Are women leaders the answer to improving employee engagement in your business? See what the research is telling us, right here.

According to UK research, employee engagement is ranked as the key worry for HR teams this year. A 2017 report by Gallup, only 24% of Australians are engaged at work. Now, that’s a dismal number.

If employee engagement is of such concern, what can you and your business do to change things and improve engagement across the board?

Why not boost the number of women leaders in the organisation?

It’s a fact; women leaders achieve better engagement.

A US study by Gallup found “employees who work for a female manager are more engaged, on average, than those who work for a male manager.”

The 2015 State of The American Manager Report looked at 40 years of research, 27 million employees and 195 countries. In their report, they found both male and female employees have higher engagement with female managers.

Why might women achieve better engagement levels? 

There are two key reasons women achieve higher engagement levels.

A 2012 article by Zenger and Folkman discussed the results of 7,280 people. Performance reports found women were ranked more highly in “12 of the 16 competencies that go into outstanding leadership”.

The results of the Gallup survey agree.

“Overall, female managers eclipse their male counterparts at setting basic expectations for their employees, building relationships with their subordinates, encouraging a positive team environment and providing employees with opportunities to develop within their careers.”

Women excelled not just in task focus, but also relationships.

The second reason women build engagement so well is their own high level of workplace engagement. The Gallup survey found women leaders tend to be more engaged (41%) than men (35%). Their higher engagement level is likely to result in more engaged, higher-performing teams.

Are engagement levels really so important? 

Look at it this way. Gallup reports companies with highly engaged workers outperform their competitors by 147 per cent in earnings per share.  Isn’t that the kind of result you want for your business?

A company with engaged employees is a healthy one, which is more productive, most cost-effective and likely to build a sustainable level of growth. It’s the kind of company which will dominate the marketplace, thanks to the commitment of its people. And, it could be yours.

Create more women leaders

So, if employee engagement is critically low and is costing businesses money and marketplace position, then why aren’t you doing something about it? The solution is simple. Base your recruitment and selection processes on talent and ability, and you’ll have more women in leadership roles leading a more engaged workforce and building your company earnings.

The research is telling you women make great leaders. Your people are telling you women make great leaders. It’s time you listened.

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