Work Wonders
Back in late 2021, we decided that instead of chatting to each other about the challenges and triumphs of people management in small businesses, we should invite you to join the conversation. And the Work Wonders podcast was born! Managing people is serious business. We bring you all the latest, practical advice without the pain. The podcast is brought to you by Aster HR https://www.asterhr.com.au/ and your hosts are Angela Gauci and Susan Rochester
Work Wonders
The Science of Engagement - Understanding what truly drives employee engagement
Welcome back to the Work Wonders Podcast!
We are trying something new...in this season we will focus on engagement and retention and go into this topic in depth.
In today's episode, we're exploring a topic that's crucial for every organisation—employee engagement. We’ll unpack what it is, why it’s so important, and how you can foster it in your workplace.
We breaking this down into three main sections:
- defining employee engagement
- understanding its impact and
- exploring actionable strategies to boost it
You can find the show notes for this episode here
Would you like to submit a question to the show? Let us know on our website or via LinkedIn.
Brought to you by Aster HR, the Work Wonders Podcast is hosted by Angela Gauci & Susan Rochester and is recorded at Launch Pad at Western Sydney University.
All information or advice included in this podcast is general, has been developed as a starting point for your business, and should be tailored to your specific requirements. It should not be considered legal advice. We have made every attempt to ensure the accuracy and currency of this information at the time of recording. However, references to things like employment laws are subject to change. For specific advice relating to your business, please get in touch with us.
Welcome to the Work Wonders podcast brought to you by Asta HR, where we simplify the human side of business. I'm Angela.
Speaker 2:And I'm Susan. Let's dive into today's episode and find out what you've been wondering about.
Speaker 1:Today's episode is the first of the brand new Season 6, where we're going to be digging deeper into the topic of engagement and retention. So today, what we'll do is talk about why it's crucial for every organisation. We'll unpack exactly what we mean by those terms. We'll talk about why it's important to you and how you could foster that in your workplace.
Speaker 2:That's right. Whether you're a manager, an HR professional or you're just curious about workplace dynamics, this is the episode that's going to be packed with insights to help you understand and improve engagement with your team.
Speaker 1:So let's get started. This is the Work Wonders Podcast. Hi, Susan.
Speaker 2:Hi Angela. So Angela, yeah, what exactly are we talking about when we say employee engagement?
Speaker 1:Well, I think it's more than just being happy at work and being satisfied with your job and happy to go there. I think engagement is about being emotionally invested in the work that you're doing and, more than that, being motivated to contribute, see success happen in your team and in the work that you're doing and, more than that, being motivated to contribute, see success happen in your team and in the business. An engaged employee is going to feel a really strong connection with their company I think that's a really word that I would use and it drives them to perhaps go the extra mile.
Speaker 2:Yeah, when you're talking about that and being satisfied, you know satisfied is that sort of middle on the five point scale you know the smiley faces.
Speaker 1:that's what I'm picturing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly so engaged has got that big smiley face. So, gallup, you know, we know them, we've mentioned them before. They're a leader in workplace research. They define engaged employees as those who are involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace. So it goes beyond just showing up and doing the bare minimum and it's about having a deeper level in, and enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace.
Speaker 1:So it goes beyond just showing up and doing the bare minimum and it's about having a deeper level of commitment and passion.
Speaker 2:So there we start to think about the psychology of it all, which always interests me.
Speaker 1:When you start to think about a team put together, so it has to be rooted then in our basic human needs. So you know autonomy and wanting to have that control over our work and make our own decisions, being an adult being an adult yeah.
Speaker 1:Mastery about. You know that desire to do something that matters, or get better at something that matters, and understanding that as a skill and purpose. I think that's a really big one at the moment, that people want to feel like they're part of something that is achieving something better in the world or something bigger than them.
Speaker 2:So you're reminding me of things like Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Oh yeah, so remember, you know it's the basic needs of safety and security. And once they're met, we start working our way up the pyramid for the higher level fulfilment and what psychologists call self-actualisation. And that's where autonomy and competence feeling like you're doing a good job, but also feeling connected are real drivers of motivation. So engaged employees are probably those where their work aligns well with those needs.
Speaker 1:That's interesting. Yeah, all right. So let's clear up some common myths about employee engagement. One misconception that I've heard, susan, is that engagement is the same as job satisfaction, and, as we said, that's not. It Look, they're definitely related, but it's not the same thing. Job satisfaction is about that. I'm happy with my job, yep, it's close to home, it's good pay or whatever it is. But engagement is about that enthusiasm. I'm motivated to do my job. I want to do a good job. It's part of my identity.
Speaker 2:And look how great I am at it, or look what we're doing as a team, how we're affecting change. Yeah, exactly, so that's much more than job satisfaction, as we've said. Another myth and this is one of my favourites is that things like having free snacks or fancy offices are the key to engagement.
Speaker 1:Yep foosball tables, all that, yeah, exactly.
Speaker 2:So, while those things can certainly contribute to a positive work environment, they're not going to create lasting engagement. I'm just thinking if you're not happy in your job, you're not going to stick around because you can get breakfast at work, no, but have the opposite event. So true engagement comes from feeling valued, having opportunities for growth and being part of something bigger. Yeah, I'd agree with that.
Speaker 1:So, look, it's a bit of a buzzword engagement, isn't it? But it has real, tangible benefits for a business. They're more productive, these sorts of employees, they get more done. Like we said, there's that direct link between what they're interested in doing and that motivation towards seeing success for the business, so it's going to impact your bottom line. We want that and, as you said before, according to Gallup, companies with highly engaged teams their stats there show that 21% have greater profitability.
Speaker 2:So it doesn't stop there, though. It's not just being more profitable. So it doesn't stop there, though. It's not just being more profitable. Engaged employees are going to contribute to lower turnover rates, so they're going to stick around longer if they're feeling connected to their work and to their company and that's where we start talking about retention, because they're less likely to leave. And, again, that probably will contribute to you being more profitable, because it's going to reduce the costs that are normally associated with hiring and training new staff.
Speaker 1:That always costs more to have to hire someone rather than just keep the ones you already have. So that's where engagement and retention really go hand in hand.
Speaker 2:So we've talked about the benefits for a business. What's the benefit for the employee?
Speaker 1:Well, look, I think an engaged employee is going to obviously still be happier in their job, but they're going to probably have much better mental health. So if you're engaged in your job, you're more likely to feel fulfilled and less likely to be sort of erring more towards burnout or something awful like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, good point of erring more towards burnout or something awful like that. Yeah, good point. There's also a strong link between engagement and career development. So if employees are engaged, they're likely to seek out and take advantage of opportunities for growth. Obviously there's benefits to that to an organisation, but it also benefits the employee's personal professional development and is going to contribute to a much more dynamic and innovative workplace if people are looking for opportunities and making the most of them.
Speaker 1:Well, it's one thing us saying it here and I know that we're saying the truth, Susan but let's look at a real world example. Let's show you that. So we've looked up a few. Let's take Google, for instance. They're consistently ranked high in engagement surveys of how much their employees are engaged. They focus on creating a supportive and inclusive culture. They offer professional development, meaningful work. Obviously, people are aligned to much more than just the search bar on Google, but what they're actually trying to achieve and it's paid off for them, both in terms of their satisfaction amongst their employees, but also the success of their business.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I remember reading that Google never actually has to recruit. You know, there's always people wanting to join, of course, and if you're sitting, you know where we are. A long distance from Google. You can look at their offices online and think, oh, this is fabulous, I'd like to work there. You know there's so many perks and things like that, but isn't it interesting that it's probably more the fact that people feel engaged in the actual work that they're doing?
Speaker 1:than all those perks. Yeah, they are certainly innovative, they're definitely doing a lot of things and they're not scared to try that. You know, I think the little sleep pods and things like that.
Speaker 2:I know a lot of their innovations, too, come from allowing people to have time to devote to that, so that's sort of built into their schedules, yeah.
Speaker 1:Did you know that we have lots of free resources available to you on our website, things like templates that you could download, or a checklist for a process or even recordings of our previous workshops? If you're looking for help in a particular area or just some inspiration, check out the resources page on our website. Asthrcomau. And now it's back to the episode website astahrcomau. And now it's back to the episode. Okay, so, susan, do you think that culture then starts to come into the conversation as well?
Speaker 2:and having a good work culture. Well, obviously, I do Tell us a bit more about what you think, though, angela.
Speaker 1:Well, I think, a culture where employees feel valued and respected for their opinion, they're recognised for what they're contributing to the team. I think that obviously goes hand in hand with engagement as well. So it's about, you know, creating that safe place, that safe environment for people to be able to share their ideas and take risks but be themselves. You know. Dare I say, oh, be themselves, yeah that's a good one.
Speaker 2:Organisations, whether they're big or small, can do things to celebrate people's achievements and implement recognition programs if that fits with what you're trying to achieve in your business. There might be things that you do in terms of regular team-building activities and having open communication channels that will contribute to people feeling like they belong there. Another thing that's probably not so obvious is being transparent about your decision-making, okay, and so employees having a chance to have a say you know, have some input into what happens around their work and their work environment and, of course, the thing that we've spoken about in previous episodes, the whole psychosocial safety.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and look, that can be a scary idea, can't it? You know, letting a person not only have a voice about what they're doing, but also be influencing which way it might go. That can be scary to some business owners, I'm sure, or leaders but, we will unpack that more in terms of how that could work and what benefit it would have for you.
Speaker 2:So we can't really talk about culture without talking about leadership.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, you're right, leadership plays a really crucial role. They're going to be the drivers of all these things the culture and, ultimately, the engagement. So leaders who look empathetic, supportive and obviously, as you said, communicate really well amongst their teams, they're going to have a much more engagement amongst their team members, but also leading by example. I think if they're the owners of the vision, they're talking about the vision, they're sharing that and directing people in the way in which to go and also working in this same way, people will follow that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that comes back to what you said before about people want to know that there's a purpose to their work. We'll take another episode to unpack the whole role of leadership and different types of leadership styles as part of this season. But really transformational leaders are what we're talking about here and they're those that are going to inspire and motivate their teams, because they can show them the bigger picture.
Speaker 1:All right, susan. So we've talked really well about what it is, I believe, but let's get into. I hope it's helpful for you too, listeners. But let's also think about now some really practical tips, so you know, we know what it is, but how can we actually do that?
Speaker 1:Well, I'll start you off with one. How's that? I think one effective strategy is to provide feedback. I think one effective strategy is to provide feedback, so employees want to know how they're doing and how they can improve. I think nobody we've said it before nobody goes to work to do a terrible job. So constructive feedback, but also recognition when a job's well done, can significantly boost someone's engagement.
Speaker 2:It sure can. And another tip that's related to that is to offer opportunities for professional development. So that could be through training programs or mentorships or offering new challenges, and all of those things are going to help employees to grow and advance in their careers and it's really a powerful way to keep them engaged. If they think you care enough about them and their careers to offer those opportunities, it's pretty clear they're going to feel more engaged.
Speaker 1:It's a win-win yeah.
Speaker 2:And another one. You know that's come up, even more so since COVID. We're always talking about this. I hear that deep breath. Yeah, that's right, it's flexibility.
Speaker 1:Yeah is flexibility.
Speaker 2:So things like offering remote work options or flexible hours they're really important in today's workplace and, again, this is something else we're going to cover in this season.
Speaker 1:Yeah, look, you're right. We did unpack quite a bit there in terms of what engagement is, but we're going to take the rest of this season to really unpack that in more detail for you. So, as you said, susan, we're going to take the rest of this season to really unpack that in more detail for you. So, as you said, susan, we're going to talk a lot more about leadership and their role in retention. Let's unpack that. We'll talk about culture some more as well. You touched on it there. Hybrid and remote work, that sort of flexible piece Supporting employee wellbeing as well. We touched on that just before, so we'll unpack that as well. You also mentioned career growth and development, so we'll touch on that in one specific episode as well. Dei, diversity, equity and inclusion I think that's an important part of the piece, so we'll spend an episode to look on that as well, and then we'll finish up. Let's talk about how technology can help with this sort of process as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, help or hinder, yeah. So that'll be interesting and, of course, we'll be bringing you interesting guests, yes, who can tell us how they've instituted better engagement and retention in their businesses.
Speaker 1:So stick around. It's going to be a great season. We hope that it's a helpful way to to be a great season. We hope that it's a helpful way to present this information to you. We hope you get a lot out of it.
Speaker 2:And we'd like to encourage you to reflect on your own engagement levels and think about how you can influence engagement in your workplace. You don't have to be a leader. It could be just starting out, but there's probably things that you can do that would make a difference.
Speaker 1:We really do believe it's going to make a difference for any business, no matter the size. We'll make sure to put notes on our blog from everything we've talked about today, so check that if you want the show notes. So make sure you join in next time. We'd love to continue the conversation. Thanks for listening to the Work Wonders podcast brought to you by Asta HR. Hit the subscribe button now to never miss an episode, and if you'd like to continue the conversation with us, you can find us over at astahrcomau. See you in the next episode.
