This is an area of confusion for many. Engagement occurs when employees turn up work motivated to do what they can to achieve success for the company they work for. It is the innate will to succeed driven by the alignment between their personal and company goals.
For example, Mary’s hours are 9am-5pm but she arrives at 8.45am because she is excited to get started on time. She often stays late because she feels she can make a difference to each client she works with. Mary is driven by the opportunity to impact people because this is the work she truly wants to do and your company puts her career on the right path for her. Mary is fully engaged and willing to go the extra mile every time for your customers and company.
Job satisfaction is about enjoyment and extrinsic factor satisfaction. For example, Jacob has worked in administration for your plant for 5 years. He is paid well, enjoys the team he is in, receives excellent benefits and has been promoted twice. He has flexibility to clock off early on a Friday and rarely finds himself in challenging scenarios. The job hits all of the basic needs for financial and personal security but doesn’t feel like it’s a calling. He will do enough and may work overtime when needed but the same personal ambition to be a success is not there. Jacob is satisfied but doesn’t feel an innate drive motivated by the work he does.