Employee Engagement Research With Employee Engagement being a major focus of what we do at Insightlink, we are constantly monitoring and reading what other people, organizations and companies have to say about it too. Here are some of the highlights of articles, from varying sources, that have come to our attention recently. With the central focus on employee engagement, these articles cover the subject from varying perspectives including survey results, business success, importance and urgency. We will look to add more articles on an ongoing basis, being able to share what we read and research, will hopefully help you in your employee engagement needs. If you have published something that you'd like us to lonk to, please contact us at information@insightlink.com RedBrick Health Releases Preliminary Findings from National Independent Survey on Employee Health Engagement. RedBrick Health released preliminary findings from a national independent survey of benefits decision makers at large to mid-size U.S. companies. The independent industry survey commissioned by RedBrick Health included telephone interviews with 181 large to mid-size employers across multiple industries and U.S. geographies. In addition to quantifying engagement rates for numerous health management and wellness programs and top barriers to health engagement, RedBrick Health's Employee Health Engagement Survey identified data-driven markers for health engagement success. Early Findings Most striking about the early survey results was the employee engagement data relative to the primary vendor administering the health management and wellness programs. Effective Communication Can Drive Employee Engagement, Help Retain Top Performers, According to Watson Wyatt. In a business environment that remains tumultuous, companies with highly effective internal communication programs are better placed to keep employees engaged and retain key talent, according to a new survey by Watson Wyatt, a leading global consulting firm. "As the economy continues to shift, keeping employees up-to-date on how the company is responding, and how they are affected, will help insure against their becoming demoralized and disconnected," said Kathryn Yates, global leader of communication consulting at Watson Wyatt. "Effective communication helps engage employees, and that has positive implications for productivity and the bottom line." The survey found that 61 percent of companies that are highly effective communicators report that their managers are effective at dealing openly with resistance to change, compared with only 18 percent of low-effectiveness communicators. Similarly, 64 percent of highly effective communicators report that their managers are effective at addressing the needs and concerns of their current employees, compared with only 22 percent of companies that are low-effectiveness communicators. Boosting Engagement While Cutting Costs; Yes, it's possible. Here's how one hospital turned the budget over to its employees and reaped a windfall. Synopsis: Yes, it's possible -- even amid a full-blown economic recession in which massive layoffs, closing facilities, and declining profits are the norm. Here's how one hospital turned the budget over to its employees and reaped a windfall. Massive layoffs. Facilities closing. Profits declining. Full-blown economic recession. This is the stuff that creates angst and sleepless nights for today's CEOs. While many leaders find themselves looking for a way out of this morass, they also tend to assume that the burden of doing so rests solely on their shoulders. Not so for George Mikitarian, president and chief executive officer of Parrish Medical Center (PMC) in Titusville, Florida. Mikitarian and his executive management team run a 210-bed, 1,025-employee, nonprofit healthcare facility in North Brevard County, where economic trends mirror those of the nation. What's most surprising about PMC's approach to this looming crisis: The facility moved downsizing to the bottom of its list of responses. And they're about to get worse. The Space Coast will lose a major employer when the Kennedy Space Center closes the shuttle program in 2010. And while estimates vary, it's likely that at least 3,500 workers will lose their jobs. So PMC is bracing for the impact: fewer patients seeking medical care, others delaying care due to increased co-pays or fear of lost work days, and the possibility of greatly increased indigent care. In this climate, PMC had to figure out a way to cut costs now -- and keep them down for the long haul. Here's what's most surprising about PMC's approach to this looming crisis: The facility moved downsizing to the bottom of its list of responses. PMC is the only local hospital that hasn't cut staff and has publicly stated that layoffs will be its "last strategy." "You see healthcare organizations laying people off, and it's not helping [the hospitals'] situation," says Mikitarian. The Battle of FALLING ENGAGEMENT The latest engagement numbers indicate an uphill struggle for recapturing the hearts and minds of U.S. employees. Although the economy has begun to improve, company loyalty has declined significantly and employees are feeling less engaged than anticipated, according to a national study on employee engagement in the U.S. workforce. Modern Survey, a Minneapolisbased survey provider, polled 1,000 U.S. working adults to gauge the extent to which employees take pride in their company, believe they have a promising future there, recommend their company as a great place to work, go "above and beyond" their normal job duties to help their organization succeed, and intend to stay. Workers' engagement levels drop, along with their expectations. Cost-cutting actions made by U.S. employers in 2009 to deal with the economic downturn have contributed to a sharp decline in the morale and commitment of their workers, especially top performers, according to an annual survey by consultancy Watson Wyatt and WorldatWork, an association of HR professionals. The 2009/2010 U.S. Strategic Rewards Survey found that employee engagement levels among all employers dropped 9 percent since 2008 and have plunged close to 25 percent among top performers. Additionally, 36 percent of top performers say their employer's situation worsened over the past year; the number who would recommend others take jobs at their company has declined by nearly 20 percent. The perfect storm: the future of retention and engagement. Over the last half of the 1990s, discussion centered around the so-called war for talent and the problems employers had retaining and engaging skilled, young, more diverse workers. The recent economic downturn seems to have stopped this talk and in some cases reversed it, bringing to the forefront talk of downsizing and separation. The war for talent was not a short-term phenomenon but the beginning of a long-term change in the labor force: The forces driving the events of that period are expected to stay in place for another 15 years. Indeed, storm clouds are building on the horizon. The combination of rising job dissatisfaction and demographic trends that predict labor shortages, skill deficits, and fewer knowledge workers has all the elements for dramatic changes in the way work is performed, who performs it and where, and the skill sets that will be needed. In this article we explore those demographic trends and countertrends, analyzing their drivers and presenting some plausible outcomes. We also explore how people management within organizations will change and how leaders can respond in order to retain and engage their human capital. Morale Is Sliding to a Dangerously Low Level. Employees are registering the highest level of job dissatisfaction in years, and experts warn that workplace anxiety is nearing epidemic proportions. The Gallup Organization's Engaged Workers' Index released in September 2003 found that only 29 percent of workers were "engaged" in their work, 54 percent were "not engaged," and 17 percent were "actively disengaged." The 2003 Towers Perrin Talent Report showed that 17 percent of employees were "highly engaged," 64 percent were only "moderately engaged," and 19 percent were "disengaged." "The mood is grim," notes John A. Challenger, CEO of the Chicago-based outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. "For those who have managed to avoid job cuts, morale has definitely suffered".

Where do you fall within the Loyalty Matrix? » Committed Loyalist? » Change Seeker? » Compromiser? » Opportunist? What's your guess? Take our short demo survey and find out now. An Insightlink 4Cs Survey can let you see this valuable data on employee engagement within your organization. Did You Know? Our repeat clients who have used our 4Cs Action Planning Workbook average a 7% increase in overall satisfaction on follow-up surveys. You should click here to download report samples. Employee surveys are a low cost investment in the success and profitability of your company. Research shows that companies with higher levels of employee satisfaction financially outperform their peers. Get a no-obligation quote today and find out how improving employee satisfaction can also improve your bottom line. Articles Home