Responsibility and Engagement

Countless studies point to the impact employee engagement has on a company’s bottom line, and in this economic climate more companies are paying attention. Companies with engaged employees can increase operating income by 19%, according to the findings of a 2009 survey by Towers Perrin (now Towers Watson). In contrast, companies with the lowest level of employee engagement saw operating income decrease by 33%. The same survey found a direct link between employee engagement and customer satisfaction: the higher the engagement score, the higher the customer satisfaction score. In a separate study, Wyatt Watson (now Towers Watson) found that a significant improvement in employee engagement increases revenue by up to $95 million for S&P 500 companies. The bottom line is that employee engagement is important.

Sounds good, but how do you boost employee engagement? There are numerous drivers, including health and well-being programs, flexible working options, stability, a diverse workforce, open and honest communications and corporate responsibility (CR).

CR is a cornerstone in conducting everyday business. Done correctly, it offers a competitive advantage by helping companies identify and serve new markets for insurance products and cut operating costs by driving environmental improvements.

For example, over the past year, RSA Canada employees made a number of simple changes to their daily work habits that had big environmental impacts. We saved over 3 million sheets of paper and almost 400 trees by printing double-sided. When employees chose to use their own cups, we kept 6,810 water bottles out of landfills. These initiatives were employee-led.

Recently, RSA celebrated its 300th birthday with an 11-week employee campaign encouraging people to volunteer, fundraise and donate items to charities of their choice. The result? Employees across the country donated more than $241,000, 5,200 hours and 56,000 items.

These employee-driven activities prove small changes can have a big impact, aligning the actions of employees with the company’s CR commitment.