Part 1 of 3: * The Basics on Employee Engagement

Within global competition, organizations are forced to consider all avenues for profitability.*  Employee engagement is one of those many avenues.*  There are organizations that are built and operate on the premise that employees are either your best or worst asset and there are organizations that say people are the focus with minimal to no actions to support.*  Regardless of the organization you work for, your responsibility is to create and maintain your own engagement at work.*  According to research, high engagement levels hover around 26% worldwide and 18% in North America.

Revealing outcomes of disengaged employees may not surprise you.

• 41% of the respondents confirm that to advance their careers they need to leave their current employer
• 38% report excessive work related pressures
• Less than 50% believe their senior leaders have a sincere interest in the employees
• 64% agree that they understand how their job contributes to the organizations’ success

According to the Towers Watson’s Employee Engagement Report, engaged employees state:

1. High satisfaction with “job”
2. Satisfaction with “work levels”

• Doesn’t report feeling stressed or overloaded
• Understands the organization’s goals
• Maintains pride in organization they work for
• Believe that employer demonstrates honesty and integrity

In an average organization, only 25% of employees are highly engaged, engagement numbers have not increased over the years and many individuals and organizations have reached the point of diminishing returns; meaning they can do no more to enhance employee engagement.

Unfortunately, for society and for business, there is plenty of “engage-me” mindsets in the workplace.*  Some employees are waiting for someone else (mainly the employer or leader) to engage them.*  In other words, this mindset takes no responsibility for their own professional life.*  Their decision is to sit and wait for someone else.*  I’ve used the Theodore Roosevelt quote for many years in my personal and professional life.*  I have three choices in life; 1: Accept it with a good heart attitude and support with all I’ve got (in words and in actions) 2: Stay and work on changing it for the better or 3: Leave it.*  What’s hard is deciding which avenue to take.*  The doing is easier; not easy but easier.

All of us, as employees, need to remember we have three choices about our job:

1 ” Accept the job that we are working

2 ” Change the job for ourselves

3 ” Leave the job