ENGAGEMENT RULES! It's a WIN – WIN

The main business mantra over the centuries has been 'The customer is Number One'. The next major shift in organisational management will be realising that any organisations number one customer should in fact be their employees.
In fact recent research suggests that engagement of employee talent is the number one factor identified by CEO's in achieving success in the future. Similarly 90% of organisations are dealing with this employee issue at board level, because it is now such a critical matter for their survival.
The reason being, if you look after your employees and engage and retain your best talent, then they will be in a better position to look after your end customers. Doing this companies are rewarded for their efforts by reduced staff turnover, improved productivity,
commitment, morale, culture and customer satisfaction ratings.
However, the majority of Australian companies continue to treat the serious issue of balancing competing work pressures and employees' personal life needs with a 'band-aid' effect by offering more benefits or 'perks' to win their loyalty.
Despite the rhetoric of work life policies and self-imposed badges of 'employer of choice', the actions of many Australian corporations translate to gym memberships, lunchtime massages and volunteering programs. These benefits may be generous and well regarded by some employees, but they similarly may alienate others with unaligned personal interests.
True work life balance is achieved when employees have greater clarity around what is
important to them. Through company sponsored Self-Leadership programs employees are then organisationally empowered to support work life balance culturally, thus creating a personal and corporate win - win relationship.
Innovative companies are sponsoring Self-Leadership programs so that individuals can take
responsibility and make the tough decisions around work life balance, job fulfillment and personal financial management themselves, rather than look to employers to always provide solutions.
Employee engagement may be one of the hottest management 'buzz phrases' at the moment, but the underlying social issue which created this concept remains valid:
Australians are working harder and longer than at any other time in our industrial history and want to get back some personal balance and control of their life.
We are in a generation of over-consumption and materialism which has further fueled the
over-work epidemic. Our lifestyle expectations have escalated so rapidly in the past two
decades that working harder and longer is seen as the only way to live the standard of life
we desire. Yet research confirms that despite longer working hours and greater income levels, we are less happy than previous generations. But the backlash against excess has started and the ground swell is expected to gather momentum.

Ian Hutchinson is founder and Chief Engagement Officer of LifebyDesign.com.au, specialists in employee engagement. Ian is one of Australia’s top conference presenters and has terti ary qualifications in business management, psychology and has studied internationally in career development.