High Cost Of Unhappy Employees [Infographic]

Lisa Chatroop http://www.good.co 3m 801 #disengaged

The views of this article are the perspective of the author and may not be reflective of Confessions of the Professions.

High Business Costs Due To Disengaged Employees

Anyone who’s ever been disengaged at work knows the symptoms: unhappiness, lack of motivation, decrease in creativity and productivity, a high level of apathy, and feeling like “a cog in the machine”. It’s clear that low engagement can dramatically affect the health and happiness of an employee, but just how much does it actually affect the employer?

Answer: a lot. According to a 2013 Gallup study, seven out of 10 workers in the US say they aren’t fully engaged at work, meaning they aren’t working to their fullest potential. The resulting loss of productivity is costing the US economy upwards of $450 billion each year, and has a huge impact on the overall bottom-line of companies.

The following infographic created by workplace happiness app Good.Co breaks down some of the most startling employee engagement statistics available, proving that companies who fail to invest in employee engagement can – and will – lose their competitive edge. With statistics like these, employers simply can’t afford to turn a blind eye towards disengaged employees – rather, they need to take steps to actively raise engagement within their workforce.

Please include attribution to Good.Co with this infographic.

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This infographic originally appeared on the Good.Co blog

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THE HIGH COST OF UNHAPPY EMPLOYEES

THE PROBLEM

The American workplace is plagued with chronically low levels of engagement. Research shows that 7 out of every 10 US workers aren’t working to their full potential – and it’s affecting the American businesses more than they realize.

• 70% of US workers are disengaged at work
• Disengaged workers cost the US between $450 – $550 billion each year in lost productivity
• 46% of new hires fail within 18 months. 89% of these failures are due to poor culture fit
• Turnover costs are often estimated to be 100% – 300% of the base salary of replaced employee
• 80% of people who were dissatisfied with their direct manager are disengaged

WHY INVEST IN COMPANY CULTURE?

An investment in company culture doesn’t just improve employee satisfaction. Increased workplace happiness has far-reaching effects that impact every level of business.

PERFORMANCE

• Engaged employees perform 20% better than their disengaged counterparts
• Companies with engaged employees outperform up to 202% better

HAPPY EMPLOYEES HAVE:

• 31% Higher Productivity
• 37% Higher Sales
• 3X Higher Creativity

INNOVATION

Research shows that engaged employees come up with more innovative ideas, create the most new business, and have the most entrepreneurial energy.

FINANCIAL

• Companies where the majority of employees are highly engaged experienced a 19.2% improvement in operating income last year.
• Companies where the majority of employees are disengaged saw their operating income worsen by 32.7% within the same period
• Organizations with a high number of actively engaged employees have an average of 147% higher earnings per share (EPS) than the norm.
• Organizations with a very low number of engaged employees have an average of 3% lower EPS than the norm.

TURNOVER

Engaged employees are 87% less likely to leave the organization than the disengaged

HEALTH AND SAFETY

Companies with a highly engaged workforce have nearly 50% fewer accidents, 41% fewer quality defects and incur far less health care costs than their counterparts.

SOLUTIONS

1. Screen All New Hires for Company Culture Fit
   • 67% of workers believed that the most important aspect of a job was to have an employer with similar values.
2. Developer Company Wide Volunteer Initiatives
   • 93% of employees who volunteer with their company also report being happy with their employer.
   • 54% of those who are proud of their company’s contributions to society are engaged at work.
3. Frequently Recognize Employees for Their Accomplishments – No Matter How Big or Small
   • 69% of employees state they would work harder if they were better recognized.
4. Emphasize Life/Work Balance
   • 88% of workers value work/life balance and a positive culture as the most essential to an ideal job.
5. Encourage Workplace Friendships
   • 70% of people state that having friends at work is the most crucial element to a happy working life.
6. Focus on Your Employees’ Strengths
   • Research has found that managers who focus on their employees strengths can practically eliminate active disengagement and double the average of U.S. workers who are engaged nationwide.

DECODING THE SCIENCE OF WORKPLACE HAPPINESS

Accessing culture fit doesn’t have to be a costly and time-consuming endeavor. Good.co uses fun assessments backed by decades of psychometric research to create greater transparency for both job seekers and employers alike.

Find your perfect fit. Learn more at www.good.co.

About the Author

Lisa Chatroop is Marketing Manager at Good.Co and is passionate about helping people find workplace happiness through self-discovery. Discover your career personality type on the free Good.Co app, or say hello via Twitter: @inGoodCo.

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