We: How to Increase Performance and Profits through Full Engagement

Data-Rich 'We' Calls for Deeper Engagement from Companies and Individuals

Kenexa (NASDAQ:KNXA), a global provider of business solutions for human resources, announced the publication of “We: How to Increase Performance and Profits Through Full Engagement.” Coauthored by Rudy Karsan, Cofounder, Chairman and CEO of Kenexa, and Kevin Kruse, CEO of Kru Research, the book was published in January 2011 by John Wiley & Sons.

Karsan observed, “We live in a new era where work and life are blended as opposed to balanced, entitlements are a thing of the past, and job satisfaction is at a record low. This is a crisis for individuals because negative emotions at work spill over to our personal lives and cross over to those around us.”       

For businesses, disengaged employees lead to lower levels of productivity and service and it’s been shown that companies with disengaged workers have five times lower shareholder returns than those companies with the most engaged workers. For individuals, research confirms that disengaged employees weigh five pounds more, have an elevated risk of heart attack, experience less marital intimacy and have children who are more likely to misbehave at school.

Based on vast global research and made accessible through anecdotes, interactive exercises, and online videos, Karsan and Kruse make their advice actionable for immediate personal and organizational growth. In “We: How to Increase Performance and Profits Through Full Engagement” Karsan and Kruse dig deep to reveal the nature of work in the modern organization and share secrets to achieving emotional buy-in and commitment at work. Based on findings from more than 10 million worker surveys annually and on their own experience as award-winning leaders of fast-growing companies, Karsan and Kruse highlight the three most common factors that drive engagement:

1. Growth: We need to feel that we are advancing in our careers or are learning new things.
2. Recognition: We need to feel appreciated and believe that our ideas count.
3. Trust: We need to trust our senior leaders and feel confident about the future.  

"Your kids, your spouse, your friends, your colleagues—all of us—we need you to find meaning and be engaged at work. If you’re a manager, we need you to be committed to the engagement and alignment of the workers on your team. We need each other to reach our shared goals. We need to harmonize our lives and our work,” said Karsan.

“If you think smoking kills, then you should know that having a bad job is just as lethal (literally) to both the employee and the company. What Rudy and Kevin understand is that both the employee and their leadership have dual roles in fixing this toxic situation – and they outline in detail the three drivers needed to create an engaged workplace, based on their experience and research from over 10 million people,” said Verne Harnish, CEO, Gazelles Inc. and author of “The Rockefeller Habits.”

“In my years as a business journalist I've interviewed, spent time with and learned from hundreds of executives. Rudy Karsan's insights into career growth, employee engagement and leadership have stood out. This book is a must read,” stated Ali Velshi, CNN Anchor & Chief Business Correspondent.