A lot of work is being done to find the formula for great employee performance. A lot of talk centers on employee engagement. Here’s a study that looks more closely at the drivers for employee engagement and finds that passion is a key.

PeopleMetrics, Inc. report, So, Employee Engagement Matters... What Next? found that emotional factors—including Purpose & Empowerment, Trust & Confidence, Security & Growth, Connection & Affiliation, Excellence & Reputation, and Recognition & Value play a bigger role in driving employee engagement than do functional factors. When done well, the results are impressive:

Fortune 500 companies in the lowest quartile in company profitability had 50% fewer engaged employees compared to those in the top quartile, according to the PeopleMetrics study. In terms of individual performance, PeopleMetrics found high performing employees were twice as engaged as their low performing counterparts.

We know there are many factors linked with high performing employees. We also know that acquiring and retaining top performers – from the beginning of the supply chain with talent acquisition through talent management practices – has a high payback.