WorkLife April 2017 | Page 35

FINANCIAL COST OF EMPLOYEE DISENGAGEMENT IS IT WORTH IT? CASE STUDY: MAPLIN We’ve made our point – disengagement comes at a cost. The trouble is, no one seems to be doing anything about it. Maplin, UK retailer of electronic goods, found established links between employee engagement and store sales performance in its company-wide engagement survey in 2015. The half of stores that actively managed engagement, implementing schemes and analysing success, outperformed their sales budgets by £500,000 more than the other half of stores, and grew year-on-year sales by £1m more. Some 82% of business managers think employees need to feel more engaged at work, but 59% of employees believe that their CEO focuses solely on finances rather than the team’s wellbeing. The incongruence of these figures highlights the fact that despite recognising the importance of an engaged workforce, few employers are putting enough focus on the team to make a difference. This could be because they lack the resources or can’t justify the ROI in engagement initiatives. The statistics speak for themselves. When employee engagement is a priori ty, and engagement schemes are implemented correctly, investment will not only pay for itself but can generate a huge ROI for your business. The above statistics are an example of the positive impact of an engaged workforce on a business’s finances. They clearly demonstrate the opportunities that investment in employee engagement can bring in terms of culture and, most importantly, generating profit, reducing loss and contributing to overall business success. ENGAGED EMPLOYEES: 87% *Less likely to leave the company 45% *More productive 37% **Fewer sick days 18.4% **More likely to colaborate * Hay Group: Employee Disengagement Costs UK £340bn Every Year ** Nate Dvorak & William E. Kruse: Managing Employee Risk Requires a Culture of Compliance, 2016 35