Gallup’s latest employee engagement survey came out recently. It shows there are both encouraging signs, as well as work to be done.
First the good: thirty-one percent of all employees are engaged. While that may not sound like a large number (and yes, there is room for improvement) it is still the highest tally since Gallup started counting back in 2000.
Of course, that still means that the large majority of employees are not engaged (with almost 18% being actively disengaged). If you are going to improve one number ASAP it would be that one. Like the term suggests, those employees can be a really bad influence on the others.
Another good sign revolves around a manager’s attitude toward employee engagement. Some see it as something they should control, or at least influence and the notion is growing. Pushing engagement accountability down to the front line is already a best practice at progressive companies. It’s something every business should move toward.
Finally, it’s worth noting that generating engagement with Millennials is a steeper climb. The report suggested the group may have a collective frustration from not having the opportunity to do what they do best. They feel they are not able to use their talents to their full advantage. To that I say remember this: Millennials crave recognition. I suggest you ramp up your activity here. No matter what task they are involved in, take steps to remind younger employees that their contributions matter.
Better yet, give your front line managers the tools to do just that and then hold them accountable for the outcome.