Just over half (54%) of employer respondents believe that having a good work-life balance makes workers feel more engaged, according to research by global computer technology corporation Oracle.
The Oracle simply talent research, which surveyed 250 Western European HR decision makers, also found that 93% of respondents say that employee engagement is strategically important to their organisation. Just under two-thirds (65%) say that it positively impacts collaboration between teams, while 61% believe that engagement helps to boost business performance and 60% that it contributes to improved customer service.
However, just under a third (31%) of respondents believe it is difficult to measure the impact of return on investment (ROI) of staff engagement on the organisation. In order to do so, 68% rely on standard staff surveys to measure engagement levels, while 37% use advanced analytics.
The research also found:
- 30% said it is difficult for boardroom decision-makers to understand the impact of employee engagement on the wider business.
- 45% believe that flexible working hours can improve employee performance.
- 58% cited that recognising the excellence of individual employees has a strong positive impact on engagement.
- When asked who in the business has the greatest impact on employee engagement, just 10% of employer respondents said line managers, compared with 34% who cited line managers and 28% who said that the senior leadership team had the greatest impact.
Loïc Le Guisquet, president for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific at Oracle, said: “Being able to understand and, more importantly, improve employee engagement [is] a priority for any of today’s successful leaders.
"A more rigorous engagement strategy has become indispensable, and HR has a vital role to play in helping organisations make the transition. Modern HR teams have access to databased tools allowing them to effectively measure employee engagement, and just as crucially to quantify its impact on the business for the decision-makers in the boardroom. In this way HR will find itself at the centre of the business, driving engagement strategies that best serve the organisation’s growth ambitions."
Andy Campbell, director of human capital management strategy at Oracle, added: “The latest digital, mobile, and collaboration tools play an integral role in helping businesses support initiatives and strategies that make employees feel more engaged. However, these technologies don’t drive engagement on their own.
“To be effective they need to be seamlessly embedded in business processes so that line managers and employees use them as part of their normal work, be that a performance review, a recruitment process, sharing some social learning or using mobile to enter timecards.”
