What is Employee Engagement?

So you hear the term 'employee engagement' offhand several times and this last time you hear it you think to yourself 'what is employee engagement?' Employee engagement is a term that at its very core describes how much an employee cares about their work. There are differences between an employee who is engaged and one who is not that are readily visible if you watch them work side-by-side. An engaged employee is helpful and will support their teammates or co-workers if needed. An employee who is not engaged will keep track of the time and have their computer and work station shut down to make a quick exit at the end of the day. Kevin Kruse, a contributor for Forbes Magazine, brings us more information on what employee engagement is and is not. 

Definition: Employee engagement is the emotional commitment the employee has to the organization and its goals.

This emotional commitment means engaged employees actually care about their work and their company. They don’t work just for a paycheck, or just for the next promotion, but work on behalf of the organization’s goals.

When employees care—when they are engaged—they use discretionary effort.

…More at What is Employee Engagement? | Forbes

Employee engagement is a must-have to keep your business looking forward. Research shows that companies with engaged employees enjoy a profit margin above those without. Retaining a batch of engaged employees is one goal of any leadership team. Kruse points out that happiness and satisfaction are not what define employee engagement but I would argue that they are components that can engage employees and strengthen the emotional commitment they hold. Can you define employee engagement for your workforce? As yourself and the rest of your leadership team the question, what is employee engagement and what does it look like at our company?