Is employee engagement a priority at your organization? Are youable to tell if your employees are actively engaged in their workor if they are simply going through the motions, all the whilekeeping an eye on the clock until it's time to go home?

On the surface, it can be difficult to gauge an employee's levelof engagement. In fact, according to a 2009 Salary.com survey,employers overestimate the degree of extremely satisfied employeesnearly two to one. Often companies do not delve deeper to explorehow increasing employee engagement can impact the bottom line.

As the economy turns and business begins to pick up, your claimdepartment is going to be taking on more projects and supportingheavier workloads. A team's level of success will likely becontingent on employees' commitment and dedication to the company.What will you do if your top claim professionals leave yourorganization for a company that is also seeing an uptick inbusiness? Productivity will be sacrificed, as a search forreplacement talent ensues. As new opportunities become available toemployees, managers' mindsets that employees are "lucky to justhave a job" in the current economy will result in a workforce thatis quick to jump ship. Take a step back and consider the programsthat may have been cut in the past year at your organization. It isoften the case that morale and development programs are the firstto go during cutbacks. It is important to rebuild these programsand to develop a staff that is truly committed to your organizationand its work.

Engagement means more than having employees who work overtime orwho take on extra projects. An engaged staff understands yourorganization's goals, can clearly communicate their roles inachieving those goals, and can discuss how they impact the overallsuccess of your organization. Furthermore, engaged employees have avisible commitment to that success. Generally, companies withengaged employees have more satisfied customers, generate higherrevenue, and are more efficient.

Finding and capitalizing on the connection between employees andyour organization is the key to drawing that extra effort. Byincreasing employee engagement, your company can raise eachindividual's performance and therefore the company'sperformance.

The Benefits of an Engaged Staff

You may think that as long as your employees complete their workon time and at the desired standard achieving greater employeeengagement will not have a significant impact on your organization.Keep in mind that there are several other benefits to having amotivated staff in addition to work output. Engaged employees:

• Are more likely to recommend and speak highly of your organizationto other individuals.
• Take fewer sick days than unengaged employees.
• Are more likely to stay with your organization.
• Have a better attitude toward their work than otherindividuals.

One of the leading indicators of employee engagement is jobsatisfaction. Understandably, satisfied employees are more engagedin their work. There are several components of jobsatisfaction:

Trust. Do your employees trust the company'sexecutive management? Are they confident that the company will dothe right thing for customers, shareholders, and employees?

Manager relationship. Managers are theemployees' closest link to the overall leadership of the company.They routinely serve as a liaison between the corporation and theemployees, thus making this one of the most important factors injob satisfaction.

Understanding how work impacts overall companygoals. If employees feel that the work they do is notrelevant to the overall organization's success, then they may feelunvalued. Communicate with your employees as to how their specificpositions and projects roll up into the overall goals and successesof the company.

Growth and development opportunities. Employeesshould feel they are working toward a goal and believe they havethe ability to grow within the organization, whether it is avertical or lateral move. This increases the value of the skills,training, and experience they are gaining. Furthermore, theopportunity to develop skills and work on new projects preventsemployees from becoming bored and stagnant in positions.

Company pride. To be fully engaged andsatisfied in their roles, employees must take pride in the company,its management, and the products and/or services offered.

Coworker relationships. These connections atwork greatly affect job satisfaction. Company events and workenvironments that are conducive to teambuilding yield higher levelsof employee engagement.

The need for employee engagement starts when an employee is apotential candidate and continues through his or her tenure withthe company.

Interviewing for Engagement

During the hiring process, determine the candidate's skill,will, and fit. Does the prospect not only possess the skillsnecessary to perform the job but also the will to do what needs tobe done? Does he or she fit into the culture of your organization?Take care to bring on employees who are a fit for yourorganization's culture and who will thrive in your workenvironment. If an employee's overall work style and desiredcompany culture does not match your organization, then it is likelythe relationship will fail. Listen to how the employee answers yourquestions about past work situations. Has the employee been engagedin past roles that were similar in nature? Identify candidates whoexhibit traits that will likely lead to engagement in yourorganization.

When interviewing for corporate fit, the behavioral interview isan excellent technique. You may want to ask questions such as thefollowing:

• Would you tell me about a time you were overwhelmed because ofconflicting deadlines? How did you respond? What was theoutcome?
• We often have to choose between what is right and what is bestfor the company. Give at least two examples of situations in whichyou faced this dilemma. How did you handle them?

These should solicit responses that describe a situation, thecandidate's thought process and actions taken, and the end result.Answers to behavioral interview questions also indicate how thecandidate would act in a similar future situation. Remember to"hire tough" in order to "manage easy."

A tremendous amount of effort goes into the selection process.However, the work does not end with that. Following the hiringprocess, employees should undergo a comprehensive orientationprogram. This could be a corporate program or it may beposition/department-specific and may include formal training aboutthe organization's mission, values and history; meetings with otherdepartments; a team lunch during the first week; and/or a series oftrainings on company-specific processes. The new employee needs tobe "sold" again during this orientation process, and he or sheshould clearly understand what is expected in the role, along withopportunities available to him or her.

This will help set the stage for employee engagement from thevery beginning of the employer/employee relationship.

Maintaining Engagement

Employee engagement is an ongoing process, even with the bestemployees. It is your organization's responsibility to continue todevelop employees' skills and grow their dedication to thecompany.

There are several programs you can employ to increase engagementin your organization. Mentorship programs assist less experiencedemployees by partnering them with individuals who are provenleaders within the company. Mentor/mentee relationships are lessformal than a manager/employee relationship since the evaluationcomponent is removed. Mentees are able to ask questions aboutmoving forward in their own careers and gain advice from veteranswho have been in the business for a much longer amount of time.

Career Development, Surveys, and MoralePrograms

It is easy for companies to state that they value careerdevelopment. Prove this to your employees with actual careerdevelopment programs and a noticeable commitment to theirprofessional growth. This may mean posting industry articles andresources on the intranet and offering lunch and learn programs, oreven creating formal development programs where employees set goalsand work with their managers to attain those goals.

To tailor engagement strategies to your specific organization,consider administering a survey to your current employees askingfor suggestions to improve employee morale and professionalengagement. The survey should be anonymous and encourage employeesto share their thoughts and feedback about employee developmentprograms, room for job growth, and feelings about upper management.This will not only give employees a voice, but it will also providecandid insight as to the staff's level of satisfaction.

Offer employees a way to be heard by upper management. Form acommittee dedicated to listening to employee requests and toidentifying room for improvement in company morale and jobsatisfaction initiatives. This committee may be charged withorganizing after-work happy hours and sports teams, acknowledgingbirthdays and company anniversaries, or developing reward programsto keep employees motivated. This committee can also serving as acollective company voice when sharing ideas and information withexecutive management.

Employee engagement is one of the most important initiatives inwhich your organization can invest. Gain an accurate view of whereyour employees stand with the company and how you can motivatethem, address their concerns, and increase company loyalty. Anengaged workforce is one of the most effective ways to move yourorganization forward and impact the bottom line.