One of the keys for building a high performance culture is to build employee engagement.  Employee engagement can be defined as a state of mind in which an employee (1) finds purpose and satisfaction in their work, (2) has positive feelings about the organization, its values and its goals, (3) puts discretionary (or non-mandatory) effort into their work – in terms of their time, their intellectual capital and their energy, and (4) has a heightened sense of ownership, and so acts in a way that benefits the company.

In short, an engaged employee is:

“Someone who is fully involved in, and enthusiastic about their work, and will thus act in a way that furthers the best interests of the organization.”

To the extent that high performance is central to that organization’s goals, the employee will adopt those goals for himself or herself.

Why does all this matter?  Well, study after study on this issue has consistently verified that organizations that have actively taken steps to build employee engagement experience higher employee retention, higher levels of performance, lower absenteeism, more desirable business outcomes and greater shareholder returns.  And, according to a recent Gallup report, high-employee engagement is in fact a primary predictor of an organization’s economic health.

So how do we build employee engagement?  Well that’s going to be the topic for the next several video blogs we post over the coming weeks.  We hope you’ll join us as we look at the primary drivers of employee engagement, and how to start building a culture of engagement in your own organization.

But that’s  it for this edition of the Support EDGE.  Until next time, be sure all your development initiatives are performance-driven and outcomes-based.

~ES