Employee Engagement

Increasing attention has been paid to the subject of employee engagement over the past decade and many organisations have actively developed strategies designed to help them get the most from their employees.

Engagement is not a matter of coercing employees to work harder or do more, but about developing productive working relationships and a working environment where employees are willing and able to make the best use of their skills and abilities for the benefit of their employer and themselves. Team leaders and line managers have a vital role which is to motivate and inspire those they manage, to set direction for the team and provide an environment which enables people to work productively together.

What is Employee Engagement?

David MacLeod defines employee engagement in his 2009 report to UK government as:

“A workplace approach designed to ensure that employees are committed to their organisation’s goals and values, motivated to contribute to organisational success, and are able at the same time to enhance their own sense of well-being.”

Benefits of Employee Engagement for Employers and Organizations

For the employer, the benefits of employees and teams who are actively engaged with the organisation where they work include:

• Enhanced commitment, loyalty and performance
• Higher levels of discretionary effort
• The development of employees’ skills and abilities
• Fresh and innovative ideas and suggestions
• Greater synergy and productivity from the team as a whole
• A positive and productive working environment.

Benefits of Employee Engagement for Individuals

• A sense of personal fulfillment and well-being in their work
• Increased morale and job satisfaction
• The feeling that they are valued and that their efforts are appreciated
• A sense of pride in individual and team achievements
• The realization of their personal potential
• Enhancement of their promotion and career prospects

How to Engage Employees? - Employee Engagement Best Practices

1. Get to know your team

2. Set clear expectations

3. Keep team members in the loop

4. Build relationships of trust

5. Encourage open discussion and debate

6. Empower your team

7. Give feedback

8. Take the aspirations of team members seriously

9. Deal promptly with performance issues

10. Tackle conflicts at an early stage



References

Charted Management Institute.Benefits of Employee Engagement.[Online].Available at<https://www.managers.org.uk/knowledge-bank/employee-engagement

Shriar, J. (2017).6 amazing Benefits of employee Engagement.[Online].Available at<https://www.officevibe.com/blog/employee-engagement-benefits

Thompson, C. (2018). 14 Benefits of Employee Engagement-Backed by Research.[Online].Available at<https://www.quantumworkplace.com/future-of-work/14-benefits-of-employee-engagement-backed-by-research

Zinger, D. (2009). 22 Ways Employees benefit from their own Engagement.[Online].Available at< http://www.davidzinger.com/22-reasons-employee-benefit-from-their-own-engagement-3421/

Some of the Effective Employee Engagement Methods.

Individual well-being

 

Individual well being is really important. This brings enjoyment in the work that they do physical strength and financial knowledge and work life balance is important.

Work satisfaction 

Work satisfaction is also important. When the employees have the satisfaction in what they do, they will willingly come to work and give more than 100% to their job.

Growth opportunity 

Growth opportunities should be immense and there should not be any bias treatment when it comes to giving promotion.

Office culture 

Office culture also affects a lot in employee engagement. The office culture should be friendly, warm, should promote job enrichment and boost promotion.

Rewards & Recognition Methods

Employee performance should be recognized and rewarded appropriately and in a timely manner.

“Bottom Up” thinking, not “Top Down”

We don’t build a house starting from the roof and working downwards. the same goes for companies. If we don’t know what it’s thinking, we will be in a trouble. By using questionnaires and surveys it is easy to gauge employees’ feelings and opinions. The more employees are asked their opinions, the more they will feel empowered, trusted and respected, and more engaged they will be.

Listening to employees

If a clear issue has been identified, then it should be acted upon. More importantly, it should be visibly addressed, particularly if you have discussed it with them. Knowing that one’s opinions are not only listened to but also contribute to change is another way to increase engagement. 

Sharing good practices and ideas between teams

There’s nothing better than seeing employees' ideas and work practices being praised, so ensure that the employees have the opportunity to share and display their very best work. 

Having an employee voice

Having a once-a-year satisfaction survey is not enough to gauge how the company is doing. Also need to facilitate channels where each employee can raise issues and give feedback.

Understanding individual learning styles and preferences

If you understand how your employees learn – whether they prefer to work independently or in groups, for example – you will also find out a lot about how well they work and in which ways they are more likely to engage with projects.

References

Andriotis, N. (2016). The 6 most effective employee engagement strategies. Available at< https://www.efrontlearning.com/blog/2016/10/6-effective-employee-engagement-strategies.html> [Accessed on 20^th April 2018]

Posted by Bullseye Engagement. (2016). Different methods of effective employee engagement. Available at< http://blog.bullseyeengagement.com/different-methods-of-effective-employee-engagement> [Accessed on 20^th April 2018]