Practice Management

How engagement increases your bottom line and ensures client loyalty

 |  Jeff Tobe, CSP

In 2005, Caterpillar Inc. was already looking at employee engagement before most companies knew what it was. The impact it had was that at its European plant, there was an annual savings of $8.8 million from a decline in attrition, absenteeism and overtime. In 2013 at the Asia-Pacific plant, there was a 4 percent increase in output. This should prove to you that a focus on employee engagement absolutely affects the bottom line.

Let me share with you the seven key trends impacting today’s workplace. This is the result of a study done with 500 organizations across the United States and more than 200,000 anonymous responses:

  1. 64 percent of all employees do not feel they have a strong work culture.
  2. 49 percent of all employees are not satisfied with their direct supervisor.
  3. Opportunities for professional growth are limited, with 66 percent not seeing a chance for growth.
  4. More than one in four employees do not have the tools to be successful in their jobs.
  5. Only 21 percent of employees feel strongly valued at work.
  6. 44 percent of employees give peer-to-peer recognition when they have an easy tool to do so.
  7. Peers and camaraderie are the No. 1 reason employees go the extra mile — not money!

So what does it boil down to? Partially it’s about employee appreciation. In a new book called “Appreciate: Celebrating People, Inspiring Greatness,” a survey asked, “What is the most important thing your organization does that causes you to do great work?”

  • 37 percent of respondents said, “Recognize me.”
  • 13 percent said, “Nothing! I am self-motivated.”
  • 12 percent said, “Inspire me.”
  • and 12 percent said, “Give me autonomy.”
  • Only 7 percent said, “Pay me more.”

Are we focused on the right kind of appreciation in our organizations?

Your clients don’t want to be serviced … they want to be engaged!

Jeff Tobe teaches organizations to increase their bottom line by re-evaluating their customer experience. Hear more in the March episode of MDRT Presents:

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