By Jessica Cheam

WHEN you are at work, what makes you go the extra mile?

What makes you show up at work not because you have to, but because you want to, and what enables you to consistently deliver exceptional work, innovate beyond your role and go the distance for your company?

Only when you feel engaged by the company, it seems. This is what it all comes down to, says human resource expert Julie Gebauer. Employees who are fully engaged help a company on its path to success.

The buzzword 'employee engagement' was apparently coined by the Gallup Research group some years ago. The more an employee felt engaged, the higher were the productivity, profitability and customer satisfaction of the company, studies showed.

Engaged employees work with more passion and feel a connection to their company. And in this challenging economic environment, engaging employees so that they perform is more important than ever.

This is especially because monetary rewards are low while uncertainties over job security and the company's future run high, said Ms Gebauer, managing director of global HR consultancy Towers Perrin.

Few employees feel 'engaged'

MS GEBAUER cited a recent Towers Perrin global survey that shows only two out of 10 employees are truly 'engaged' although nine out of 10 want to be.

So how do companies close this 'engagement gap'?

This is a question Ms Gebauer answers in her recently published book, Closing The Engagement Gap, co-authored with the firm's director Don Lowman.

The main message: To know, grow, inspire, involve and reward employees.

A study by the firm released this month based on data collected from 20 companies and over 40,000 employees across Asia showed the top three key 'drivers of engagement' in the region were good leadership, company image and career development. Other drivers included empowerment, compensation and benefits, quality, performance appraisals, working relationships and operating efficiency.

Interestingly, the study showed that company image emerged as the top concern for employees in the aftermath of the global economic crisis, Ms Gebauer told The Straits Times.

Employees want to believe strongly in their company's products and services, want their company to be highly regarded by the public, be socially responsible and hold employees to the same standards of ethical behaviour, the study found.

Two-way communication is crucial for employee engagement, as employees need to be constantly updated on the organisation's strategic goals, values and future, given this highly volatile period of time, said Ms Gebauer.

The study also found that engagement levels among Singaporean employees are relatively high, she added.

What can companies do?

SINGAPORE Human Resources Institute executive director David Ang told The Straits Times that the institute is exploring ways to enhance employee engagement among local firms.

'We are looking at some of the ways local organisations such as statutory boards and hospitals can engage their employees beyond creating loyalty,' he said.

This involves the creation of and participation in internal programmes to enhance the quality of working life, health programmes and others, that 'will really engage employees and enable them to derive job satisfaction and happiness', he said.

What's important in the recession

THE danger, in times like these when unemployment is high, is that employers might be lulled into thinking they do not need to expend much effort to keep employees engaged because 'they have nowhere else to go', added Ms Gebauer.

This is highly dangerous, as employees will remember this 'attitude' and this could result in a mass exodus of disenchanted staff once the economy recovers, she said.

Software engineer Chen Yida, 34, is one such employee who acknowledges the importance of being engaged.

'If the work doesn't interest me any more, or if I feel the company doesn't consider the concerns of its staff or provide adequate rewards, then what's the point in going the extra mile?' he pointed out.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.