In Employee Engagement Tips for NJ Manufacturers Part 1, we talked about the cost of hiring, why employees break up with their employers, the eight elements of employee engagement and offered tips to facilitate engagement. Employees find it unacceptable to trudge to a job they hate, silently pray for their shift to end and repeat the same process the following day.
Employees no longer want to be disengaged from their jobs. They want to feel like a vital part of a larger community. Employees are looking for a deeper commitment than just being regarded as a means of production from 9-5. They want to feel like a part of the team that contributes to the greater good of society. Employees now look to align personal interests with potential employers.
Employee engagement has many benefits for both the company and employee, ranging from improvements in business measures to employee satisfaction to reductions in absenteeism. When employees become disengaged they merely show up and go through the motions. They mentally quit and physically stay, viewing their jobs as something to be endured instead of enjoyed. This mindset rarely produces the best results. It is especially important to engage workers with repetitive jobs to prevent boredom.
Retaining top talent is important for many reasons. When top employees leave they take all of their job knowledge with them. They can even become a threat if they work for a competitor especially if they take their clients and business contacts with them. Finding a suitable replacement can take a long time if the employee pipeline is not full. Even when the pipeline is full a learning curve still exists. The other reason it is important to retain to talent is the sheer cost of hiring new employees. Advertising, recruiting, interviewing and onboarding all come with a hefty price tag.
Since there is no objective measure of employee engagement, what does a fully engaged employee look like? What traits and behaviors do they exhibit?
- Enthusiasm – They are enthusiastic about work
- Inspired – They are motivated about their jobs
- Empowered – They are allowed to work the way they wish
- Confident – They are sure they can achieve excellence
Even though a quantifiable way to measure employee engagement does not exist it is obvious when an employee is engaged. They are eager and invested in achieving corporate goals. Like any other business initiative employee engagement requires diligence and an ongoing effort to be successful. Employee engagement is not an event it is an ongoing process.
We believe in the success of small business manufacturing in the State of New Jersey. Small business manufacturing plays a vital role in employment in the Garden State because it provides countless jobs to its residents. These companies are major engines of economic growth. It is our goal and mission to teach operational skills to carry on the proud tradition of manufacturing in this great state. NJMEP is here to help improve your business! Contact us to learn about the services we provide or to discuss your most important business issues. Schedule a free evaluation by calling us at (973) 998-9801.