Workforce Productivity: Uplifting the Employee Experience (pt .2)

In the previous article regarding workforce productivity, we looked at the data suggesting that productivity is near record low levels in the U.S. and how organizations struggle to define and measure productivity. In this next part, we’ll take a closer look at employee engagement and how it can help foster a work environment that creates more productive employees.

Future of Work expert Connie Steele feels engaging employees is the way to navigate these challenging times. “I think, when talking about productivity, the conversation has to start with employee engagement. Engagement is what’s going to drive productivity, not how many new technologies or widgets you bring in,” said Steele.

Employee engagement can be defined as the level of enthusiasm and dedication a worker feels toward their job. Engaged employees care about their work and the performance of the company and feel that their efforts make a difference.

SSON Research & Analytics data suggests shared services are attempting to engage their employees more by establishing a strong employee experience. According to SSON R&A data, 60% of survey respondents said improving their employee experience is a top priority for 2023.

A strong employee experience can create higher employee engagement and productivity in a number of ways, including: 

Purpose and meaning: Employees who feel like their work has a purpose and meaning are more likely to be engaged. This means providing them with opportunities to contribute to something larger than themselves, and helping them understand how their work fits into the overall goals of the organization.

Challenge and growth: Employees who are challenged and given opportunities to grow are more likely to be engaged. This means providing them with challenging work, opportunities for learning and development, and a supportive environment where they can take risks and try new things.

Connection and belonging: Employees who feel connected to their colleagues and feel like they belong to the organization are more likely to be engaged. This means creating a culture of trust and respect, and providing opportunities for employees to connect with each other both inside and outside of work.

Well-being and support: Employees who feel physically and mentally well, and who have the support they need to succeed, are more likely to be engaged. This means providing them with a safe and healthy work environment, offering flexible work arrangements, and providing access to resources that can help them manage their work-life balance.

Fairness and transparency: Employees who feel like they are treated fairly and have a voice in the workplace are more likely to be engaged. This means creating a culture of open communication, where employees feel like their opinions are valued and have a say in how things are done. 

Employee engagement is also important to helping organizations handle burnout, an issue that is becoming increasingly prevalent and is correlated to low productivity metrics.

According to Gallup’s “State of the Global Workforce 2023 Report”, 59% of respondents said they have been quiet quitting (not engaged) at work due to stress and burnout. The same report found that employees who were engaged the most at work were experiencing the lowest levels of stress and burnout, thus indicating that businesses need to look closer at how they are engaging employees and what they can improve upon.

Although the data suggests organizations are striving to change their employee experience with the hopes of engaging their employees more, Steele feels the current corporate structure makes it difficult to engage employees in a way that turns this downturn in workforce productivity around. 

“Right now we are going through a major cultural shift, and organizations are just not set up to face it,” said Steele. “Business has been a factory line. It’s easier to have a command-and-control structure rather than going back and forth to try and understand people.”

In order to overcome this outdated corporate ideology, businesses need leaders who are willing to engage, inspire and motivate their teams instead of just managing them. With engaged managers organizations can better determine how their employees want to be interacted with and the type of support they need to drive productivity.

Additionally, businesses need technology that uplift the employee experience by reducing mundane tasks and allowing employees to focus on the work that is value-adding. In the next part of this series on productivity, we’ll look at the technologies boosting productivity and the role shared services can play in implementing them and improving productivity.

Organizations don’t have to take on engaging employees on their own. SSON Digital offers plenty of resources in the form of articles, podcasts and more, that offer strategies to help leaders engage their employees. Some of these resources include: 

• Putting People First in an Organization’s Culture
• Managing for the Future of Work: Human-Centered Management & The Employee Experience
• Do You Want to Be an Employer of Choice? 
• The Importance of Delivering a Great Employee Experience