Employee Engagement Matters

Blog by Julie Urlaub, Founder and Managing Partner at Taiga Company
Jun 13, 2011 10:00 AM ET

Taiga Company blog by Julie Urlaub, Founder and Managing Partner at Taiga Compa…

Employees can make a difference in internalizing sustainability and translating high-level commitments into action and results in a corporate sustainability plan.  When you consider that daily, employees make far reaching decisions impacting an organization's environment and social consequences, what is the evidence for employee engagement to further sustainable business strategies? 

Evidence for engagement - grow profit
  • The Corporate Leadership Council reports that engaged organizations grew profits as much as three times faster than their competitors. They found that highly engaged organizations have 87% less staff turnover and 20% better performance than average.

  • A global survey by Tower Perrins-ISR, involving more than 664,000 employees in 50 companies, found that the operating income of companies with engaged employees improved by 19% in one year, while it declined by 33% for companies with low levels of employee engagement.

  • Fully engaged employees are 2.5 times more likely to exceed performance expectations than their disengaged colleagues.

  • 59% of engaged employees say their job brings out their most creative ideas against only 3% for disengaged employees.

  Evidence for engagement - corporate social responsibility  While many factors – such as leadership, integrity, immediate management and fair treatment – influence employee engagement, increasing evidence shows that performance on sustainable development also plays part. For example, a survey by Ipsos Mori10 found that:
  • 70% of employees with a favorable perception of their company’s community engagement plan to stay for the next 2 years vs. 50% of those with a less favorable perception.

  • 75% would recommend their company if they feel it is environmentally responsible vs. fewer than 50% if it is not.

  • 47% of jobseekers are more likely to join/stay with a company that addresses social issues.

  • 75% of employees who consider their employers to pay enough attention to environmental protection and sustainable development exhibit higher levels of commitment.

  Business sustainability presents the unique opportunity to increase profitability, gain and maintain a competitive advantage over the competition, and create meaningful work in the process.  Click here to continue reading.  

Home to one third of the earth's trees, the Taiga is the largest land-based biosphere and encircles the globe. Its immense oxygen production literally changes the atmosphere and refreshes the planet. It is this continuous renewal that has shaped Taiga Company's vision to drive similar change in the business world. Taiga Company seeks to be the "oxygen for your business".