We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.

logo
  • Engineers & Specifiers
  • Contractors & Installers
  • Wholesalers & Distributors
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Subscription
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • PRODUCTS
    • Bath & Kitchen
    • Fire Protection
    • HVAC
    • Hydronics/Radiant
    • Plumbing
    • PVF
    • Tools
  • PROJECTS
    • Commercial
    • Green Building
    • MRO/Retrofit
    • Remodeling
    • Residential
  • HOW TO
    • Design
    • Fire Protection
    • Legal Matters
    • Management
  • BUSINESS
    • Buying Groups
    • Technology
    • Associations
  • CODES & STANDARDS
    • ANSI
    • ASHRAE
    • ASSE
    • Regulations
    • Green Building
    • IAPMO
    • ICC
    • NFPA
  • RESOURCES
    • Media Kit
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Classifieds
    • Digital Editions
    • Behind the Wall
    • Webinars
    • AHR Live 2023
  • PODCASTS
  • DIGITAL EDITIONS
Home » Is Low Employee Engagement Hurting Your Business?
Marketing Building Momentum

Is Low Employee Engagement Hurting Your Business?

You can’t create engagement from the top down; you have to get your employees’ input.

July 5, 2020
Heather Ripley
No Comments
phc07_ripley

How often do you think about employee engagement? If you’re anything like other home service business owners, commitment is probably right up there with great company culture as something you’d love just to happen.

But employee engagement and a great company culture are important for any business owner to work to create, not just mega-corporations. Your employees are the face, voice and hands of your company. How they speak about your business can help or hurt it.

When they’re at work, is your team just doing what it takes to draw a paycheck, or are they involved and invested in the health of the business? When your team is engaged and believes in the value of their work and mission, they create better solutions for you and your customers. They provide better customer service, which leads to improved customer loyalty and referrals. They even build your team through word-of-mouth technician referrals, an incredibly important factor in this tight labor market.

So, if you’re not taking time to make sure your workforce is engaged, you’re probably leaving money on the table. According to Forbes (https://bit.ly/3dilG4E), through a combination of absenteeism and lost productivity, a disengaged employee will cost you $3,400 for every $10,000 you pay them.

How do you increase employee engagement? What can you do to make things better? You can’t create engagement from the top down. You have to get your employees’ input, and one great way is with employee surveys. But you might need a third party to help craft and distribute an anonymous survey to your employees if you want to get honest, actionable feedback.

Why surveys?

It’s not rocket science — to create real employee engagement, employees have to be involved in the process. You need to find out why they’re disengaged, and anonymous surveys are the best way to get you the data you need.

Offering a survey is also the first step on the road to letting your employees feel heard and understood. The act of asking for feedback invites your team to be more engaged, showing them that you care about their feelings and opinions.

Crafting the survey can be tricky, though. You need to create questions that aren’t leading or biased to get actionable data. Having the review conducted by a third party will make it easier to ask the hard questions that will get at the heart of what’s going wrong. You should also include questions to see how well your employees know the company’s core values. 

Be sure to collect feedback on all your managers’ performance, the quality of employees’ training and communication and, of course, what could make things better.

To take personal feelings out of the equation, reach outside your organization for help writing the questions and distributing the survey to your employees for their anonymous feedback. A third party such as a home service specialist agency, for example, can take your input and craft surveys in unbiased, neutral language.

Make a change

Once you have the results of your survey, it’s time to create change. To ensure you’re creating engagement and not forcing what you think should be the solution, involve key leadership in the process, too.

Start by being transparent about the results. If you are open and honest about what’s going on in your company, your team will see you’re serious about change. 

This plan could be as simple as crafting a new mission and vision statement, or it could mean sweeping change for your company culture. Whatever changes need to happen, rest assured they will be worthwhile in the long run.

But your job isn’t done yet. Continue checking in to ensure these measures are increasing employee engagement. Some results will be apparent. You might see a more energized and productive workplace, for example.

But, to get real feedback on your progress, continued surveys are the way to go. Check in with your team with an anonymous survey every four to six months and use the results to course-correct if needed.

Being proactive about employee engagement through anonymous surveys is a substantial investment in your company’s future. It may be a difficult process. You may have to face some hard truths, but the process has the potential to transform your business for the better. Simply start by asking your employees for honest feedback — and act on that feedback. 

A home service specialist agency can help you gain better engagement, not just through surveys, but with employee materials such as handbooks, mission statements and more. Their deep expertise in your industry will ensure the surveys and materials they craft address your company’s unique needs.

Business Contractors & Installers Management Marketing
  • Related Articles

    Is Your Plumbing Business Ready for a Crisis?

    Workforce Engagement Study Suggests Prioritizing Employee Engagement Will Help Homebuilding Industry Fill the Talent Gap

    Rules of Engagement: Do You Know What Your Teams and Customers are Thinking?

  • Related Products

    Directory Listing - Premium

Ripley 220
Heather Ripley

Dear, Plumbing Diary

More from this author
You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular

  • Chicago Plumber’s Union Dyes Chicago River Green for St. Patrick’s Day 2023

  • Six Truths About New DOE 2023 HVAC Efficiency Standards

  • Everything You Wanted to Know About Orangeburg Pipe (But Were Afraid To Ask)

  • The Basis for Most Plumbing Codes

Featured Video

Caleffi video thumb

The Gold Standard: Separation with NO Compromise

Industry Events

  • 26Mar

    MCAA 2023 Annual Convention

    Phoenix, AZ
  • 29Mar

    2023 SFPE European Conference & Expo

    Berlin ,
  • 11Apr

    ASA ELEVATE2023

    Charleston, SC
More Events

Subscribe to our newsletters & stay updated

Subscribe & Learn More

  • Tw03 2023 cover
    Learn More
  • Pe03 2023 cover
    Learn More
  • Phc03 2023 cover
    Learn More
  • Es 2022
    Learn More
Subscribe

More from PHCP Pros

  • Editorial Team
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • About
  • Advertise

Follow Us

© 2023 All Rights Reserved

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development | ePublishing