How to develop highly engaged teams?

Gallup found that in 2019, the percentage of "engaged" workers in the U.S. -  those who are highly involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace - reached 35%. This is a new high since Gallup began tracking this in 2000. The percentage of workers who are "actively disengaged" - those who have miserable work experiences and spread their unhappiness to their colleagues - tied its lowest level (13%). These findings are based on a random sample of 4,700 full- and part-time U.S. employees working for an employer between January to August 2019.

What interests us is the impact of highly engaged employees

In short, team members with higher levels of engagement:

• produce substantially better outcomes
• treat customers better
• are more likely to remain with their organization than those who are less engaged
• They are also healthier and less likely to experience burnout.

More important to know - how to do so that the number of highly engaged employees raises that much as it did in the US?  Gallup identified four themes.

• No1:  Purpose is well defined, everyone understands it and it starts with the CEO and board of directors
  Top executives initiate the effort. They know that their attitudes, beliefs and behaviors have a powerful cascading effect on their organization's culture. Leaders of great workplaces don't just talk about what they want to see in the management ranks -- they live it.
• No. 2:  Move from a culture of "boss" to "coach."
  The best organizations have leaders who encourage their teams to solve problems at the local level rather than using top-down commands. All training is strengths-based and uses the potential of the people. Managers learn how to identify the strengths of team members and how to use and build strengths to achieve better outcomes.
• No. 3:  Practice companywide communication.
  The best organizations have exceptional CHROs who build systems that teach managers how to develop employees in line with their innate tendencies. These organizations have a designated "champions network" that communicates, collects best practices and answers questions.
• No. 4:  Not everyone should be a manager
  Tolerance of mediocrity does not exist in the best organizations. They define high team performance based on a combination of metrics such as productivity, retention rates, customer service and employee engagement. It is clear to those managers that their job is to engage their teams. The best companies have consequences for ongoing patterns of team disengagement - most importantly, changing managers. The best organizations believe that not everyone should be a manager, and they create high-value career paths for individual contributor roles. No one should feel like their progress depends on being promoted to manager.

What moves us at TheMove?

What would the world look like if organizations could double the percentage of engaged workers?