Image for spinner
 
 

Employee Engagement Benefits


There's more to a strong corporate employee volunteer program than strengthening the community where you do business and supporting local nonprofits. Here are a few more benefits you may not have considered:
 

 

1. Increased employee safety.

 
A quick definition of employee engagement, so we're all on the same page:
Employee engagement is the the strength of the mental and emotional connection employees feel toward their place of work.
Because engaged employees are more connected to their workplaces, they’re more aware of their surroundings. Research has shown that 70% fewer safety incidents occur in highly engaged workplaces. Instead of worrying about whether there's room for advancement or whether their boss likes them, engaged employees can focus on the task at hand.
 
 

2. Better employee health.

 
Employees over the age of 55 who volunteer 100 hours a year or more are known to:
 
  • Live longer
  • Be less likely to suffer from chronic disease
  • Require less frequent trips to the hospital
  • Have lower blood pressure
  • Have reduced stress
Not to mention that employees who give back are known to also be in better moods, to have a deeper sense of purpose in life, and to even smile more!
 
 

3. Happier employees.

 
Highly engaged organizations don’t have to resort to mechanisms like peer pressure, termination, or other high-stress behaviors to motivate employees. Instead, these organizations use practices like employee recognition, one-on-one meetings, and 360 feedback to drive performance and increase happiness.
 
Happy employees save their employer's money. The American Psychological Association estimates that more than $500 billion is lost every year due to workplace stress.
 
 

4. Greater employee satisfaction.

 
Employee satisfaction is different than employee engagement. Employee satisfaction measures a minimum level, while engagement tries to get everyone to achieve greater. However, this difference doesn't mean employee satisfaction shouldn't be a goal.
 
Thirteen percent of Americans are somewhat dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with their current job. And you can bet that wouldn’t be the case if those employees were engaged.
 
 

5. Better home life.

 
Engaged employees have happier home lives, according to a Kansas State study. Satoris Culbertson, one of the researchers on this study states:
 
“[…] individuals who were engaged in positive experiences at work and who shared those experiences with significant others perceived themselves as better able to deal with issues at home, became better companions, and became more effective overall in the home environment.”
 
In other words, engaged employees are beneficial to more than just your workplace; they are beneficial to their families, too. They don't complain about their job to a significant other, have the energy to play with the kids after work, and generally contribute to a positive home atmosphere.
 
 

6. Lower absenteeism.

 
Engaged employees are invested in their job and care about the success of their team. It makes sense, then, that they would show up to work. Engaged employees are firmly committed to their organization's mission, and they're going to arrive every day with the intention to make sure it gets done. In fact, highly engaged workplaces saw 41% lower absenteeism.
 
 

7. Higher retention.

 
When employees can’t utilize their strengths, don’t feel challenged, or don’t enjoy their work (all hallmarks of low engagement), they’re more likely to leave their current employer. Engaged employees, on the other hand, don't have a reason to look elsewhere for work. 
 
 
 

8. Greater employee loyalty.

 
As younger generations enter the workforce, the definition of employee loyalty is changing. 46% of employees would accept another job offer if the opportunity arose.
Just because an employee isn't looking for a new job doesn't mean they won't leave you if something better comes along. But, when employees are engaged, they stick around.
 
Employees don't leave when they care about the success of the organization and are appropriately challenged by their work.
 
 

9. Better customer service.

 
Despite the ever-increasing tech- and self-service shopping experiences, customer service is more important than ever. When employees are engaged, customers are more likely to be well-served. Engaged employees care deeply about their jobs, and thus, the customers. And that’s good news for your business: 7 out of 10 consumers will spend 13% more money with a company that provides an excellent customer experience.
 
 

10. Better quality.

 
Follow the advice of In Search of Excellence author Tom Peters:
"Techniques don't produce quality products and services, people do. People who care, people who are treated as creatively contributing individuals."
Engaged employees are functioning on all cylinders, which means they’re less likely to make mistakes and more likely to achieve excellence. In a recent study, highly engaged organizations saw 40% fewer quality defects. 
 
 

11. Greater productivity.

 
Employers are trying all sorts of wacky things to increase employee productivity—from wearable activity devices to a jungle of office plants. But they're missing the solution that is staring them right in the face: employee engagement.
 
Research shows that engaged employees are 17% more productive than their peers. Engaged employees are more likely to work diligently and expend discretionary effort in their jobs, supercharging productivity and innovation.
 
 

12. Develop internal leadership and break silos.

 
Volunteer engagement is the perfect avenue to break silos and allow team members to practice and develop leadership skills in practical no-pressure situations. Today, businesses need innovation to stay agile and successful—but to increase innovation, managers need to act as coaches. Volunteering can help create the kind of culture that encourages leadership and support year-round.
 
 

13. Higher sales and profitability.

 
Better customer service + better productivity + better quality? You guessed it: better sales. Highly engaged organizations see an average of 20% higher sales than their disengaged counterparts. Recent research suggests that the same manager behaviors that drive engagement also simultaneously drive business results.
 
The latest research also shows that highly engaged organizations have 21% higher profitability than their peers. When your organization has periods of high profitability, make sure to reinvest in employee engagement tech and activities. This will preserve the profitability growth and keep you on a steady, upward trajectory.
 
 

14. Higher stock price.

 
You may know this concept as the Engagement-Profit Chain: basically, that the discretionary effort of engaged employees starts a series of events that chain reaction.
 
"Engaged Employees lead to…
   higher service, quality, and productivity, which leads to…
       higher customer satisfaction, which leads to…
           increased sales [...], which leads to…
               higher levels of profit, which leads to…
                   higher shareholder returns (i.e., stock price)."
 
Take it from Campbell’s Soup CEO Doug Conant: “To win in the marketplace…you must first win in the workplace. I’m obsessed with keeping employee engagement front and center.” - Doug Conant, Campell's Soup CEO
 
From 1999 to 2009, a decade that saw the S&P 500 stocks lose 10 percent of their value, Campbell’s Soup stock increased by 30%.
 
 
 

 
 
 

Ready to bring the benefits of employee engagement to your business? 

 
Click here to start a conversation with the Volunteer New York! Corporate Engagement Team or call 914-227-9317.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Common Messages