Engagement is a big issue at companies across the country, with statistics on the harm done to bottom lines by apathetic or actively hostile employees amounting to an eye-popping $450 billion to $550 billion annually.
And the matter is certainly top of mind for executives. Even though 60 percent of CFOs report that their workers are more engaged on the job compared to three years ago, according to a Robert Half survey, 52 percent don't believe it's enough.
A study from Robert Half and Happiness Works on worker satisfaction and engagement finds that approximately a third of respondents intend to leave their jobs within the next six months — something that would certainly play havoc with retention figures.
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In the new study, among the CFOs asked whether they believe employees are more or less engaged at work than they were three years ago, 12 percent of the CFOS say workers are significantly more engaged. Forty-eight percent say somewhat more engaged, while 25 percent say they are somewhat less engaged and 4 percent significantly less engaged; 11 percent report no change.
Next, CFOs were queried on how concerned they are about their employees' level of engagement at work. While 16 percent say they are not at all concerned and 31 percent say they are not too concerned, 42 percent are somewhat concerned and 10 percent are significantly concerned.
But considering that hefty toll that lack of engagement takes not just on retention but on corporate profitability, the issue isn't one that's going to go away without significant attention paid to it. Interestingly, the CFO survey also offers information on which U.S. cities have the most engaged workers; research indicates that the top five cities are Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Phoenix and St. Louis, with the latter two tied.
Robert Half also offers five suggestions to boost employee engagement: giving individuals a glimpse of their future by keeping them aware of potential career paths and job openings; promoting creativity and innovation; communicating with employees and making sure they feel they can communicate well with managers; taking an interest not just in employees' work, but also in their lives; and making sure that the firm is always staffed properly, to prevent employee feelings of overwork.
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