Indian organizations have bettered employee engagement: Report

A recent report claims that about 60% of India Inc. organizations have improved their employee engagement levels over the last two years. The report, based on a TimesJobs survey of 550 employers, suggests that employers are actively working towards ensuring better engagement with their employees and are not hesitating to invest in the same. 

Following are some of the highlights of the survey:

• 55% of the organizations reported an increase of 10-15% in their employee engagement scores, as compared to two years back. 
  
  
• Of the employers who reported an increase, 40% admitted to investing heavily in the same, and actively building a healthy culture. 90% of the HR managers from such organizations are of the view that focussing on culture and employee engagement has helped in improving their financial performance as well. 
  
  
• 80% of the employees strongly feel that a better organizational culture leads to improved engagement levels, and the remaining do not think the same. 
  
  
• Nearly 75% of the organizations invested willing to improve engagement levels, and the rest did not.
  
  
• HR managers think that disengagement leads to 40% higher absenteeism, 50% accidental cases and 75% more mistakes, errors, and defects in the daily tasks.
  
  
• Organisations with lower engagement levels also experience lower productivity, lower profitability, and lower job growth.
  
  
• 75% of the organizations say that with an increase in engagement levels, productivity has risen 50%, and job applications have increased 30-50%.

The report reiterates the importance of top leadership to foster a healthy and positive work culture, saying, “Organisation culture works on a hierarchy... it becomes imperative that the organizational leadership is strong and capable of creating a positive influence within the system. They must cast a major influence on the people to keep them inspired and motivated.” Ramathreya Krishnamurthi, Business Head, TimesJobs, says in the report, “Workplace culture and employee engagement are inseparable, and companies are gradually realizing this connect. Companies which foster a healthy work culture rank better on employee engagement aspect, and have higher productivity and workplace positive employees. In fact, as our study reveals, the progressive companies are already investing aggressively - and deliberately so – to improve their workplace culture and hence, business growth.”

The report affirms the age-old wisdom about management which says that in order to create value, you must confer value. It is natural for employees to work more efficiently and loyalty if they feel that their employer is actually looking out for them. The days of expecting employees to put their work commitments above everything else are long gone, and allowing flexibility is the new mantra for companies to retain employees. In addition, ensuring that the physical and mental health of their employees is in good shape, investing in their career growth, providing learning and development opportunities to update their skills is essential. The trend of employers recognizing the importance of actively engaging their employees, and their willingness to invest in the same is highly encouraging. While the report shows how the overall health of the organization has improved in the span of two years owing to better engagement levels, one can safely assume that a sustained effort to improve employee engagement will reap multi-fold benefits in the future. The report rightly concludes, “When employees are healthy, stress-free and safe, they are better at their work and thus more engaged. An organization which cares for its employees and has comprehensive wellness programs is perceived more positively by its employees.”