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Why Employee Engagement Should Matter to Your Business

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Many of you know the history of TRAFFIX. We were founded in 1979 by Chuck Snow, at a time when the trucking industry was riddled with regulations, inefficiencies, and broken processes and procedures, hindering its success and growth in North America. Through placing customer service at the forefront of the business, TRAFFIX has been able to expand operations across Canada and the United States, and increase our offerings to meet the needs of our customers. As we approach our fortieth year in operation, however, we recognize that the success of TRAFFIX rests on the incredible team of individuals who are engaged in the work that they do and are passionate about the success of the company.
 
What is Employee Engagement?
 
A common misconception regarding employee engagement is that it has to solely do with an employee’s level of happiness at work. Although employee happiness is essential (no one wants to work with an unhappy person), it is not the primary building block of employee engagement. Employee engagement instead refers to the level in which an employee’s passions and goals align with that of the company’s.
 
Does your team find enjoyment and purpose in their work or do they appear to be disengaged and are only interested in putting in the required hours to earn a paycheck? A disengaged employee may find it difficult to provide value in their work, may not understand their role in the company, may only regard the job as a means to pay the bills, and count down the hours until the work day is over. An engaged employee, however, is passionate about what they do, has a clear and defined role that they can fulfill, feels a part of the team, and is excited to start new projects.
 
Interestingly and most importantly, engaged employees offer better customer service, which not only helps the company grow and succeed, but it fuels an employee’s passion and purpose for the work that they do. Engaged employees are also more willing to become brand advocates, input extra time if needed, and go the extra mile to help improve company culture and current processes and procedures.
 
How Do You Increase Employee Engagement?
 
Employee engagement, while always an area of business that leaders have focused on, is now becoming even more important to cultivate in 2018. It seems as if educational resources, designed to help business owners and management teams understand the areas in which they need to invest back into their team members, are published weekly. Employee engagement is unique to each team and individual, but when you work to address the needs of your employees, the entire team can benefit. A few ways in which businesses foster engagement within the workplace is;
 
Identify Their Passions: Business leaders have found that with the increase in the number of Millennials entering the workforce, more and more are passionate about helping others, both at work and outside of work. By providing opportunities for team members to contribute to a cause or volunteer for a charity, they will believe in the direction that the company is going and appreciate how the business is choosing to impact the world around them.
 
Allow for Employee Feedback: When was the last time you asked your employees to review the management team? So many times, businesses focus on evaluating their employees and the work that they do that they miss the opportunity to discuss and provide feedback for those in management. Direction and leadership come from the top and can impact the entire company, so it is essential that the messages that are relayed by the management team are in the best interest if the whole company.
 
Work/Life Blend: Work/ life balance is slowly being replaced by a new concept called work/life blend. People are finding that trying to balance the demands of work and life while keeping these areas separated from each other during specific hours of the day is impossible to do. Work/life blend questions the 9-5 workday and instead proposes that businesses understand that work and life cannot be separated; they should, alternatively, be integrated into each other without repercussions.
 
Promote Health and Wellness: Health and wellness should be at the center of your company culture, as not only does your team value their physical, emotional, and mental health; healthy employees are more engaged at work. At TRAFFIX we provide all employees with access to a GoodLife Fitness membership. Some companies have even begun to designate a part of the workday towards taking part in exercise and wellness activities. Not only does this create an opportunity for team members to connect with each other, but it helps employees remain mentally engaged throughout the day.
 
A business can only be successful if employees are passionate about the work that they do. Fostering employee engagement should therefore no longer be seen as a helpful business suggestion, but should be considered a requirement if a company is looking to succeed in 2018. From the beginning, we have invested in employee engagement every single day, and it is why we have been able to increase the TRAFFIX family and serve incredible customers across North America! How are you investing in your employees?