What Engages Employees the Most or, the Ten C's of Employee Engagement

An engaged employee is a person who is fully employed in, and enthusiastic about their work. The authors of this article believe that executives must be concerned about the current level of engagement in the workplace. The Employment Engagement Index published by the Gallup Management Journal indicates that only 29 percent of employees are actively engaged in their jobs, fifty-four percent of employees are not engaged while seventeen percent of employees are actively disengaged. Managers should be concerned about such results as New Century Financial Corporation statistics show that employee engagement does not merely correlate with bottom line results - it drives results. The article also describes the ten C's of employee engagement that make great leaders. The authors suggest that leaders connect with their employees and make them aware that they are valuable assets. Leaders should provide challenging and meaningful work with opportunities for career advancement. While challenging employees, good leaders also instill the confidence that the challenges can be met. Leaders should convey and clarify their expectations about employees and provide feedback on their functioning in the organization. Exceptional leaders also congratulate i.e. they give recognition, and they do so a lot; they coach and convey. Good leaders help people see how they are contributing to the organization's success and future. They also create opportunities for employees to exercise control over the flow and pace of their jobs and communicate their vision clearly. Great leaders are also team builders, they encourage collaboration. Furthermore, good leaders are credible. They strive to maintain a company's reputation and demonstrate high ethical standards. Lastly, good leaders help create confidence in a company by being exemplars of high ethical and performance standards.