Employee engagement is often measured by satisfaction surveys, commitment metrics, or “would you recommend” scores.
But there’s one KPI that rarely makes it into the dashboard. Energy.
Mental, emotional, and physical energy are powerful predictors of sustained performance, resilience, and the willingness to go the extra mile, and the cost of ignoring them is stark. In the UK, poor mental health accounts for around 50% of long-term sickness absences, and work-related stress, depression, or anxiety leads to 35.2 million lost working days.
Find out why employee energy should be a core KPI and learn how to measure, influence, and integrate it in the workplace.
THE LINK BETWEEN LEADERSHIP AND EMPLOYEE ENERGY
Even the most energetic, motivated team members can be left feeling flat by ineffective, unsupportive managers or unengaged colleagues. But the opposite is also true.
One study found a link between the leader-member exchange relationship and the energy of employees. Basically, the more creative involvement employees have in the workplace, the more energised they feel. There’s also evidence that leaders can generate positive relational energy through authenticity, humility, trust, and a supportive leadership style, which in turn leads to better performance on the part of employees. Another study builds on this by showing a link between positive relational energy, improved cognitive wellbeing, and greater work absorption.
While the contributions of leadership can’t be ignored, factors such as environment, design, and employees’ lifestyle choices also play a role.
THE ROLE OF ENVIRONMENT AND DESIGN
Numerous studies have shown how air quality, light, noise, and temperature affect employees’ comfort levels and their general workplace experience. Additionally, while open-plan office layouts have their benefits, they can affect employee experience and energy, too.
Some of the symptoms associated with sick building syndrome and open-plan office layouts include:
- Depression
- Exhaustion
- Headaches
- Low job satisfaction
- Reduced motivation and productivity
- Trouble sleeping
OTHER DRAINS ON EMPLOYEE ENERGY
Energy is also lost to a range of distractions and employee behaviours. Among the most prevalent of these are:
Doom-scrolling
Scrolling through seemingly endless headlines of bad news stories, known as doom-scrolling, can have a debilitating effect on employee energy. According to Harvard Medical School, this habit impacts physical and mental health, producing effects such as greater existential anxiety, headaches, high blood pressure, low appetite, muscle tension, nausea, neck and shoulder pain, and sleep difficulties.
Information Overload Within and Outside the Organisation
An article in the International Journal of Information Management Data Insights reveals that information overload has far-reaching consequences for employees. Among these are limited information search and retrieval strategies, poor decision-making, low work efficiency and productivity, and anxiety, confusion, cognitive strain, depression, stress, and tension.
Unnecessary Gossip/Idle Chitchat
Numerous studies have found that negative or unnecessary gossip and idle talk can lead to emotional exhaustion in employees, diverting energy from tasks and impacting performance.
Unhealthy Comparisons with Co-workers
While it’s natural for employees to compare themselves with their co-workers, this can be unhealthy. One study found that unhealthy comparisons can lead to workplace envy, ego depletion, a greater tendency toward knowledge hiding, poor job performance, and increased cyber loafing.
Negative Social Circles
Whether in private life or at work, negative social circles can affect employees in various ways. For example, frenemies or toxic friends can trigger employees’ adrenalin-stress response for prolonged periods, leading to physical and mental exhaustion, depression, and high blood pressure.
Lack of Sleep
Insufficient sleep can make it more difficult for employees to stay attentive and focused, leading to mistakes and omissions, decreased reaction times, and heightened negative emotions such as anger and irritability.
INTERVENTIONS THAT BOOST ENERGY
You don’t need to remodel the workplace completely, but you can implement a few simple interventions. A few to consider include:
Air Quality
Improve air quality in the workplace by opening office windows rather than relying solely on air conditioning, and install air filtration systems for when windows are closed. Ensure surfaces are dusted regularly, and, if there aren’t any plants in the workplace, add some, as they can help purify the air and increase oxygen levels.
Comfort
Improve comfort levels by replacing traditional office furniture with ergonomic furniture, which allows users to alternate between sitting and standing positions to reduce muscle fatigue and improve productivity. Create comfortable spaces for brainstorming, hot desking, informal meetings, meditation/relaxation, and coffee/lunch breaks/socialising.
Education
While you can’t force your employees to make lifestyle changes, you can educate them about the benefits of healthier choices. Conduct regular workshops or information sessions covering stress management techniques, time management, the importance of healthy dietary and sleep habits, and strategies for achieving a better work-life balance. You can also install a water cooler to help them meet their daily hydration goals and offer fresh fruit juices and herbal teas in addition to tea and coffee.
Supportive Workplace Policies
Establish workplace policies designed to combat doom-scrolling and information overload. For example, you can create and enforce policies designed to set boundaries on internet and social media use during work hours.
Manage Workplace GossiP
It’s impossible to eradicate workplace gossip, but you can manage it in various ways. Provide staff training, explaining that gossip, bullying, and harassment are unwanted behaviours, take reports of gossip seriously and address them with the relevant parties, and encourage a positive office culture through open communication and teambuilding.
MEASURING ENERGY WITHOUT BEING INTRUSIVE
Measuring your employees’ energy doesn’t need to be intrusive. There’s no need to take on the role of mood police or connect everyone to heart rate monitors. Instead of invasive monitoring, you can use a combination of feedback loops and observation that’s subtle, respectful, and in keeping with privacy laws.
For example, use short pulse surveys with emotion-based questions to find out how employees feel as opposed to what they’ve done. By asking them what energises them at work or how they feel when they start their day, you can identify patterns and trends. Take this a step further by having regular face-to-face check-ins and informal conversations with individuals, which can help you fine-tune your observations.
Pay attention to indirect energy indicators, such as engagement during meetings, the quality of their responses, absenteeism rates, changes in productivity, and participation in voluntary activities. This can help you identify peaks and dips. Be honest about monitoring employee energy, emphasising that you’re not doing it to police them but to help and support them.
MAKING ENERGY A SUSTAINABLE PART OF WORKPLACE CULTURE
Making energy a sustainable part of workplace culture isn’t the responsibility of just one person. Instead, everyone should play a role in supporting it – although it is up to management to lead by example.
Encourage management and others in leadership roles to adopt energy-positive behaviours, such as assigning realistic workloads, respecting boundaries (especially outside work hours), and taking regular breaks. Include conversations on energy in strategic planning, managerial training sessions, and performance reviews, which help keep employees aware of its importance and enable you to fine-tune the interventions you’ve implemented.
Lastly, ensure every day is punctuated by micro-recovery moments such as walking meetings, as this gives employees opportunities for a quick recharge and reset.
AIM TO ENERGISE YOUR EMPLOYEES
Despite all the talk about AI and robots, the days of being able to energise ‘employees’ by plugging them into a charger are a long way away. While you’re still dealing with real people, it’s important to understand how different factors affect energy levels and how energy acts as an engagement KPI. Do what you can to boost it, and you, along with them, will reap the benefits.
Author: Addisson Shaw – Content Scrivener
Photo credit: StockCake
