costly. A verbal

‘thank you’ and a smile go a long way to personalize and acknowledge a job well done.

To create a culture of engagement, the human resources team must foster an environment that supports managers in

understanding what motivates each of their employees and the flexibility with resources to help managers meet

individual employee needs.

Employees who have proven they are productive, efficient, and savvy members of the team deserve to advance. In

this tough economy advancement may mean a small salary increase or, more likely, a change in title, perks or

benefits.

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Studies show that goals of engaged employees align with the goals of their organizations; going to work is usually

more than ‘just a job’ for engaged employees; their job is closely tied to their individual identity.

Individuals who feel fully committed to the organization for which they work take great pride in doing their job. They

do more than is expected of them and go that extra mile. In so doing, engaged employees influence the buying

behaviors of customers. The excitement of an engaged employee is contagious and cannot help but rub off on the

customer.

A key finding by the Northwestern University Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement is that

organizations with engaged employees have customers who use the company’s products and services more often and

with higher satisfaction than customers of companies with disengaged employees.

Satisfied customers cost less to serve, are repeat customers, and are more profitable customers for the organization.

Measuring the engagement of your employees and the satisfaction of your customers reveals direct correlations

between employee engagement and your business outcomes.

CHAPTER 5: ENGAGED OR DISENGAGED? THAT IS THE QUESTION.

Have you ever been in a conversation in which you had to ask someone to repeat information or a question, not

because you did not hear the person, but because you simply were not paying attention? Have you ever finished

reading a page in a book only to realize that you have no idea what you had just read because your mind had

wandered off? In both of these instances we are trying to divide our attention between two tasks and it is just not

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effective – we are not fully engaged in either task. Such cases remind me of the CEO who was asked how many people

work in his company. His reply…”About half of them.”

In today’s difficult economic climate, many corporate executives are looking to cut unnecessary expenses and to

avoid wasting resources. Our employees are a very valuable, but also costly, resource. Unfortunately, employees vary

widely in their level of engagement in our companies.

Q: What exactly is meant by employee engagement?

A: An employee who is engaged is fully involved in, and enthusiastic about, the work that he or she is doing. Tim

Rutledge, author of Getting Engaged: The New Workplace Loyalty, describes an engaged employee as one who is

committed to, fascinated by, and attracted to the work. When employees are engaged they care about the company’s

future and are willing to go beyond the call of duty in order to help their organization exceed. Both practitioners and

academics agree that engaged employees are cognitively vigilant and connected to the organization. That all sounds

well and good but…

Q: Is employee engagement something we really need to be concerned about?

A: The answer is a resounding “Yes!” for two reasons.

1. Research indicates a surprising small percentage of employees are actively engaged in their jobs, and

2. Your employees’ level of engagement affects your bottom line.

The Gallup Management Journal publishes a semi-annual Employee Engagement Index. Recent results for the U.S.

indicated that:

Only 29% of employees are actively engaged in their jobs and feel a passion for their work and a connection to

their company

Over half of employees (54%) are not engaged in their work and have essentially “checked out.”

They are going through the motions; putting in their time and keeping busy but not working with passion.

The remaining employees, 17%, are actively disengaged (Such employees act on their unhappiness and undermine

the work their engaged co-workers are trying to accomplish. Sadly, global figures are no better. In fact, they are

worse. A recent Global Workforce Survey of 85,000 full-time employees of large and mid-sized firms revealed abysmal

statistics.)

Only 14% of the employees surveyed worldwide were highly engaged in their jobs

62% percent were moderately engaged at best

A disturbing 24% revealed that they were actively disengaged (These statistics indicate a serious problem.

Employees who are engaged think differently than employees who are not engaged.)

Some specific differences in mindset were identified by the Global Workforce Survey:

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Most highly engaged employees (84%) believe they can have a positive impact on the quality of their

organization’s products (Only 31% of disengaged employees believe this)

72% of highly engaged employees believe they can positively affect customer service (only 27% of the disengaged

believe they can have a positive impact on customer service)

68% of highly engaged employees believe they can positively impact the costs in their unit or job compared to

only 19% of disengaged employees

Do such beliefs really affect actions? Absolutely! In an article published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, James

Harter and his colleagues describe a meta-analysis of 7,939 business units in 36 companies. In this study the

relationship between employee satisfaction and engagement and the outcomes of customer satisfaction,

productivity, profit, employee turnover, and accidents was examined at the business-unit level. The researchers

found generalizable relationships large enough to have considerable practical value between employee satisfaction

and engagement and business-unit outcomes. They concluded “that employee satisfaction and engagement are

related to meaningful business outcomes at a magnitude that is important to many organizations…” and

recommended that companies make changes in management practices that will increase employee satisfaction and

engagement in order to increase business-unit outcomes, including profits. In another study by James Thompson,

published in the Journal of Business and Psychology, strong relationships were found between employee perceptions

of organizational climate (a factor that influences engagement), and customer satisfaction, absenteeism, safety, and

profits.

We know that employee engagement affects the mindset of our employees as well as our bottom line. So, how do we

go about increasing employee engagement and profits? Gerard Seijts and Dan Crim, from the Organizational Behavior

Department at the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, have identified ten C’s of

employee engagement. They are:

1. Connect: It is important for leaders to show that they value their employees. Employee engagement directly

reflects how employees feel about their relationships with their bosses.

2. Career: Employees need challenging and meaningful work and opportunities for career advancement. In addition,

it is important to instill confidence in employees that the challenges can be met. It is also necessary to ensure that

employees have the knowledge and tools to be successful. Failure to provide these is unethical, destroys motivation,

and leads to stress. Ultimately, it also leads to lack of engagement.

3. Clarity: Leaders need to communicate a clear vision for the organization. Employees want to understand the goals

that leaders and department heads have for the organization and their division or unit. Employees cannot meet goals

that they are not aware of or do not understand.

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4. Convey: While leaders clarify their expectations about employees; good leaders establish processes and

procedures to facilitate goal achievement.

5. Congratulate: Numerous research studies have shown that employees perceive that they receive feedback

immediately following a failure to meet expectations, but infrequently receive praise when their performance has

been strong. Congratulating employees for strong performance helps to build engagement.

6. Contribute: Employee engagement can be increased by letting people know their input matters and that they are

contributing to the success of the organization in a meaningful way.

7. Control: Allowing employees to have some control over the pace and flow of their jobs can increase engagement.

It is important to be sensitive to the employee’s needs by allowing some flexibility in the employee’s work. For

example, accommodating a parent with a special needs child so that he or she can attend a medical appointment or

treatment planning meeting. In addition, employees feel more engaged when they are involved in decision-making,

especially if they will be directly affected by the decision.

8. Collaborate: Research has shown that employees who work in teams and have the trust and cooperation of their

team members, outperform individuals and teams lacking in good relationships.

9. Credibility: Employees want to be proud of their jobs and the organizations for whom they work. Leaders should

strive to maintain high ethical standards and the company’s reputation.

10. Confidence: When leaders exemplify high performance and ethical standards, they create confidence in the

company and increase engagement.

Creating an engaged workforce gives companies a competitive advantage. Practitioners and academicians alike agree

that the data present a compelling case why leaders should make employee engagement one of their priorities. Now

for the important question:

Engaged or disengaged? Which term describes your employees?

Knowledge of the ten C’s of engagement is helpful but it leaves you with a lot of areas to tackle.

Q: Where does one begin?

A: Find out where you’re at.

Before attempting to enhance employee engagement, you need to know your starting point. Without knowledge of

your baseline, you will not be able to measure improvement. I recommend starting with an employee survey. In

addition, you can save a lot of time and money by hiring a firm that specializes in business research. Such a firm will

already have validated instruments for measuring employee satisfaction, including employee perceptions of culture,

climate, and other variables that impact engagement. I also recommend hiring a business research firm with the

ability to provide you with benchmarking data and one with statisticians trained at the doctoral level. The advantages

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provided by these services is that you can determine how your company compares to the standards in your industry

(this is the only way to really know whether your scores are good or bad) and information about the drivers of your

employees’ perceptions. Knowledge of these drivers will enable you to target only those C’s that are influencing the

attitudes of your employees, making the process of increasing employee engagement more manageable.

There is another major benefit to conducting employee surveys that is worth noting here: The attitudes of our

employees influence the attitudes of our customers. In a study by Sherilyn Kam and Scott Brooks, the relationship

between employee opinions and customer opinions was examined. They found that employee opinions were strongly

and positively related to customer opinions.

The National Business Research Institute (NBRI) has spent the last 27 years helping companies determine the answer

to the question of how engaged their employees are. Contact NBRI today at 1-800-756-6168 to learn how we can help

you work toward higher employee engagement and higher profits.