8 Definitive Signs of Engaged Employees and Why This Matters

Organizations have adopted different ways to keep their presence in today’s growing corporate market. However, despite all the advancements, employee engagement still needs to be heeded upon. This can become the Achilles’ heels of your company if not appropriately planned.

On the contrary, those who have realized how important it is to keep their employees engaged have excelled. One should always remember that the key to your business success is an effective employee engagement program. And employee engagement directly correlates to success, profitability, and customer satisfaction.

What is an Engaged Employee?

The enthusiastic, motivated, and driven employees to achieve the long-term goals are known to be engaged employees. Without their presence in the organization, it is impossible to run a successful business as they form its backbone. The engaged employees are proficient in their job and heed the importance of customer satisfaction that results in high organization revenue.

To figure out the engaged employees in your organization, you need to look out for positive signs discussed in the blog.

Signs of Engaged Employees that Matter

As a manager, to figure out the organization’s engaged employees, you need to decode their characteristic and behavioral changes. Keep a keen eye on these 8 positive signs -

• They are focused
• Have Leadership Qualities
• Good Decision-making Skills
• Enhanced Performance
• Adaptive
• Supportive
• Disciplined
• Communicates Effectively

Let's dive deep and discuss on how to know if your employees are engaged or not?

1. They are Focused

One of the most important traits or signs of an engaged employee is that they are focused on what they do. They are attentive and are keen to take up challenges. On top of that, they are enthusiastic and are more eager to learn new things which will keep them on top of their game. This is because they feel it is the perfect work environment for them and that they are acknowledged for their work.

2. Have Leadership Qualities

A significant sign of an engaged employee is that they have leadership qualities. They can lead themselves and lead others as well.

Engaged employees push themselves to achieve success and make things work for the organization. They provide proper guidance to others and take sincere responsibility for their task. On top of all these, they have a positive attitude about things, which makes them proficient in what they do.

3. Good Decision-making Skills

Engaged employees are decisive and know how to make decisions that will help the organization. They are visionary and see the big picture of how things need to work out.

They are aware of the fact that their work will make or break the businesses. Before investing their time in any task, engaged employees tend to collect all the necessary information. Once they conclude that a project is going to benefit the organization, they then decide to continue with it. Also, before deciding anything, they examine the situation or a problem and work on solving it.

4. Enhanced Performance

Engaged workforce or employees are enthusiastic about their work. They take joy in their day-to-day responsibilities.

When your employees feel that the job is perfect for them, they go the extra mile to achieve the task. This results in high performance from your employees and increases engagement. A rise in engagement is an indication that your employees are satisfied with their job, and their morale is high, which results in enhanced performance of the workforce.

5. Adaptive

The corporate world around us is continuously changing and evolving. And to keep up, we need to adapt and evolve along with it.

Employees who swiftly adapt to changes are more likely to obtain higher levels of engagement. They know how to approach things with their innovative thinking and positive attitude. Engaged employees can pinpoint the areas where changes are needed, and they work accordingly. Doing this helps them to prepare with the overall changes that keep on revolving within the organization.

6. Supportive

Employees who are engaged are not only concerned with their work, but they help others as well.

For them, the prime objective is to achieve success for the organization. And when they see someone struggling with their work, they provide a helping hand. This not only boosts employee morale but also increases team bonding. Hence, creating a positive work culture where employees look out for each other.

7. Disciplined

A significant sign of an engaged employee is that they are disciplined in every aspect of their work. They have a proper attitude, respect others, maintain their schedule, and complete their work in the given time frame.

When your employees are disciplined, it becomes easier for a manager to delegate a task without any hassle. They know what is expected of them and how they can help the organization excel in the present market.

8. Communicates Effectively

Highly engaged employees communicate effectively to make the best use of time. They collaborate with others and provide clear cut information so that there is always a smooth flow of work. Moreover, they listen to others and respect their viewpoint.

When there is a clear flow of communication among employees, there are fewer conflicts and increased productivity. It is because every employee understands what their role is and have a clear vision of what they need to do. Thus, enhancing engagement and boosting morale in the long run.

What happens when employees are engaged?

"Techniques don't produce quality products and services, people do. People who care, people who are treated as creatively contributing individuals." - Tom Peters

Now, that we know what signs to read to identify the engaged employees, let's now see the benefits it can add to your organization. Here're few key value additions-

1. Influence other employees

Engaged employees are organizations’ valuable assets that improve the bottom line in the long run. Furthermore, they can also positively impact and influence the underperforming employees with their enthusiasm and work ethic. The engaged employees are driven to help struggling peers with their responsibility and make them proficient in their job.

It is a win-win situation for an organization where employees will have the motivation to do well and help with the long term goals and objectives.

2. Higher Customer Satisfaction

Engaged employees are the ones who are satisfied with the workplace, the job, and all the benefits provided by the organization. The reflection of their satisfaction levels can be clearly measured with higher customer satisfaction.

Satisfied employees are quick enough to resolve any customer complaints and provide them with excellent service that raises the customers’ satisfaction levels and increases the organization’s reputation.

3. Reduced Turnover

Employees that have higher levels of engagement are the ones that have a clear understanding of what is expected of them. They are proficient in their job and achieve their targets without any hassle.

When employees know their responsibilities and roles, they have high-performance levels. It signifies that they love their job which results in reduced turnover rates and increased employee loyalty.

4. Increased Productivity and Morale

Employee engagement is the cornerstone of elevated employee morale and productivity. And it is needless to say that engaged employees are good at keeping themselves busy, which certainly increases their work rate. They raise the bar and push themselves beyond the limits to improve their performance and make them better.

5. Better work environment

Engaged employees play a crucial role in making the work environment enjoyable where toxicity has no room. They believe in innovation and trying out new ideas to bring efficiency to the workplace and encourage others to help them out.

By doing so, the workforce is occupied with brainstorming sessions, where everyone pitches their ideas. There is mutual respect among the employees, and everyone is not afraid to ask questions regarding the topics discussed, which results in a psychologically safe workplace.

Some important statistics

Here're few stats on how many employees are engaged at work -

• Disengaged employees cost U.S. companies up to $550 billion a year. (Forbes)
• Companies with high employee engagement rate are 21% more profitable. (Smarp)
• The productivity rate of engaged employees are 44% more than merely satisfied workers. (Emplify)
• 70% of US workers are not engaged at work. (Themuse)
• 43 % of highly engaged employees receive feedback at least once a week. (Themuse)

Summing it up

Workplace engagement is directly proportional when it comes to productivity. Your engaged workforce is going to define whether your employee engagement strategies are helping you or not. The more signs they show of being engaged, the better it becomes for you in the long run. Not only will they support the organization to achieve success, but they will also improve its reputation.

Mrinmoy Rabha is a content writer and digital marketer at Vantage Circle. He is an avid follower of football and passionate about singing. For any related queries, contact editor@vantagecircle.com