That’s expensive…

Business is simple. There are two ways to make a business profitable - sell more or reduce costs. If you get a bill for something, you analyze it and establish if there are any savings that can be made.

But we don't know what we don't know. That is,? there is no monthly bill to let us know what disengaged employees cost us that month. What does it cost us when people are daydreaming, wishing they were somewhere else, gossiping or just not showing up? Gallup has just given us the numbers for 2006.

• Disengaged employees cost Australian businesses around AUS $32.7 billion per annum

• Disengaged employees cost New Zealand businesses around NZ$3.7 billion per annum

This is the cost without even considering the opportunity cost of lost employer branding.

• Engaged Employees AU = 21% | NZ = 25%(Employees who work with passion and feel a profound connection to their company. They drive innovation and move the organization forward.)

• Not-Engaged Employees AU = 61% | NZ = 64% (Employees are essentially 'checked-out'. They're sleepwalking through their workday, putting time ?but not energy or passion into their work.)
• Actively Disengaged Employees AU = 18% | NZ = 11 % (Employees aren't just unhappy at work; they're busy acting out their unhappiness. Every day, these workers undermine what their engaged co-workers accomplish)

So Australians are less engaged than New Zealanders...in the last study Australians were the second least engaged in the world (after the French) - I wonder where we'll come in this study...

Share what you are doing on employee engagement - Do tell.