At their worst, the stats show: 

That last one makes you think doesn't it? What's worse: that they'll quit your company, or stay? Faced with the costly options of present-but-absent or simply absent workers, your only choice is to act. But act on what?

The stats are everywhere, but they largely come from Gallup in their 68 page "2013 State of the American Workplace Report." How do they come to these results? In part, they use Gallup's Q12®; a collection of 12 questions that measure employee engagement based on workers’ responses. Each question represents a workplace element that has a proven link to performance outcomes. The subjects of these questions range from understanding their employer's expectations of their work, to having opportunities to learn and grow, to feeling a sense of faith and confidence in their peers, to having some kind of working relationship with their supervisor.

The natural next question is: So what can I do to change these numbers?! At Baudville, we believe that recognizing your employee’s efforts is one important way you can help them engage. Giving your employees the occasional pat on the back for a job well done is a good idea! I once had a job where I got almost no feedback for an entire year, positive or negative. As an average, self-conscious human being, I figured they must think I was sub-par at best. I wanted to work for a company whose people thought I was something to write home about (or at least write an email about). By the time I had my stellar year-end review, I had already started looking for other opportunities. In the end, the feedback at my review was too-little too-late and I found a job elsewhere. Don’t let your workplace enforce these statistics. Take a moment and let your employees know that they’re doing a great job right now!

Audrey is brand spankin’ new to the ‘ville (that’s what they call Baudville around these parts). As the new Marketing Coordinator, she'll be talking printer-ese, corralling creatives for our catalogs, and writing headlines and blog posts about Baudville’s #1 passion, employee recognition!