Top leaders often say their company is about people. They may believe their focus on people is felt throughout the company. But do the frontline people feel the same way the top leader feels? And how does one measure this? Is it enough to say, We have a good culture because our employee turnover is low? Maybe yes and maybe no. In healthcare, certain areas have higher employee turnover than others. Some of these areas employ certified nursing assistants and food and environmental services workers. In these situations, lower turnover speaks highly about the effectiveness of the leaders. These are people who could work anywhere, yet they choose to stay. Here, low turnover is a good indication of a good culture.

There are also some instances in which low turnover may not be the best way to measure the culture within an organization. An example is public education. I have seen school districts have poor staff engagement and have low turnover. For a school board to feel that the culture is good based on low turnover is not accurate. Why? Teachers may live in an area in which there are few teaching options. If they want to do what they love, which is impacting children in a positive way, they have few options.

I find that at times top leaders rationalize less-than-positive employee engagement. Or they are not even aware of what the employee engagement is. The best companies know how the workforce is feeling. There are examples in every industry of organizations that have great employee engagement and other similar companies that do not.

I was recently with an organization that’s an example of a great culture. I was asked to speak in Beloit, Wisconsin, at Corporate Contractors, Inc. (CCI). It is a company that builds houses, hotels, office buildings, libraries, healthcare facilities, and more. They had brought the entire workforce together. Yes, everyone was pulled off the job sites.

The day consisted of leaders sharing the current year’s results in many areas as well as updates for the next year. They covered operational excellence and workforce development. This included the company’s work in the community to educate young people on the trades, the opportunity for every employee to advance, and the skills training and mentorships that are available. They recognized those completing apprenticeships and starting them. They also spelled out the benefits offered, from wellness to paid time off to clothing and more.

CCI’s employee engagement is excellent, and turnover is incredibly low—in an industry where these things are not often the case.

A few tips:

• Measure employee engagement on a regular basis. More companies are doing short pulse surveys in addition to larger ones to take the temperature of the organization.
• Invest in workforce development. People are more likely to stay when they are invested in. CCI calls this having each person on a career path. They build careers that create buildings that change lives.
• Don’t rationalize low turnover as the main indication that people are engaged. It is one indicator, and at times may not be the best one.

An engaged workforce is one that gets to come to work, rather than feeling like they have to. When leaders invest in their teams and listen often, people don’t just stay…they stay engaged.