Essay: Employee Engagement & Cigarette Ban - Implications For Motivational & Management Theories.

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What is employee engagement?

Despite the absence of a single definition, when talking about what engagement means, some key themes emerge pretty quickly. Words such as involvement, commitment, discretionary effort, collaboration, motivation and performance are common. How practitioners then choose to convert these themes into an actual definition is up to them. There are also those who believe an exact definition is not needed: you know it when you
see it; it is something that you feel and is beyond a single definition. In fact, some organizations I work with choose not to define employee engagement at all. Instead they choose to talk about creating a great place to work or similar. The critical success factor is that however you choose to define or talk about engagement within your organization, people understand this. It’s vital that, amongst the senior leadership team at the very least, there is a common understanding of what you collectively mean by ‘employee engagement’. The term has become so ubiquitous that it is often used freely within organizations to mean different things to different people. Developing a definition, or expressing what you understand by employee engagement within your organization, is a great place to start to improve engagement. 

‘Cigarettes should be made illegal.’ Discuss.

Compare and contrast your own personal work experience with two motivation/management theories. If you have never been employed, use your personal experience at home or in education. You may choose from the following theorists: Maslow, Herzberg, Vroom, McGregor, Taylor, Fayol, Mayo.

Definition and factors influencing employee engagement

Employee engagement has various meaning such as commitment, collaboration of employees with the management, motivation, employee’s involvement, performance of employees and discretionary efforts to achieve organisational goals. People always think it with different prospective and changes its meaning in distinct scenarios. For this reason, it is advisable to define clearly and promptly about the meaning of employee engagement for an organisation predominantly (Bridger, 2014).  What value and morals will be set to bring workforce and management together that will establish a healthy organisation culture should be included in the meaning of employee engagement. In the previous version of employee engagement, many of the scholars gave opinion and proved their points with escalating time. For example William Kahn illustrated that it is a physiological conditions which is related to the personal engagement and disengagement.

The factors that influence these elements are safety felt by the employees in the organisation, meaning of employee engagement and accessibility to participate in the organisational activities. Furthermore, the past researches have also explored the employee engagement in three categories of psychological, construction of performance and disposition.  In addition to this, Gallup has also identified some influential aspects of employee’s engagement. He investigated the difference and similarities that makes an organisation successful and high performing (Bridger, 2014). He researched in organisations with a questionnaire of 12 questions integrated with tools and strategies to found out about the employees engagement in the organisation. Similarly, the questionnaire was designed with different tools and models as the time passed by. It clarified various concepts and evident the success of organisation is related with the employee’s engagement. It has been discovered that employee engagement is a very significant concept that which is even supported y the government of UK.  

In addition to this, employee commitment is based on several elements which are functioning of the organisation optimistically, work efforts, job satisfaction and involvement of organisation in employees issue and motivation. It is not particularly defined in an employment contract but willingly ensured or offered to the organisation by the employees when appropriate culture and environment is provided to them. It has also been apprehended that employment engagement promotes an organisation to self inspection as well as provide employees active participation to achieve the objectives with effective methods and strategies defined by the management of the organisation (Bridger, 2014). In addition to this, it effectuates the incorporation of beliefs and attitude that create motivation and zeal for success in the organisation. The engagement of employees can be summarised in three dimensions that is intellectual, affective, social engagement. Intellectual engagement is defined as thinking of employee to give best efforts in the job and accomplish the work in a better and effective way.

Benefits and drawbacks of cigarette smoking and ban

Along with this, affective engagement gives energy and motivation to the employees as they enjoy their work and errands which are allocated to them (Bridger, 2014). Lastly, social engagement enables employees to explore the opportunities to improve their relation and interaction about job with other personnel in the organisation that helps in increasing their productivity.  Besides this, the work engagement entails factors like absorption, vigour and dedication of employees to influence the work positively. On the other hand, sanguine organisational culture also affects the commitment and loyalty of employees towards organisation. Behaviour, personal attitude and belief of employee also plays significant role in employee engagement.

The report aims to provide a comprehension on the possession and production of cigarette making illegal by augmenting on the benefit and drawbacks associated with smoking cigarette (Rettner, 2013). As well know cigarette is the deadliest poison that causes early death and harmful diseases like cancer. Thus, it has become one of the most discussed matters on legal ban of smoking and production of cigarettes. It is not only a matter of condensing the cigarette consumption in the world but also reducing harmful effects to the environment and child labours due to its production and sale (Chew, 2013). However, this study will discuss both positive and negative side of cigarette ban.

The most important realisation of this research is that it has vanished thousands and hundreds of human being till now (Rom, 2011). Death from the use of tobacco in the world by 2020 even if we stop its consumption right now is estimated for more than 300million people. There are various dangerous diseases that are caused by the cigarette such as damage of central nervous system, difficulty and blockage in the respiratory system (Proctor, 2017). Apart from this, it also negatively impacts on the cardiovascular system as it increases risk of blood clots and blood cancer. Smoking encourage symptoms of several cancers in our body as well as it cause ageing in a person affecting its integumantary system such as skin, hair and nails by premature aging (Derthick, 2011). Apart from this, it also damages and weakens the reproductive system of the human body and sexuality system too (CEDARS – Jebel Ali International Hospital, 2011). Thus, in this discussion it can be recommended that such harmful comical should be banned and its consumption should illegalised.

On the other hand, it can be seen that long term use of cigarette may cause death but it can benefit a human body in major five ways (Wanjek, 2011). Smoking can lower the risk associated with the knee replacement surgery as it has been found in researches that nicotine in the cigarette helps in prevention in the occurrence of deterioration of cartilage and joint weakening. More to it, it also reduced the risk of Parkinson’s disease. It helps a human body to reduce weight and prevent from being an obese. It has been found in some studies that it has a positive relation between weight control and smoking.  Apart from this, it also decreases the chances of death in a person due to heart attack (Wanjek, 2011). The cigarette aids in working of heat drug called clopidogrel in operating and function in a better position and effectively. Therefore, it can be estimated that may be it has various harmful effects in the human body, however at the same time it is responsible for the improvising health in some of the body parts.

Practical implications and gaps of motivational and management theories

Conclusion

From the above debate it can be analysed that smoking the injurious to health and cause death with many diseases and failure of many body organs. Contrary to this, in some cases it helps the human being by providing and improving various health benefits. Moreover, consumption of smoking is very dangerous in the long run and cause death of even passive smokers. It changes and damages every part of the body. Thus recommendation to ban the cigarette is the favourable opinion for the better future and sustainable development of human kind.

This research facilitates in explaining the practical implication and theoretical incorporation of motivational/management theories. This study will compare and describe the distinction between practical implication of motivational and management theories in any organisation (Latham, 2012). The study is incorporating my personal experience in organisation where similarities and gaps in the theories of motivation and management can be critically examined. This research has examples to make it clearer to conclude by the reader. Therefore, self reflection has been illustrated in this section which elaborates the importance and gaps of motivation/management theories.  

I am working in a local retailing firm where organisational culture is quite healthy and employee’s engagement is increasing day by day due to improvement in the working conditions. However, there are still some of the issues like overtime policies and overburden of the work that keeps the dissatisfaction among workers. When I joined the store, some policies were not satisfactory like behaviour of the supervisors over salesmen and other staffs. Moreover, if a person comes late for some reason even for a very few time, deduction of payments were the most serious problem among workers. After some time with the change of management and strategies these working policies and situation changed and now some of the time concession is allowed to workers for appropriate reason. Similarly, now behaviour and attitude of superior personnel are changing too and they are more polite and understanding which has changed the scenario of dire working culture.

Any employee is motivated by implementing strategies and executing it properly in the organisational culture (CTI Reviews, 2016). Two of the motivating theories are Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and Herzberg’s two factor theory of motivation. Maslow’s hierarchy is consists of five needs with its achievement strategies and amount of need for any employee that is first self actualisation, esteem needs, belongingness and love needs, safety needs and physiological needs. In case of  Herzberg’s two factor that affects motivation of employees are based on motivational factors like growth and opportunities, meaningful work allocation and recognition, whereas hygiene factors like monetary satisfaction, benefits, status, interpersonal relationship and policies and standards (CTI Reviews, 2016).

In the present context, it can be depicted that store is increasing its motivational theory implementation in a more effective manner. However, these theories has a gap of satisfaction level in terms of measurement of satisfaction better services than before is not a measure of ensuring healthy environment (Petri and Govern, 2012). Along with this, in Maslow’s theory rank ordering is different in different individuals. I prefer job with security and safety more than self actualisation. Thus, different culture brings out different types of needs and priority to fulfil it. On the other hand, these theories are effectively increases motivation for an individual to achieve organisational goals and improve relationship between management and employees.

Conclusion

It has been evident from the above discussion that my experience and motivational/management has some gaps and similarities like overtime issues and salary satisfaction cannot be measured accurately. Human needs and desires are indefinite and it always wants to fulfil all of that. Conversely, motivational theory provides a little help to organisation in temporary satisfaction of needs of employees and increase organisational productivity.

Reference

Bridger, E. 2014. Employee Engagement. London: Kogan Page.

CEDARS – Jebel Ali International Hospital. 2011. Smoking and its ill effects. [Online].Available at: https://www.cedars-jaih.com/images/e-bulletin/pdf/E-Bulletin-Is22-May2011.pdf [Accessed on: 08 May 2017].

Chew, N. 2013. Three Reasons Why Smoking Should Be Banned. [Online].Available at:  https://www.livestrong.com/article/207919-three-reasons-why-smoking-should-be-banned/ [Accessed on: 08 May 2017].

CTI Reviews. 2016. Motivation, Theories and Principles: Psychology, Psychology. 5^th ed. Cram101 Textbook Reviews.

Derthick, M. A. 2011. Up in Smoke: From Legislation to Litigation in Tobacco Politics. 3^rd ed. Sage.

Latham, G. P. 2012. Work Motivation: History, Theory, Research, and Practice. SAGE.

Petri, H. L., and Govern, J. M. 2012. Motivation: Theory, Research, and Application. 6^th ed. Cengage Learning.

Proctor, R. N.  2017. Why ban the sale of cigarettes? The case for abolition. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 22(1).

Rettner, R. 2013. Should Cigarettes Be Illegal? [Online].Available at: https://www.livescience.com/26580-cigarettes-illegal.html [Accessed on: 08 May 2017].

Rom, W. N. 2011. Environmental Policy and Public Health: Air Pollution, Global Climate Change, and Wilderness. John Wiley & Sons.  

Wanjek, C. 2011.  5 Health Benefits of Smoking. [Online].Available at:  https://www.livescience.com/15115-5-health-benefits-smoking-disease.html [Accessed on: 08 May 2017].