How can I increase employee engagement? This seems to be the problem that every organization is trying solve. Just to give you an idea of how serious the issue is, Gallup surveyed 350,000 people over three years and found that 70% of employees across the US are disengaged. This means that the majority of workers are not reaching their full potential and US companies are collectively missing out on profits of $450-550 billion annually.
The U.S. Department of Labour has found that the high-level of employee disengagement corresponds to an average turnover rate of 24%. So of the next four employees you invest in, one will leave in the next 4-6 months. To give you a little perspective on how related employee engagement is to the bottom line, check out the graph below:
As you can see, this year-long study found that high employee engagement corresponded directly to growth in income—by as much as 13.7%! The study also found that productivity per person, and hence engagement, can be increased by focusing on the following engagement-related activities:
- Per-person productivity = Talent x (Relationship + Correct Expectations + Recognition/Reward)
Let’s take a look at how your LMS can contribute to each of the aforementioned engagement factors—talent, relationship, expectations and rewards/recognition.
Talent
Productivity per person, as shown by the equation above, is multiplied depending the talent and competencies of an employee. While talent and competencies can be built and learnt, it is very important to match individual competencies with the competencies required for particular positions. With a the Totara Learning Management System, it is now easier than ever to organize competencies to specific positions, to identify gaps in competencies, and to create learning plans so that competency gaps are filled.
Relationship
Do you feel like your employer cares about your professional development and growth? This is an important question to ask employees in order understand how they view their relationship with their employer. Your talent wants to know that they are not just an employee number, but a vehicle of great potential that if developed properly, will help your organization come out on top. To manage this relationship, ensure that you are providing learning and development opportunities for your talent. Online continued education courses are a great place to start!
Expectations
It is very important to clarify expectations from the get go. This process begins right from the initial job posting through to the end of on-boarding. Managing expectations will of course take place over the duration of the employees lifetime at your organization; but it is important that expectations are clearly defined in the initial stages so that employees begin to form positive associations with the organization immediately. One way an LMS supports the continued clarification of expectations is in the platforms ability to assign and manage duties with measurable targets. This way, both the manager and the employee are continually kept up to date with progress.
Recognition/Rewards
People often tend to underestimate how well praise and recognition remarks go. With an LMS there are few ways to provide employees with recognition and rewards. One way is through digital badges and the other is through simple certificates of accomplishment—both of which are easy to administer and reward through an LMS!
For more information on keeping employees motivated in online learning, check out our webinar on Improving Employee Engagement and Performance:
