Sustainability and Employee Engagement

Will you stay or will you go?.... You just received a call from a recruiter representing a company across town for your same job that pays 22% more and is closer to home.  You have met the owners at industry events and they have complimented your work as the VP of Marketing. They are hoping for an answer after the weekend.

The answer to the question may ride on whether you find meaning in the work you do.  It doesn’t have to be savings lives everyday but a connection between what you think is important and your company.  According to Talent Edge 2020, a survey series conducted for Deloitte Consulting LLP by Forbes Insights, meaningful work holds more importance for an employee than any other retention initiative being adopted by their respective companies. 

The idea of employee engagement has traditionally been defined in language of Economics as “the willingness to invest discretionary effort on the job”.  But now the stakes are higher with companies who want to keep the best performers and the successful and sustainable companies look to satisfy the work-life balance involving the physical, psychological and community. 

A recently released research from the Towers Watson 2012 Global Workforce Study, “found that companies with low engagement scores had an average operating margin just under 10 percent….Companies with the highest "sustainable engagement" scores had an average one-year operating margin of 27 percent”.  That’s a huge difference and the linkage to sustainability is relatively clear and pays big dividends. 

 

Julie Urlaub, Founder of Taiga Company a sustainability & media consultancy, further expands the connection saying “Today’s companies and entrepreneurs are presented with the unique opportunity to increase profitability through greater eco awareness and the pursuit of a more sustainable business. To gain and maintain a competitive advantage over the competition, sustainable business leaders are making meaningful work a top priority. Top qualities of a sustainable business leader pave the way for aligning company visions and strategies through shared values with employees. Considering the community, stakeholders, and specifically, employee engagement are all part of a sustainable business culture.”

Taking the idea several steps higher, Daniel Pink in his book “A Whole New Mind – moving from the information age to the conceptual age” wraps up his thesis with the sixth and final “sense” as Meaning. He maintains, with strong supporting evidence that we are hardwired with an urge to satisfy our souls on a deeper level.  While that might sound a bit much.  Given the choice, who wouldn’t want to work with a company that not only pays well but actually is actively involved in making a difference in the world?  

The source is reputable, and is known for business articles. It is current as well.