The AON Best Employers Study results are out. The study looks at leadership in top performing companies.
And the results are interesting, but also a bit bit depressing.
They’re interesting because they show the positive impact that engagement has on the bottom line.
Organisations that receive Best Employer status have six times greater sales growth and four times greater operating profit than other companies…”
They’re depressing because we know this stuff. We “know” what makes for an engaged workforce. Read the excerpt below and you’ll see none of it is unexpected, or even new. And whilst the best employers certainly do know it, and live it. There are a whole heap of organisations who just don’t.
Engaging Leaders Drive Results in Top – Performing Organisations
Excerpt taken from HR Daily:
Employers that achieve Aon Best Employer status have twice as many “highly engaged” employees than other organisations, according to new research.
This year’s Aon Best Employers study of more than 80,500 employees and 123 organisations found Best Employers excel in effective leadership and employee engagement, create compelling employer brands, and promote high-performance cultures.
Some 80 per cent of employees at these organisations are engaged, compared to 60 per cent at other organisations, while 41 per cent are “highly engaged”, compared to just 18 per cent elsewhere, the research shows.
It also shows just how crucial senior managers’ behaviour is in generating engagement.
Employees at Best Employers agree that senior leaders communicate openly and honestly (79% compared to 54% at other companies), treat them as the organisation’s most valued asset (77% compared to 48%), and are visible and accessible (80% compared to 56%).
Further, 80 per cent of employees in Best Employer companies agree that their managers set them clear expectations and goals, compared with 66 per cent at other organisations.
Senior leaders at top-performing organisations are also better at communicating to employees the reasons for organisational change (94% compared to 71% elsewhere).
The research shows 74 per cent of employees at top organisations agree that strong performers have “excellent career opportunities”, compared to 46 per cent at other employers, and 72 per cent of employees believe their organisations attract the talent needed to achieve business goals, compared to 48 per cent.
What does this mean?
Let’s be honest, none of this is rocket science.
What sets aside the Best Employers from the others is not only the knowledge that engagement has on the bottom line but the desire to implement it consistently.
Best Employer’s don’t do fads or take an ad hoc approach to engagement. They systematically work through understanding the levers of engagement and then find solutions that meet their business needs in a way that can be implemented simply and throughout the organisation.
The very good news is that any organisation or part of an organisation can do this.
Look at what makes for the Best Employers and it can be distilled down to one word: leadership. And any person can start to build their leadership skills, without waiting for HR to implement fancy schemes.
So, we know what works, now just to do put it into practice.
Want More?
If you would like to discuss how I could help you look at your leadership, get in touch.
And if you’re still hungry for more on being a great leader of teams you can find my leadership book here and click here for more resources on the characteristics of a great leader.
Until next week, happy leading.
