How important is employee engagement to a company’s success? According to a recent article in Forbes by the Forbes Coaches Council, a great deal: Without a motivated staff that is excited about its work, management is likely to find itself stuck with low performance, productivity and quality. To ensure high levels of engagement, the article suggests, management can take a variety of measures—including conducting an internal analysis, listening intently to employee feedback and being committed to acting on it.
“A company that surveys its own employees may be pleased by what it finds,” says Jeff Baker, CEO of Noble, which develops injection and inhaler training products as part of patient and healthcare provider education materials for pharmaceutical companies. These trainers mimic the real device’s look and function to help patients learn how to correctly use the real device. “It is highly likely that there is a direct link between employee satisfaction and overall success as a business.”
Noble recently conducted one such survey. An employee assessment firm analyzed Noble’s workforce and delivered good news: Noble has an overall engagement score of 96, which means 96 percent of its employees feel positively engaged at work. Among other findings, the analysis also determined that 95 percent of Noble employees felt engaged by the quality of their work teams; 90 percent were engaged by the company’s culture (including work/life balance); and 90 percent were engaged by the skills and knowledge that make their jobs interesting and challenging.
Furthermore, among the employees surveyed, 88 percent felt engaged by the company’s vision and the overall supervisor-employee relationship; 84 percent were engaged by the level of recognition they received for their accomplishments; and 82 percent were engaged by their supervisors’ working styles.
“There is no question that high employee engagement is a large driving factor behind Noble’s successes to date, and management hopes to sustain this level of satisfaction as a way to help stay in the forefront of the industry,” Baker adds.