Employee drivers – Growth
Why growth is a key driver for employee engagement
When you’re looking to measure employee engagement in your organisation, there are a several areas you should focus on. Our research has highlighted 10 engagement drivers that are key if you want to achieve a core understanding of your workforce.
Here, we’re going to focus on one of these key drivers: growth.
What does ‘growth’ mean in terms of employee engagement?
When we talk about growth, we’re referring to an opportunity for personal and professional development. Ambitious, proactive employees are not content to remain static. They want to develop their career paths by equipping themselves with new skills, learning about the latest technologies and finding new ways of working.
Why is growth a key driver for employee engagement?
Growth and personal development is a key driver for employee engagement as it fulfils some of the most fundamental human needs – the need for achievement, recognition and autonomy. When employees feel like they’re growing and developing, they’re more likely to be engaged and motivated in their work as they feel a sense of progress and purpose.
An organisation that invests in growth and provides internal development opportunities is further reinforcement that it values and appreciates its employees – especially those willing to go the extra mile.
Personal and professional development plans are also likely to have a positive impact on your organisation’s recruitment and retention figures: a recent report found that 76% of employees are more likely to stay with a company that offers continuous training. Similarly, half of the companies in the report who are facing skills gaps are addressing these by upskilling and training their existing employees.
Contributing to your employees’ development should be viewed as a mechanism for wider organisational growth. It’s estimated that, by upskilling and reskilling your employees, organisations can see a return on investment (ROI) of up to six times the initial cost, as well as increased innovation, productivity, profitability and market share.
What happens to employee engagement when growth is overlooked?
When employees aren’t encouraged to grow and develop in their roles, several things can happen:
1. Reduced motivation
When employees feel stagnant and unable to grow, they become demotivated, leading to reduced productivity, quality of work and engagement.
2. Increased turnover
If employees feel like they’ve hit a ceiling in their current role and are not able to grow or progress in their career, they may start looking for opportunities elsewhere.
3. Negative impact on organisational culture
If employees feel that their organisation does not prioritise their personal and professional growth, it can lead to a negative culture an underlying mood of low morale and poor job satisfaction.
4. Decreased innovation
Without new ideas and perspectives, organisations can become stagnant and less innovative, leading to decreased motivation across the workforce and a higher likelihood of employees exiting to competitors.
How can you track how your employees feel about their growth and boost employee engagement?
Putting personal and professional development plans in place for your employees is great, but combining this investment with regular employee listening means you can track whether the development is having the desired impact on employee engagement.
The WorkBuzz platform offers a simple, flexible, customisable surveys that allow your organisation to gain confidential insights from your employees about their personal development, support and need for growth.
We have a whole bank of questions tailored to growth, as well as many other key drivers of employee engagement.
If you’re looking to start implementing employee engagement surveys, or are reviewing your existing survey solution, get in touch and see how the WorkBuzz platform can help. Book a demo today or drop us a message: hello@workbuzz.com
Related content:
[eBook] Employee Engagement & Experience: A measurement and metrics framework
[ARTICLE] The formula for effective personal development discussions
[ARTICLE] 10 non-monetary motivators to encourage employee engagement
How can we help?
”WorkBuzz has been incredibly helpful throughout the transformation of our employee listening strategy.
Catriona Mackay Miller, HR Business PartnerArbuthnot Latham
”We have been very pleased with WorkBuzz. The past 12 months have been massively challenging and the insights we have gained have helped to inform key business and people decisions.
David Wilkinson, Human Resources DirectorPremier Foods
”Lots of HR tech companies talk a good game, but turn out to be much less flexible in practice. WorkBuzz are an exception in the employee experience space.
Neil Hayward, Former HR DirectorHS2
