EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT A WINNING FORMULA FOR SUCCESS
Dr. Adalat Khan
September 14, 2007
Employee engagement is a hot topic circulating in corporate circles and being implemented in global corporations, government agencies, and non governmental organizations. Is it just a new management mantra like reengineering, right sizing etc. which will fizzle out and become a history or does it really make a difference and sense? Employee engagement is indeed a concept which if implemented properly makes a lot of sense. It is a simple idea rationalizing the fact that the engagement and commitment of employees towards their work and organization can make a huge difference. Engaged employees create winning organizations that are more profitable, a fun place to work in and offer superb customer services and other solutions for which the organization exists. The concept is thus making headlines and becoming popular among major world class organizations be they in private or public sector. Ironically in the past, the idea that "our people are our most important asset" has been labeled the biggest commercial untruth since "the cheque is in the post". Today, however, there is clear evidence that business leaders are not simply saying this – they are actually experiencing it too with the employee engagement tools. Let us first define and clarify the key concepts about employee engagement.
Employee engagement is a concept that is generally viewed as managing discretionary effort, that is, when employees have choices, they will act in a way that furthers their organization's interests. An engaged employee is a person who is fully involved in, and enthusiastic about, his or her work.”
To further clarify this definition let us see categorise employees into three main categories:
Engaged:
These employees are loyal and productive. They are more productive, more likely to stay with their company for at least a year, less likely to have accidents on the job, and less likely to steal.
Not Engaged:
These employees may be productive but they are not psychologically connected to their company. They are more likely to miss work days and more likely to leave.
Actively Disengaged:
These employees are physically present but psychologically absent. They are unhappy with their work situation and insist on sharing that unhappiness with their colleagues.
KEY DRIVERS FOR EMPLOYEES ENGAGEMENT:
In 2006, The Conference Board a major US organization 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?
Employees rather engaged employees plays a key role in helping organizations achieving excellence. On the other hand disengaged and actively disengaged employees breed dis-loyalty, destruction and organizational failure. Actively dis-engaged employees can ruin grand plans and hamper strategies for achieving excellence. It is thus extremely important that companies give more attention to fostering engagement in their employees. By removing roadblocks which retard employees’ engagement and deploying the key drivers of engagement companies can achieve great results. Let it be noted that engagement is not yet another fad which will fade away but a simple and powerful idea which if implemented properly works as a winning formula.
Dr. Adalat Khan is the president of Mina Resources Sdn Bhd a leading training organization providing engagement training programs who can be reached by e-mail dradalat@gmail.com
Employee engagement is a concept that is generally viewed as managing discretionary effort, that is, when employees have choices, they will act in a way that furthers their organization's interests. An engaged employee is a person who is fully involved in, and enthusiastic about, his or her work.”
To further clarify this definition let us see categorise employees into three main categories:
Engaged:
These employees are loyal and productive. They are more productive, more likely to stay with their company for at least a year, less likely to have accidents on the job, and less likely to steal.
Not Engaged:
These employees may be productive but they are not psychologically connected to their company. They are more likely to miss work days and more likely to leave.
Actively Disengaged:
These employees are physically present but psychologically absent. They are unhappy with their work situation and insist on sharing that unhappiness with their colleagues.
KEY DRIVERS FOR EMPLOYEES ENGAGEMENT:
In 2006, The Conference Board a major US organization 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?
Employees rather engaged employees plays a key role in helping organizations achieving excellence. On the other hand disengaged and actively disengaged employees breed dis-loyalty, destruction and organizational failure. Actively dis-engaged employees can ruin grand plans and hamper strategies for achieving excellence. It is thus extremely important that companies give more attention to fostering engagement in their employees. By removing roadblocks which retard employees’ engagement and deploying the key drivers of engagement companies can achieve great results. Let it be noted that engagement is not yet another fad which will fade away but a simple and powerful idea which if implemented properly works as a winning formula.
Dr. Adalat Khan is the president of Mina Resources Sdn Bhd a leading training organization providing engagement training programs who can be reached by e-mail dradalat@gmail.com