• Why employee engagement matters

    Employee engagement can be defined as “the emotional commitment an employee has to the organization and its values, vision and mission". Here are some of the facts about organizations that have higher employee engagement compared to those with the lowest.
    Feb. 3, 2020
    2 min read
    Photo: iStock
    082718 Employee Engagement I Stock Jack F 5e382cef7a04c

    I’ve written on the subject of employee engagement in the past, but I recently learned some interesting facts from Thomas Walter, chief culture officer at Tasty Catering, who spoke on the topic at a recent NationaLease meeting.

    He defined employee engagement as “the emotional commitment an employee has to the organization and its values, vision and mission, resulting in the increased use of discretionary effort.”

    Here are some of the facts he shared with the audience about organizations that have higher employee engagement compared to those with the lowest.

    Organizations with high employee engagement have:

    • 48% fewer safety incidents
    • 41% fewer quality incidents
    • 20% more productivity
    • 21% more profitability
    • 100% higher customer loyalty
    • 25-65% lower turnover

    In order to achieve employee engagement, you first need authentic leadership. The three steps to high performance leadership are respect, trust and emotional commitment. The job of a leader is to anticipate needs, communicate, delegate responsibilities and motivate employees.

    When looking to add to your management team, it is important to hire people who match your company’s culture. Walter explained that culture -- unlike products, capabilities and services -- cannot be replicated.  According to Walter, “A prized culture attracts and retains top performers.” Culture also is an underpinning of a competitive advantage and higher financial performance. The right culture “engages employees, inspires loyalty and increases discretionary effort.”

    Walter then shared the fact that his company has a 92% employee engagement rate which he believes contributed to 2018 sales being up 8.1% over 2017 sales and profits up 14% over the same period.

    Tasty Catering has an amazingly low employee turnover rate of 4%. He also said one of the positive consequences of the high employee engagement are awards the company has received that recognize it as healthy workplace, a best place to work and a top place to work.

    If Tasty Catering is the model of what can happen when you have an engaged workforce, maybe now is the time to start taking steps to determine what you can do to boost your employment engagement.

    About the Author

    Jane Clark

    Senior VP of Operations

    Jane Clark is the senior vice president of operations for NationaLease. Prior to joining NationaLease, Jane served as the area vice president for Randstad, one of the nation’s largest recruitment agencies, and before that, she served in management posts with QPS Companies, Pro Staff, and Manpower, Inc.

    Voice your opinion!

    To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of FleetOwner, create an account today!

    Sign up for our free eNewsletters

    Latest from IdeaXchange

    4126654 | Phartisan | Dreamstime.com
    driver retention
    Turnover and its causes are expenses we like to ignore or accept as the cost of running a trucking company. In a market like today’s, investing in retention doesn’t mean spending...
    81443784 | Vitpho | Dreamstime.com
    trucking efficiency
    When you couple a truck spec’d properly for its duty cycle with technologies that improve efficiency and a driver who is hyper-focused on fuel efficiency, you’ll have a winning...
    327892067 | Vitpho | Dreamstime.com
    fleet shop safety
    Shop safety should be as important to fleet management as driver safety, and they should reinforce their commitment to maintaining a safe working environment for all.