EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT 1. Definition 2. Categories 3. Benefits 4. Major Factors 5. How to Measure 6.
Examples of Some Approaches
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
Employee engagement is the level of commitment and involvement an employee has towards their organization and its values. An engaged employee is aware of business context, and works with colleagues to improve performance within the job for the benefit of the organization. It is a positive attitude held by the employees towards the Organization and its values. A definition of a fully engaged employee Is intellectually organization Gives 100 percent Feels passionately about its goals Is committed to live by its values. CATEGORIES OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT Engaged--"Engaged" employees are builders. They want to know the desired expectations for their role so they can meet and exceed them. They're naturally curious about their company and their place in it. They perform at consistently high levels. They want to use their talents and strengths at work every day. They work with passion and they drive innovation and move their organization forward. Not Engaged---Not-engaged employees tend to concentrate on tasks rather than the goals and outcomes they are expected to accomplish. They want to be told what and emotionally bound with the
to do just so they can do it and say they have finished. They focus on accomplishing tasks vs. achieving an outcome. Employees who are not-engaged tend to feel their contributions are being overlooked, and their potential is not being tapped. They often feel this way because they don't have productive relationships with their managers or with their coworkers. Actively Disengaged-- They're "Consistently against Virtually Everything." They're not just unhappy at work; they're busy acting out their unhappiness .They sow seeds of negativity at every opportunity. Every day, actively disengaged workers undermine what their engaged coworkers accomplish. As workers increasingly rely on each other to generate products and services, the problems and tensions that are fostered by actively disengaged workers can cause great damage to an organization's functioning . BENEFITS OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT Some of the advantages of Engaged employees are engaged employees will stay with the company, be an advocate of the company and its products and services, and contribute to bottom line business success. They will normally perform better and are more motivated. There is a significant link between employee engagement and profitability. They form an emotional connection with the company. This impacts their attitude towards the companys clients, and thereby improves customer satisfaction and service levels It builds passion, commitment and alignment with the organizations strategies and goals Increases employees trust in the organization Creates a sense of loyalty in a competitive environment Provides a high-energy working environment
Boosts business growth Makes the employees effective brand ambassadors for the company This employee goes beyond the basic job responsibility to delight the customers and drive the business forward. Moreover, in times of diminishing loyalty, employee engagement is a powerful retention strategy. Factors Leading to Employee EngagementStudies have shown that there are some critical factors which lead to Employee engagement. Some of them identified are
Career Development- Opportunities for personal development Effective Management of talent Clarity of company values Respectful treatment of employees Companys standards of ethical behavior Empowerment Image Equal opportunities & fair treatment Performance Appraisal Pay & benefits Health & Safety Job satisfaction Communication Family friendliness Co-operation
Feeling Valued & Involved
ENGAGEMENT
HOW TO MEASURE EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT? Engaged work places compared with least engaged are much more likely to have lower employee turnover, higher than average customer loyalty, above average productivity
and earnings. These are all good things that prove that engaging and involving employees make good business sense and building shareholder value. Negative workplace relationships may be a big part of why so many employees are not engaged with their jobs. Step I: Listen The employer must listen to his employees and remember that this is a continuous process. The information employees supply will provide direction. This is the only way to identify their specific concerns. When leaders listen, employees respond by becoming more engaged. This results in increased productivity and employee retention. Engaged Employees are much more likely to be satisfied in their positions, remain with the company, be promoted, and strive for higher levels of performance. Step II: Measure current level of employee engagement Employee engagement needs to be measured at regular intervals in order to track its contribution to the success of the organization. But measuring the engagement (feedback through surveys) without planning how to handle the result can lead employees to disengage. It is therefore not enough to feel the pulsethe action plan is just as essential. Knowing the Degree in which Employees Are Engaged? Employee engagement satisfaction surveys determine the current level of employee engagement. A well-administered satisfaction survey will let us know at what level of engagement the employees are operating. Customizable employee surveys will provide with a starting point towards the efforts to optimize employee engagement. Step III: - Identify the problem areas Identify the problem areas to see which are the exact areas, which lead to disengaged employees
Step IV: Taking action to improve employee engagement by acting upon the problem areas Nothing is more discouraging to employees than to be asked for their feedback and see no movement toward resolution of their issues. Even the smallest actions taken to address concerns will let the staff know how their input is valued.
Examples of Approaches
Employee
Engagement
Most organizations have a range of practices to improve the engagement level of their employees. One of the pitfalls of any employee engagement programme is a failure whether real or perceived - to follow through on the initial that the company is felt by their employees If your organisation is to succeed you must look use as many different approaches as you can. Here is a round-up of some of the best approaches.
Employee engagement employees
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Best practice recommends starting right at the selection or recruitment stage with: The right person and giving them a realistic job preview A strong induction and orientation programme Rigorous training and development, from technical to soft skills to leadership development programmes. Certification programmes to drive people towards excellent Performance
Employee engagement employees
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Employee engagement activities can be broken into a number of groups. These include: Communications activities Reward schemes Activities to build the culture of the organization Team building activities Leadership development activities
Communications activities These help employees find out what is going on within the company outside of their immediate team. They also help to create an environment of trust and openness within the organisation where they are able to talk openly. Employees who feel they are listened to are able to express dissatisfaction and work together to resolve their causes, without it affecting their performance. Good examples of communications approaches include: Communication forums to provide regular feedback to all people, including team meetings, conferences and away days In-house magazines On-line communications, including discussion boards and blogs by company personnel including senior management Monthly updates on corporate goals and directions
Regular employee opinion and satisfaction surveys Active soliciting of employee feedback, including opinions and pet peeves Reward schemes Reward schemes are an important part of a company's overall employee engagement programme. Studies have long shown that, while money in itself is not a motivating factor, the absence of financial reward can be a significant demotivator. Thus the role of reward schemes in boosting employee engagement is: to remove barriers to satisfaction in the organisation; to provide a framework for rewarding everyone in the organisation for their performance; to give those who are motivated by financial gain an opportunity to achieve this. Typical approaches include: Compensation and benefit programs Stock ownership and profit sharing Recognition programs Idea collection generation schemes linked to rewards for idea
Long service and good performance awards
Activities to develop the culture of the organisation Giving employees a feeling of belonging is crucial in creating a thriving organisation that people feel committed to and others want to join. Common approaches includes: Clear and humane HR policies Pro-social corporate objectives and Corporate Social Responsibility Equal opportunities policies and practices Initiatives to maintain the quality of worklife and a balance between personal/professional lives Developing a safe, clean and inspiring work environment Demonstrating a commitment to employees well being Team building activities Culture-building activities are great for generating a feeling of belonging, but all organisations are build out of smaller teams who can get on and work together. Popular approaches include: Small team recreational activities, such as bowling, skating, trips to the cinema (or the pub!) Social activities, such as family gatherings and barbeques Community outreach activities such as volunteering and fund-raising. Leadership development activities A great organisation needs not just a great leader, but people with leadership skills. This stimulates good performance, boosts creativity and eases succession planning.
Good practices include: Effective Leadership Effective Performance Management Fair evaluation of performance Empowerment through effective delegation Coaching and mentoring activities to give honest feedback by supervisors and peers An open and transparent culture to empower people and develop entrepreneurs
Employee engagement in action: Sun Microsystems
At Sun the virtual nature is partly due to flexible working practices. While flexible working arrangements are a plus for many employees and reduces facility costs for the organisation, that flexibility comes with some downsides like; isolation, loneliness and an increase in personal Distractions Isolation, especially when paired with the demands of work in an increasingly competitive environment, can wear down the sense of connection, commitment and excitement about any job. Thus a critical challenge for managers of virtual teams is how to keep remote employees engaged. At Sun, the concept of employee engagement starts right from the top:
Scott McNealy, the CEO, interacts with Sun employees through WSUN, a forum on Suns intranet. He uses this to sustain an active an ongoing dialogue on the corporate goals and direction. Through this interactive on-line resource he also solicits their feedback and opinions Other senior management members like Jonathan Schwartz, the COO, engages with employees on technology directions through his personal blog Business Unit Heads and Executive Vicepresidents have a target of holding six town halls with employees every year across the globe At the country level, Senior Management is tasked with constantly engaging employees through various forums, communication media and events to build excitement and passion including some that also reach out to the employees families.
Employee engagement: What exactly is it?
For several years now, 'employee engagement' has been a hot topic in corporate circles. It's a buzz phrase that has captured the attention of workplace observers and HR managers, as well as the executive suite. And it's a topic that employers and employees alike think they understand, yet can't articulate very easily. No wonder. It turns out that all that employee engagement research undertaken over the past few years has defined the term differently, and as a result, came up with different key drivers and implications. Enter The Conference Board, a prestigious, non-profit business membership and research organization located in the U.S. This group provides its members top executives and industry leaders from the most respected corporations in the United States and around the world with vital business intelligence and forward-looking best practices. In 2006, The Conference Board published "Employee Engagement, A Review of Current Research and Its Implications". According to this report, twelve major studies on employee engagement had been published over the prior four years by top research firms such as Gallup, Towers Perrin, Blessing White, the Corporate Leadership Council and others. Each of the studies used different definitions and, collectively, came up with 26 key drivers of engagement. For example, some studies emphasized the underlying cognitive issues, others on the underlying emotional issues. The Conference Board looked across this mass of data and came up with a blended definition and key themes that crossed all of the studies. They define employee engagement as "a heightened emotional connection that an employee feels for his or her organization, that influences him or her to exert greater discretionary effort to his or her work". At least four of the studies agreed on these eight key drivers.
Trust and integrity how well managers communicate and 'walk the talk'. Nature of the job Is it mentally stimulating day-to-day?
Line of sight between employee performance and company performance Does the employee understand how their work contributes to the company's performance? Career Growth opportunities Are there future opportunities for growth? Pride about the company How much self-esteem does the employee feel by being associated with their company? Coworkers/team members significantly influence one's level of engagement Employee development Is the company making an effort to develop the employee's skills? Relationship with one's manager Does the employee value his or her relationship with his or her manager?
Other key findings include the fact that larger companies are more challenged to engage employees than are smaller companies, while employee age drives a clear difference in the importance of certain drivers. For example, employees under age 44 rank "challenging environment/career growth opportunities" much higher than do older employees, who value "recognition and reward for their contributions". But all studies, all locations and all ages agreed that the direct relationship with one's manager is the strongest of all drivers. In the final analysis, one wonders whether employee engagement is just another trendy concept, or really a big deal? According the report, employee engagement is a very big deal. There is clear and mounting evidence that high levels of employee engagement keenly correlates to individual, group and corporate performance in areas such as retention, turnover, productivity, customer service and loyalty. And this is not just by small margins. While differences varied from study to study, highly engaged employees outperform their disengaged counterparts by a whopping 20 28 percentage points! Finally, there is some evidence that companies are responding to this employee engagement challenge - by flattening their chains of command, providing training for first-line managers and with better internal communications. Changes won't happen overnight, but with such significant upside to the bottom line - they might happen more quickly than you think
