Engaging in Life

Next week I will be giving a presentation on employee and life engagement. Some of the statistics that I learned gave me cause to pause:

• Currently, only 30% of the U.S. workforce is engaged in their work, and the ratio of actively disengaged to engaged employees is roughly 2-to-1, meaning that the vast majority of U.S. workers (70%) are not reaching their full potential — a problem that has significant implications for the economy and the individual performance of American companies. 
• Only 22% of U.S. employees are engaged and thriving. When employees are engaged and thriving in their overall lives, they are more likely to maintain strong work performance — even during difficult times.
• The top 25% of teams — the best managed — versus the bottom 25% in the workplace — the worst managed — have nearly 50% fewer accidents and have 41% fewer quality defects. What’s more, teams in the top 25% incur far less in healthcare costs.
• Work units in the top 25% have significantly higher productivity, profitability, and customer ratings, less turnover and absenteeism and than those in the bottom 25%. 
• Organizations with an average of 9.3 engaged employees for every actively disengaged employee in 2010-11 experienced 147% higher earnings per share compared with their competition in 2011-2012.
• Employees who are thriving in overall wellbeing have 41% lower health-related costs compared with employees who are struggling and 62% lower costs compared with employees who are suffering. Currently in the U.S., slightly more than half (58%) of employees in the U.S. workforce are thriving. 

The above statistics were taken from the Gallup organization’s annual survey that has been completed by 25 million employees. It is staggering to think that many people are so disengaged in life and work.

On the other end of the continuum are people who love their job and are 110% engaged. When I encounter people like that I want to support them. My physical exercise trainer is one of those. She left her position with an established organization to start her own personal training business several months ago. She is very busy with lots of clients, but still accepting new ones. She loves what she does and it shows.

My gift for today was referring a friend her. It is heartwarming to know people who are engaged in life and let the rest of us know how it is done.

In Giving,

Robin