Our most important asset - engaged employees. "Doing all I can to help my organisation succeed, and always looking for ways of doing the job better or more effectively - that's me, and I do it because my job gives me a real sense of satisfaction, and because I feel
a sense of commitment to this organisation."
And who wouldn't like to think this was their people talking, especially as the recession continues to make any performance advantage via reduced costs, higher productivity, or superior customer service a potential life-saver?
These are the sentiments of the truly "engaged" employee, a concept that has become more than just a passing fad as research internationally continues to highlight the substantial impact employee engagement has on bottom-line performance. Workplace survey and analysis specialist JRA (NZ) has been studying this link for the past 10 years, and, according to research director Dr Neal Knight-Turvey, it's something that organisations are placing much higher on their agendas in recent times, as "people are our most important asset" takes on a whole new meaning.
"More accurately, it's 'fully engaged' people who are our most important asset, and the more of them you've got the better your chances in the current economic climate."
With JRA's research pointing to organisations with a high proportion of engaged staff reporting return on assets twice as high, and sales per employee 40 per cent higher than workplaces with low levels of engagement, how many engaged employees does the typical Kiwi organisation have?
According to Knight-Turvey, not as many as you'd think. "As few as 30 per cent of the workforce, in fact. Contrast that with our `best workplaces' where the proportion is around 50 per cent and you see why these organisations are typically market leaders in their field as well."
These are also organisations that will be better placed to assist staff to cope with the inevitable stresses and pressures generated by the recession. "The impact of this on performance can be dramatic, and although all organisations are vulnerable, our experience suggests `best workplaces' are more resilient to these pressures.
"It's a time when organisations need to sharpen focus, communicate their strategies, performance targets and standards, and fully involve their people in the execution of these strategies, things we've found great workplaces do anyway, and why they enjoy the benefits of an engaged workforce."
* JRA will be running the JRA Best Workplaces Survey in association with the Herald from June 1 until August 31.
Take part in the Best Workforces survey 2009 The JRA Best Workplaces '09 survey is run in association with The New Zealand Herald
