What’s the Difference Between Employee Engagement and Employee Satisfaction?
When you hear the phrases “employee satisfaction” and “employee engagement,” you might think they’re the same thing. However, they’re actually quite different!
Managers need to make every effort to ensure that their employees are both engaged and satisfied in their jobs. If they want to develop a high-performing workforce, it is critical to recognize the distinctions between the two phrases.
Employee Engagement vs. Employee Satisfaction
Employee engagement emerges when an employee is dedicated to ensuring their organizations accomplish all of their targets. An engaged employee is driven to turn up to work each day and continuously seeks ways to enhance the organization.
Employee satisfaction describes a person who enjoys their work but is not invested in it. Picture an employee coming to work day in, day out, not contributing more than they’re asked, and counting down the minutes until they can leave work.
Engaged employees are satisfied with their jobs, but satisfied employees are not particularly engaged with theirs. In research conducted by Gallup, employees who scored in the top half on employee engagement almost doubled their odds of success compared with those in the bottom half.
How To Conduct Employee Engagement Conversations
Employees who work for companies that execute an employee engagement strategy are more likely to have trust in their leaders and feel as though their organization values and respects them. As a result, all aspects of the company benefit from greater employee engagement:
- Higher levels of productivity
- Improved customer experiences
- Unleashed employee potential.
To help you conduct employee engagement conversations, we’ve included four questions to ask your employees to understand their level of engagement and determine the most effective way to engage your staff.
Can your workers clearly correlate their efforts and the company’s goals?
As a leader, you must instill passion in your employees to stay one step ahead of the competition. That starts with distinctly highlighting the correlation between their contributions and the organization’s goals. Engaged workers who recognize the impact of their contributions will feel like an integral component to the organization’s success, which enables them to take pride in their job and the company’s brand.
Is the company’s leadership capable of motivating employees?
There are two areas of emphasis when building employee engagement: the level of engagement a worker has with the company, and also with their manager. As a leader, ensuring that your employees do not just enjoy their work, but are also engaged and driven to perform, can help you overcome your company’s biggest roadblocks to success.
Employees who are more engaged with their management are given both guidance and flexibility in their tasks. When leaders are involved in their employee’s journey, their team will be motivated to show up to work on a daily basis believing in what they’re doing. Engaged employees believe they have the support of the firm they are working for and will feel emotionally invested in their job, which propels them to contribute to the company’s success.
Is it easy for your staff to understand the mission and goals of your company?
To be engaged, an employee must be dedicated to the company’s values. They are continuously driven to strive for a common objective that is consistent with the company’s vision. If employees have a north star that they constantly refer to, they will have a clear understanding of their priorities and feel more attached to their tasks. Plus, those who work with a sense of purpose put out their full effort, helping your business achieve its goals.
How Well-Equipped are Your Managers to Lead a Successful Team?
Maintaining high levels of engagement starts with the leader, and trickles down to the rest of the organization. Specifically, it requires the use of emotional intelligence to make employees feel like a vital part of the team. Without tuning into how emotionally attached employees are in their work, managers won’t know how dedicated their workers are to the company’s success. Ultimately, leading with emotional intelligence and connecting at the heart of employees can foster a stronger corporate culture, high-performing and cohesive teams with increased efficiency, and an esteemed reputation that only few can beat.
The Next Step
It’s one thing to ask employees the questions above, but it’s another to put their feedback into action. The next step is to actively work on improving employee engagement within the company by using their responses and discovering the areas that need improvement or modification. This starts with listening intently to employees’ questions and concerns, immersing them in discussions, and mentoring and coaching them to put forth their best abilities. An organization that can reflect its employees’ sentiments and needs can develop an attuned workplace bursting with innovation and productivity.
As long as managers are part of the solution, they can avoid being the cause of the problems. What’s stopping you? Take the first step in driving performance and retention through employee engagement conversations by booking a call with us here.
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