What is engagement?
A clear view of the behaviours demonstrated by the engaged employee emerged:
• belief in the organisation
• desire to work to make things better
• understanding of business context and the ‘bigger picture’
• respectful of, and helpful to colleagues
• willingness to ‘go the extra mile’
• keeping up to date with developments in the field.
Measuring engagement
Positive responses to the engagement statements indicate:
• a positive attitude towards, and pride in, the organisation
• belief in the organisation’s products/services
• a perception that the organisation enables the employee to perform well
• a willingness to behave altruistically and be a good team player
• an understanding of the bigger picture and a willingness to go beyond the requirements of the job.
What drives engagement?
Research shows that committed employees perform better. If we accept that engagement, as many believe, is ‘one step up’ from commitment, it is clearly in the organisation’s interests to understand the drivers of engagement. Study data indicates that opinions about, and experiences of, many aspects of working life are strongly correlated with engagement levels. However, the strongest driver of all is a sense of feeling valued and involved. This has several key components:
• involvement in decision making
• the extent to which employees feel able to voice their ideas, and managers listen to these views, and value employees’ contributions
• the opportunities employees have to develop their jobs
• the extent to which the organisation is concerned for employees’ health and wellbeing.
The line manager clearly has a very important role in fostering employees’ sense of involvement and value - an observation that is completely consistent with research in many different areas of HR practice and employment, all of which point to the critical importance of the employee-manager relationship.
Diagnostic tool for employee engagement include the following
-training
-development
-career
-performance appraisals
-performance management
-communication
-equal opportunity
-fair treatment
-pay
-benefits
-health
-safety
-cooperation
-family orientation
-friendliness
-job satisfaction etc
General lessons
Attempts to raise engagement levels are likely to founder, unless the following ‘building blocks’ are in place:
• good quality line management
• two-way communication
• effective internal co-operation
• a development focus
• commitment to employee well-being
• clear, accessible HR policies and practices, to which managers at all levels are committed.
It looks easy, but of course it isn’t; it requires a huge amount of effort and continuing investment to ensure that all of these basics are in place and working well. Embarking on a drive to increase engagement levels should not be undertaken lightly, bearing in mind the ease with which engagement (like the psychological contract) can be shattered.
SOME USEFUL COMPANY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS COULD INCLUDE
*A daily column, written by CEO, on the intranet with company announcements / programs etc.
*Update via an overhead paging system, which is used to recognize employees for significant business achievements.
*Online real-time tracking of progress. Employees can view company progress towards targets / goals.
*Provide long-term strategic vision for business growth.
*Employee suggestion systems / quick responses.
*Replay on the intranet about the president's / CEO's press conference.
*Live version of internal house magazine.
*CEO spending time in face to face communication with staff.
*CEO based FAQ questions on company business.
*ONLINE "ask the CEO" mailbox.
*monthly staff awards
*annual staff awards
*Weekly blog related to serious business issues and staff to read / comments.
*appointment of disaster management team
*appointment of emergency management team
*problem solving committee.
*quality assurance committee.
A clear view of the behaviours demonstrated by the engaged employee emerged:
• belief in the organisation
• desire to work to make things better
• understanding of business context and the ‘bigger picture’
• respectful of, and helpful to colleagues
• willingness to ‘go the extra mile’
• keeping up to date with developments in the field.
Measuring engagement
Positive responses to the engagement statements indicate:
• a positive attitude towards, and pride in, the organisation
• belief in the organisation’s products/services
• a perception that the organisation enables the employee to perform well
• a willingness to behave altruistically and be a good team player
• an understanding of the bigger picture and a willingness to go beyond the requirements of the job.
What drives engagement?
Research shows that committed employees perform better. If we accept that engagement, as many believe, is ‘one step up’ from commitment, it is clearly in the organisation’s interests to understand the drivers of engagement. Study data indicates that opinions about, and experiences of, many aspects of working life are strongly correlated with engagement levels. However, the strongest driver of all is a sense of feeling valued and involved. This has several key components:
• involvement in decision making
• the extent to which employees feel able to voice their ideas, and managers listen to these views, and value employees’ contributions
• the opportunities employees have to develop their jobs
• the extent to which the organisation is concerned for employees’ health and wellbeing.
The line manager clearly has a very important role in fostering employees’ sense of involvement and value - an observation that is completely consistent with research in many different areas of HR practice and employment, all of which point to the critical importance of the employee-manager relationship.
Diagnostic tool for employee engagement include the following
-training
-development
-career
-performance appraisals
-performance management
-communication
-equal opportunity
-fair treatment
-pay
-benefits
-health
-safety
-cooperation
-family orientation
-friendliness
-job satisfaction etc
General lessons
Attempts to raise engagement levels are likely to founder, unless the following ‘building blocks’ are in place:
• good quality line management
• two-way communication
• effective internal co-operation
• a development focus
• commitment to employee well-being
• clear, accessible HR policies and practices, to which managers at all levels are committed.
It looks easy, but of course it isn’t; it requires a huge amount of effort and continuing investment to ensure that all of these basics are in place and working well. Embarking on a drive to increase engagement levels should not be undertaken lightly, bearing in mind the ease with which engagement (like the psychological contract) can be shattered.
SOME USEFUL COMPANY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMS COULD INCLUDE
*A daily column, written by CEO, on the intranet with company announcements / programs etc.
*Update via an overhead paging system, which is used to recognize employees for significant business achievements.
*Online real-time tracking of progress. Employees can view company progress towards targets / goals.
*Provide long-term strategic vision for business growth.
*Employee suggestion systems / quick responses.
*Replay on the intranet about the president's / CEO's press conference.
*Live version of internal house magazine.
*CEO spending time in face to face communication with staff.
*CEO based FAQ questions on company business.
*ONLINE "ask the CEO" mailbox.
*monthly staff awards
*annual staff awards
*Weekly blog related to serious business issues and staff to read / comments.
*appointment of disaster management team
*appointment of emergency management team
*problem solving committee.
*quality assurance committee.
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