An Overview of Employee Engagement and Its Importance in Achieving Business Outcomes

There are many examples of organisations that clearly misunderstand the concept of employee engagement. Often levels of employee engagement are measured in a very superficial way that potentially adds very little value - for example, by the use of employee engagement surveys. Your recently appointed C.E.O, in the past has been a very strong advocate of engagement surveys. He has come to you (in HR) for advice and has asked for a proposal for how levels of employee engagement can be effectively measured. He/she has asked for an initial report which should provide explanation covering the concept and components of employee engagement and evidence showing its contribution to achieving business outcomes. Your report should be structured under the key theme of: An overview of the concept of employee engagement and why your C.E.O., together with all other key stakeholders, should recognize its significance. Specifically, you need to address the following issues:

1. An analysis of ‘Employee Engagement,’ including its principal dimensions and components, together with a comparison with related concepts.

2. A justification of the need for alignment between engagement practices and other corporate components (e.g mission) if the full benefits of high engagement are to be realised.

3. An identification of the principal drivers of employee engagement and offer an evaluation of the business benefits for key stakeholders – customers, employees, managers.

4. An explanation of how job design, discretionary behaviour, role autonomy and organisational citizenship contribute to employee engagement.

In organisations, employee engagement is about employees to feel passionate about their work they do and maintain the commitment by achieving the desired goals. It requires them to put discretionary effort but engagement does not define satisfaction because it is not about employees being happy or content (Kruse, 2012). Employee engagement is important for the success of an organisation by involving employees in the organisational objectives and missions, decision making, and their satisfaction towards work. The social impacts on the society are based on employee engagement within the attaining organisational objectives. It is essential to think about the relationship between employees as well for the creation of productive working environment (Shoaib, 2019).  

The principal dimensions of employee engagement consists of what employees will get from an organisation, what they will give in return, to know where they belong within the company, and to measure their continuous growth. Thus, it consists of working engagement, engaging with everyone, and engaging with customers (Roden, 2012). Moreover, employee engagement can be analysed through its components as well where employees are involved psychologically, physically or emotionally in their jobs. While working, employees consider the components when engaging that are commitment, loyalty, motivation, and trust (Insights, 2014). Hence, in today’s time, it is essential to have a competitive workforce where engaged employees are an invaluable asset. They are passionate, committed, and inspired while also inspiring others where it is essential to foster the employee engagement within organisations. It requires companies to support employees for making a team along with improving and excelling (Turley, 2019).

Justification

There is a relation between clear mission, inspiring vision, and strong values which leads to organizational success which is not possible without a great workforce. Employee Engagement is an essential function of human resource (HR) practices as at the time of aligning it with organisation objectives and aims impacts productivity and other major benefits in business positively. The necessity of aligning HR strategies and the business is supreme as along with business strategy, employees engaged behaviours also impact the HR strategy (Casserley, 2011). HR strategy integrates both vertically and horizontally for becoming a driver to achieve success within the organisation.

If initiatives taken vertically, consider the business strategy and HR strategy alignment while if integrated horizontally, consider different HR strategies for contributing in business strategy overall. Horizontal integration consists of employee engagement and relations, resourcing, reward and performance strategies, and development and learning (Johnson, 2014). In organisations, benefits include the increased discretionary effort application and increased employee commitment. It is essential for employees to have access to increasing opportunities for development while promoting meaningful work as well. This defines the benefits by having greater levels of satisfaction in employees’ lives along with better physical and mental health. In case of customers, employee engagement at high level refers leading to increase in customer satisfaction which results in organisational productivity and continuous business (Rogers, 2014). Here, communication is a building pillar of organizational alignment for employee engagement where it is essential for employees to understand their roles in business for achieving success.

Employee Engagement has principal drivers which are essential to identify due to diminishing customer complaints and maintain the staff performance. It is also important to balance customer service increased levels, engaged employees and higher profits altogether for the company’s success which requires awareness about employee engagement to prevent continuous struggle in businesses (Clapon, 2016). Though, there are many drivers in employee engagement but the major ones are leadership termed as strategic narrative, employee voice, engaging leaders and integrity while focusing on success. The redefining of such drivers can be seen as leadership, values, opinion and environment where employees are satisfied with their jobs (Ward, 2018). The principal driver leadership of employee engagement is to benefit key stakeholders such as employees, customers and managers.

Thus, drivers in employee engagement are to make sure employees feeling connected, free, having fun, contributing, and growing (Gifford, 2019).  In business, evaluating these drivers provides benefits for key stakeholders as well such as employees, customers and managers. Employee engagement keeps customers happy without any complaint, employees working together feel satisfied in their jobs, and managers can easily team up the workforce to achieve the desired results within the company. Employees need to be involved, committed and enthusiast in their workplace to benefit the business and key stakeholders which requires motivation with higher satisfaction and growth within the company for lower turnover and higher retention, increased profitability, higher productivity, increased employee loyalty, and less absenteeism (Robins, 2017).

Identification and Evaluation

Employees are defined to be engaged and receive ratings based on higher performance from supervisors along with enacting more organisational citizenship behaviours and engagement in less deviant behaviours (Shantz, et al., 2013). The discretionary effort is easily demonstrated through willing engaged workforce within their roles, values and goals reflecting to their company while expressing passion for work, its meaning and feeling valued. Employee engagement is explained through contribution of role autonomy, job design, organisational citizenship and discretionary behaviour. It is possible by making sure about employees selection based on their personal attributes thriving competitiveness along with sales driven setting (Kariuki, 2015). Furthermore, setting their own personal SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timely) objectives make employees promote role autonomy levels at high.

This role autonomy promotion drives innovation with high level of employee engagement and culture promotion while working in team where open feedback is prevalent as well. It defines employees working together flexibly and willing to support and help each other. While job design concludes the principle dimensions of employee engagement examined consisting job content, job context, the line management and work relationships (Kappel, 2018). The increasing autonomy level of individuals defines their roles leading to engaged attitudes and behaviours. These high levels exhibit positive discretionary behaviours where one of them is OCB (organisational citizenship behaviour) defining organisation’s objectives and aims. OCB consists of psychological contract uphold, based on trust and is free, no need of employment contract, and there is mutual expectation between an employee and employer (Bedarkar & Pandita, 2014).

Employee Engagement is beneficial while transferring new skills and knowledge into working practices in terms of maintaining management and good quality jobs within an organisation (Brown, 2018). In organisations, this creates a healthier, happier and fulfilled environment for employees as well along with better products or services, driving productivity, and innovation. It will help in gaining mutual views in relation to people management and motivation for success through promoting employee engagement within an organisation while making efforts. Employee engagement refers to the job design-performance relationship as well based on employees holding their jobs and offering high autonomy levels, task significance and variety, and feedback. Employee Engagement helps in improving job performance, increased loyalty, motivation, productivity and retention, and aiding recruitment along with choosing an employer of own within the company. In organisations, it is vital to define clear vision and mission for providing guidance and direction along with appealing stakeholders to stay which is possible by communicating effectively which shows the purpose of employee engagement. Lastly, it is essential for achieving the business goals along with improving employee engagement possible through professional development.  

References

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