Jim Harter and Annamarie Mann/Gallup:

• “Measuring workers’ contentment doesn’t improve business outcomes
• Approaching engagement as a business strategy yields better results
• Highly engaged organizations share common philosophies and practices

Creating a great workplace culture that has star employees who know how to win new customers isn’t about making employees happy or content — and organizations falter when they think it is. It’s true that enthusiastic and energetic employees feel better about their work and workplace. But engagement is not determined by an abstract feeling. Measuring workers’ contentment or happiness levels, as well as catering to their wants, often fails to achieve the underlying goal of employee engagement: improved business outcomes. Organizations have more success with engagement and improve business performance when they treat employees as stakeholders of their own future and the company’s future. This means focusing on concrete performance management activities, such as clarifying work expectations, getting people what they need to do their work, providing development and promoting positive coworker relationships…”