Page 75 - Build a Culture of Employee Engagement with the Principles

46 Carrots and Sticks Don’t Work

• Less employee theft and fraud
• Higher rates of customer satisfaction
• Higher employee satisfaction
• Reduced lost-time accidents
• Fewer Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)
complaints

Although, as we will discuss, methodological concerns tem-
per these findings, the overall body of evidence strongly sug-
gests that employee engagement is related broadly and deeply
to the factors that impact all aspects of organizational vitality.
No other psychological variable, including employee motivation,
has demonstrated such an extensive and consistent impact on
an organization’s bottom line.

Factors That Affect Employee

Engagement and Disengagement

In an effort to better understand the drivers of engagement, I
went to the experts—people in the workforce. After explain-
ing the concept of engagement, study participants were asked,
“What causes you to become engaged or disengaged in your
work?” What follows are representative lists of responses.

FACTORS THAT CAUSE EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
• When I respect my employer or supervisor, when I respect
the goals of the organization or the project, and when
other people at work treat me with respect
• Trust; feeling that my supervisor has my back
• Feeling connected to the end result
• Knowing that what I do matters and can make a
difference to others and to the business