How Employee Engagement Boosts Sustainable Success

Sep 16

7 min read

Employees sharing a light moment with their boss as they gather around a laptop in the office.

“It takes a village”. It’s a proverb used to refer to raising children. It’s quite difficult to do alone and certainly easier when one doesn’t have to. Ironically, it’s fitting to a different kind of “baby” that people are growing and developing – their business.

Putting your blood, sweat, tears (and, of course, money) into the well-being and success of your business is a significant investment.

Building a sustainable business is an admirable and worthy cause. And if you’re reading this, you’re either thinking about it or already on your way. You’ve probably spent a significant amount of time researching the best way to build and maintain your eco-friendly company. Well, here’s a key area of focus: employee engagement.

Employees and the success of your sustainable business are directly related. Engaging your workers in your cause empowers them, gives them purpose, and increases job satisfaction. All things that will not only improve your business but also improve your sustainability in the process.

Keep reading for more great tips…

Building Sustainable Relationships

Employees unite, symbolizing commitment to their company's sustainable mission by joining hands on a tree.

Creating and cultivating relationships with your employees as well as your customers helps improve your efforts in creating a sustainable business.

Relationships that are built on trust, shared values, and commitment. These all impact the longevity and success of a business. For example, it’s best to choose vendors and suppliers that share the same values as you. This will help to ensure you are both maintaining your sustainable practices.

When your employees see your commitment to being eco-friendly, they will respect and trust you more. There is a 16% increase in employee engagement when they see their employer's genuine commitment to sustainability.

Today, job seekers want to see real sustainability efforts from a company before they apply. Take a quick look at this blog I wrote on this exact topic.

This drives their loyalty and commitment to the organization once they're signed on.

While you may assume that this is just relevant to the “Gen Zers”, the interest in sustainability is actually seen across a variety of demographics. Every age group saw better employee engagement from sustainable practices. “Gen Z’ers”, however, were the most outspoken about it.

The key is not only to be transparent in your effort but also to show consistency. The results will be reflected not only in your sustainable cause but in your employees’ attitude as well.

An engaged employee tends to be passionate and committed to their job and its purpose. This also leads to a more loyal and reliable customer base. Your employees are driven to talk about you, your passion, and their role as part of a sustainably committed company.

Cultivating strong employee relationships leads to cultivating strong customer bonds. In a social media-driven world, outreach is tremendous. Satisfied employees will post about company events, business successes, or any other work-related activities. This will result in a wider net cast for customers, because it piques the interest of people in their network.

That kind of commitment is work keeping around for the long run.

Commitment and Loyalty Drive Sustainability

A dedicated team of women works together on an assembly line, showcasing teamwork and determination in a bustling factory setting.

Employee turnover is very expensive for businesses. The time and effort required to interview, hire, and train new employees can take quite a toll. The cost of replacing an employee can be from 50% - 250% of their annual salary. Business costs are so high as it is. Here's a way to help prevent additional costs with multiple benefits.

Employees who are engaged report higher job satisfaction and tend to stay longer at their place of employment. Rates of vacancy are also lower. Studies show that productivity improves with engaged employees.

When employees notice a high turnover rate, it changes how they view their own jobs. They start to think about how long they will stay.

It also impacts whether an employee will care about their work and make friends on the job.

Employee engagement and retention go hand in hand when it comes to mobility within a business. 35% of companies that promote from within have seen an improvement in both employee engagement and retention.

Recognizing an employee’s commitment and effort goes a long way. It helps encourage other employees to put forth the same attitude and effort. Happy employees are likely to attract additional talent and grow your network of happy, engaged, and reliable associates. Promoting from within will help your sustainable cause. The employees moving up the ladder will already be familiar and invested in your cause.

Engaged employees create a more enhanced and personalized experience for the customer. These customers are more likely to return for business as well. Spending less time on training new employees creates a more seamless customer experience because employees are already familiar with the company’s processes and customer needs.

Engaged employees feel a strong connection to their job and its purpose. They care about the business’s success. When an employee feels taken care of and supported by their employer, they exhibit higher levels of dedication. Having committed and loyal employees is a huge asset to your business and your customers.

When your customers talk to the same employee for many years, they feel they have an “in” or an ally within your company. Employees who are on the job longer have the opportunity to build stronger customer relationships. Clearly, the benefits of engaged employees are numerous.

Speaking of benefits, subscribe to my email to stay informed on the best ways to keep your business sustainable. I’ll even send you a free cheat sheet…

Employee Engagement - A Hotbed of Creativity

Employees collaborating enthusiastically to brainstorm innovative ideas for their company's sustainability initiatives.

Two heads are better than one. A room full of trusted employees can boost productivity and business. When they respect and connect with your mission, it also helps your sustainability efforts. Showing your employees that you’re interested in their ideas will improve engagement efforts. Their new ideas will provide great value to you as the business owner.

Engaging employees in the company as a whole builds a culture that works towards sustainable success.

Adaptability is key to achieving sustainability. Offer opportunities for your employees to engage with each other - across departments and levels. Each will bring a nuanced perspective that can enhance your business.

Engaging your employees is not done in a vacuum. Creating a team mentality will drive forward ideas and promote success. Employees will collaborate across departments, use one another as sounding boards to problem-solve, and go the extra mile to help their employer and their team.

Engaged employees who feel safe to speak up will contribute to the forward-thinking mission of your business. A recent study shows that highly engaged employees have an 18% increase in sales. Happy employees are willing to exceed expectations. Workers who are committed, who value your business and its mission, will be motivated. This strong motivation drives the company's success.

Driving Your Purpose With Employee Engagement

Coworkers share laughter and innovative ideas during a collaborative session focused on the company’s next sustainable initiative.

Engaging employees as a valuable part of your team will also extend your reach. They will open their network to you, which will help you gain more customers.

Engaged employees are dedicated and enthusiastic. That attitude transmits to customers. This creates a better and more memorable customer experience. In turn, that translates into happier, repeat customers.

A happy and engaged employee is likely invested in the success of your business. Therefore, they will work towards creating a more seamless process and problem-solving customer issues on their own.

They will take pride in their work, which improves your business in the long term. An engaged employee knows your business and product well. They feel motivated to make a difference and contribute to your success. Creating an environment where your employee feels valued will inspire them to share problem-solving insights.

For example, your employee is a direct line to the customer. If they begin seeing trends in customer feedback, they will offer a creative solution for these issues.

It’s not just the customer, though. Here are some ways workers stand out when they feel part of the bigger picture:

Engaged employees will take ownership of their roles.
They are committed to suggesting new ideas.
They look for ways to improve and increase business.
They are more adaptable in the face of change.

If you help keep your employees happy and engaged, you're setting them– and your business– up for success. We all love to start on a successful foot.

Let’s Get Started - Sustainable Success Awaits!

A focused employee works diligently on developing the next innovative, sustainable project for his company.

There are many ways to build a sustainable business. Employee engagement is paramount. So the next logical question is, how do you do it?

There are a number of things that can help boost employee engagement. Transparency is key. Be sure to be honest about your goals. Employees need to know that their employer is genuine about their sustainable causes.

Utilize your employees’ feedback. It will help create an environment in which employees feel that their opinions are appreciated and valued.

Start small: maybe you engage your employees to foster a relationship. Then help create a loyal customer base. Finally, improve the overall customer experience with your highly motivated workers at the forefront. Some more suggestions include:

Enhance employee morale
Build a positive culture
Create a recognition program
Promote an open-door policy
Take the fun outside of the office

The possibilities are endless.

Rebecca Henderson, a professor from Harvard Business School, notes that successful business strategies blend the financial success of the business as well as social and environmental impacts. Employees and sustainability are a large component of this. Specifically, employee engagement is essential.

So go ahead, build your village. Strengthen your brand through your employees. Allow them to engage and be part of the big picture– not just a spectator on the sidelines.

You won’t believe how far it will take you.

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