by Brianna Crandall — August 11, 2014—Global facility services provider ISS has published a white paper focusing on how engaged employees are more productive, more customer-focused and more loyal — and how companies with high levels of employee engagement are more profitable, according to a number of studies over the past two decades.
In the white paper, author Donna Brown (ISS) describes how employee engagement can play an especially important role in improving business outcomes. A considerable body of research has found evidence that engaged employees are more productive, more profitable, more customer-focused and more loyal, says ISS.
In 2012, original research was carried out to the deepen understanding of the drivers of employee engagement from the perspective of frontline service employees. Employee engagement is important for most service organizations because the majority of their resources are human capital, notes ISS. Reaping the full benefits of employee productivity through maximizing employee engagement could help many companies reduce costs and increase staff retention and competitiveness, reminds the report.
Research evidence suggests that employees’ experiences and conditions at work are closely linked to the levels of engagement they feel. Studies recommend that organizations should seek to understand the facilitating drivers specific to their context by studying the management practices at their own highly engaged units.
The white paper, “Employee Engagement—The Crucial Role of the Supervisor,” concludes that the measures designed to develop the interpersonal relationships between frontline service employees and their immediate managers and supervisors were the most important drivers for employees feeling more engaged at work.
