Introduction of Employee Engagement
The employee engagement is a workplace
approach resulting in the right conditions for all members of an organisation
to give of their best each day, committed to their organisation’s goals and
values, with an enhanced sense of their own well-being (Engage for Success.org,
2020 ). In addition, Employee engagement is a part of employee retention."
This definition integrates the classic constructs of job satisfaction (Smith et
al., 1969), and organizational commitment (Meyer & Allen, 1991). According
to Schaufeli and Bakker (2004) defined engagement as a state of mind relating
to positive, fulfilling & work- related that is characterized by three
dimensions as vigour, dedication and absorption.
Vigour is the willingness of the employees to
do the “hard” work, having the determination and the willingness to put in the
time & effort that is needed to get the difficult work done (Admasachew and Dawson, 2011).
Dedication is the presence of significance,
enthusiasm, inspiration, pride, and challenge in the employees (Admasachew and
Dawson, 2011).
Absorption is how concentrated and “happily”
occupied the employees with their work, to the level where detaching from work
becomes a challenge. This is the state commonly referred to as being on a
“flow”, where the mind is laser focused on the job at hand & the body
executes flawlessly (Admasachew and Dawson, 2011).
The employee engagement is based on
trust, integrity, two-way commitment and communication between an organisation
and its members (Engage for Success.org, 2020). It is an approach that
increases the chances of business success, contributing to organisational and
individual performance, productivity and well-being. It can be measured. It
varies from poor to great. it can be lost and thrown away. (MacLeod and Clarke,
2009, 9)
Kahn, (1990, 694) Describes employee
engagement as when the employees are given an opportunity to express their
views physically, emotionally and through actions. The emotional part of the
employees could be classified as either negative or positive views about the
organisation. Moreover, according to Kahn, engagement is when an employee is
physically and emotionally present while doing their daily work.
Engagement is about creating opportunities for employees to connect with their colleagues, managers and wider organisation. It is also about creating an environment where employees are motivated to want to connect with their work and really care about doing a good job (Macleod and Clarke, 2009). It is a concept that places flexibility, change and continuous improvement at the heart of what it means to be an employee and an employer in a twenty-first century workplace.” (K.Truss, 2008)
Using below video: 01, we can get a
better simple idea about the concept of employee engagement with examples. The
video shows how employee satisfaction does not necessarily mean being employed,
using examples such as the fashion store sales team leaving the music and
laughing ( clearly satisfied with their work ) However, it is not
customer-centric and often does not function ( not involved) in the way that
facility leadership requires.
Video 01: Definition of Employee
Engagement
Source:
(Kruse, 2015)
List
of References:
Admasachew, L. and Dawson, J. F. (2011) ‘Employee Engagement – A Brief Review of Definitions, Theoretical Perspectives and Measures’, Aston Business School, Aston University, p. 11.
Engage for Success.org, 2020, Available at: https://engageforsuccess.org/what-is-employee-engagement
Kahn, W. A. (1990) Psychological Conditions of Personal Engagement and Disengagement at Work. Academy of Management Journal, 33(4), pp. 692–724.
Kruse, K. (2015) What Is the Definition of Employee Engagement? [Online]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uu7EG6EZeAM [Accessed on 23 October 2019].
Macleod, D. and Clarke, N. (2009) ‘Engaging for Success: enhancing performance through employee engagement’, Department for Business Innovation & Skills, 1, pp. 1–124.
Schaufeli, W. B. and Bakker, A. B. (2004) Job demands, job resources, and their relationship with burnout and engagement: a multi-sample study. Journal of Organizational Behaviour, 25(1), pp. 293-315.
Employee engagement has been a considered part of management theory since the 1990s and became widely adopted in the 2000s. While it has its detractors, mostly based on how difficult it can be to measure, employee engagement has been found to have direct links to a company's profitability and financial health (Smith 2020).Engaged employees often develop an emotional connection to their job and company, and will be focused on working toward their organization's goals.
ReplyDeleteHi Janaka, thank you for your input! I agree, Vance (2006) also stated that engaged employees lead organizations to achieve critical business results. Every organization has employees but one of the main reasons why some businesses thrive while others struggle is the percentage of "engaged" employees the organization has been able to sustain.
DeleteHi Dilini, Employee engagement strategies allow people to be the best they can be, and this can only happen if they are respected, connected, heard, guided and appreciated by themselves and those who work with them Laurie, 2005). Engaged employees have a sense of personal attachment to their work and organization and they are motivated to give their best to make it a success, which brings a number of benefits to the organization and individuals (Laurie, 2005).
ReplyDeleteI agreed your important points. Other strategies are also there. : Provide a Road Map for Success, Recognize Good Work, Provide a Sense of Purpose, Be Fair and Realistic, Share good practice and ideas between team, Understand individual learning styles and preferences, Employ effective group learning strategies, Asking for feedback, Hold regular social gatherings and Encourage collaboration (Armstrong , 2009).
DeleteAdding to your post, it is important to understand that employee motivation is not employee engagement. A motivated employee necessary might not be engaged. Stated below are most frequent ways of knowing if the individual is engaged (Marciano, 2010).
ReplyDelete1. Brings new ideas to work
2. Is passionate and enthusiastic about work
3. Takes initiative
4. Actively seeks to improve self, others, and business
5. Consistently exceeds goals and expectations
Hi Sonali, thanks for your input. The Employee would get a sense of
Deletefulfilment when he/she is assigned with meaningful work
activities, when there is an opportunity for choosing the
activities of interest, when there is an opportunity to grow
personally and feeling of competence from goal achievement
which ultimately enhances employee engagement. However,
it is important to understand, people and their needs differ.
The activity that motivates an individual may not motivate
another one (Ryan and Deci, 2000b)
Employee engagement is the emotional commitment of employees to their organization and the actions they take to ensure the success of the organization. Engaged employees demonstrate care, commitment, proactive responsibility, and results of focus (Allen, 2014). Engaged employees work with passion and feel an emotional connection to their company but if not engaged do what only requested by management.(Allen, 2014) Building Engagement is a never-ending process that is based on meaningful and emotional service experience(Allen, 2014).
ReplyDeleteAgreed. The definition by Schaufeli and Bakker (2004) also followed a similar thought process - they defined engagement as a state of mind relating to positive, fulfilling work that is characterized by three key elements; vigour, dedication and absorption.
DeleteAccording to an article in engage for success, employee engagement is a workplace approach resulting in the right conditions for all members of an organization to give of their best each day, committed to their organization’s goals and values, motivated to contribute to organizational success, with an enhanced sense of their own well-being (MacLeod n.d).
ReplyDeleteHi Romesh, thank you for the comment. (Lewis, 2013) the effective ways of appreciating an employee is through praise and and recognition.
DeleteHi Dilini, Employee employment is the employee's high emotional and relation to his / her job, organization, manager or co-workers. It forces him / her to pursue his / her work in an additional way (Gokula, 2013).
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your insightful gatherings, Ranga. Agreed, Armstrong (2009) also states that the line managers play a vital role in an organisation in increasing employee engagement levels. Also, the author emphasizes on the training of line managers and prospective managers to equip them with the skills and knowledge required to play this role.
DeleteEmployee engagement is a different and incomparable theory which is a collection of knowledge, emotion and behaviour (Saks, 2006). Cha (2007) defined employee engagement as the employee’s active participation in work and the shape of full physiology, cognition, and emotion that attend the work engagement, including three dimensions of work engagement, organizational identification, and sense of work value.
ReplyDeleteHi Chamila, valid points, thank you for your comment. I would like to add that Engaged employees care about the future of the organization and are loyal to the organization. Engaged employees will stay with the organization, perform better and become committed to their organization. They form an emotional attachment with their organization, develop a positive attitude towards their organization and provide customer satisfaction. Effective employee engagement is the key for improved organizational performance (Kahn, 1990)
DeleteAgreed, As clarify by Carbonara,(2012) Employee's engagement is the passion and dedication of workers to work. For these devoted employees, it’s the will to labor for them to be keen about their work, and this enthusiasm is usually mirrored of their achievements.
ReplyDeleteEmployee engagement does not have a single definition. Each party; Organizations, Institutes and Scholars have conceptualized engagement in various ways. The concept has developed over a period of 28 years; therefore, it is difficult to find two parties defining it the same way (Smith & Markwick, 2009).Thus, the concept of employee engagement matured, where it was identified, engaged employees are an important asset to any organization for its sustainability and successfulness (Chandel, 2018).
ReplyDeleteThank you Thilini for adding more definitions about employee engagement to my blog. Employee engagement is a vast construct that touches almost all parts of human resource management surfaces (Kompaso and Sridevi, 2010). Employee engagement is stronger predictor of positive organizational performance clearly showing the two-way relationship between employer and employee.
Delete
ReplyDeleteEmployee engagement is the employee's inner devotedness to the organization and the decision they take to make the organization to success. Engagement is seen to be a good thing for both the employer and employee. Investing in employee engagement will result in a positive relationship in the organization performance (Kompaso and Sridevi, 2010).
The need for a two-way communication is necessary in the process of establishing a good relationship between employee and organization in order to support and develop engagement (Robinson, et al, 2004). Engagement again speaks volumes of the inner commitment of employees towards achieving organizational goals (Allen, 2014). Employee engagement strategies when successful brings about a decrease in employee turnover, better productivity, finer efficiency and win customer centricity/loyalty (Robertson-Smith and Markwick, 2009).
ReplyDeleteHi Asitha, Thanks for the concern. Mainly staff leave company due to lack of growth & progression. Opportunity for growth and development is very important for retaining good employees. If an employee feels trapped in a dead-end position, they are likely to look towards different companies for the chance to improve their status and income. If the company can make them engaged employees they work effectively.
DeleteHi Dilini , Adding more knowledge to this , Development Dimensions International ( 2005 ) states that, a manager must do five things to create a highly engaged employees. They are
ReplyDelete* Align efforts with strategy
* Empower
* Promote and encourage teamwork and collaboration
* Help People grow and develop
* Provide support & recognition where appropriate
Thank you for sharing your insightful gatherings Madura. Agreed, Armstrong (2009) also states that the line managers play a vital role in an organisation in increasing employee engagement levels. Also, the author emphasizes on the training of line managers and prospective managers to equip them with the skills and knowledge required to play this role.
DeleteAgreed with your statements. According to Robertson-Smith and Markwick,(2009) Organization can reduce the staff turnover rate, while increasing the employee effectiveness and productivity level by having a proper employee engagement strategies.
ReplyDeleteAdding more to you post, employee engagement has emerged as one of the greatest challenges in today’s workplace. With complexities and stringent regulations in many organizations, employee engagement will continue to challenge organizations in the future (Mishra et al., 2014). This aspect challenges management because engagement is a critical element in maintaining the organization’s vitality, survival, and profitability (Albercht et al., 2015). Organizations that have highly engaged employees have greater profits than those that do not (Society for Human Resource Management [SHRM], 2014). Organizations with highly engaged employees experience increased customer satisfaction, profits, and employee productivity (Ahmetoglu et al., 2015).
ReplyDeleteEmployee engagement has emerged as a critical driver of business success in today's competitive marketplace and the term employee engagement relates to the level of an employee's commitment and connection to an organization(Markos & Sridevi, 2010).
ReplyDeleteAs per Perrin (2003), the employee engagement can be defined as the “employees’ willingness and ability to help their company succeed, largely by providing discretionary effort on a sustainable basis.” According to the study, engagement is affected by many factors which involve both emotional and rational factors relating to work and the overall work experience.
ReplyDeleteThe notion of employee engagement is a relatively new one, one that has been heavily marketed by human resource (HR) consulting firms that offer advice on how it can be created and leveraged. Academic researchers are now slowly joining the fray, and both parties are saddled with competing and inconsistent interpretations of the meaning of the construct. Casual observation suggests that much of the appeal to organizational management is driven by claims that employee engagement drives bottom-line results. Indeed, at least one HR consulting firm (Hewitt Associates LLC, 2005), indicates that they ‘‘have established a conclusive, compelling relationship between engagement and profitability through higher productivity, sales, customer satisfaction, and employee retention.’’
ReplyDeleteEmployee Engagement is a concept gaining significant importance in the past 10 years. Organization today use engaged employees as a tool for strategic partner in the business. The concept of employee engagement has now gained even more importance, since many drivers have been identified, which impact employee performance and well-being at workplace (Pandita, 2014).
ReplyDeleteWorkplaces that are "supportive, friendly and collaborative" are very different from "disorganized, gossipy and lazy" ones. They get very different results too -- engaged workplaces are far more profitable and productive than disengaged ones. And engaged employees are also more likely to talk about your organization in a way that makes potential customers and possible job candidates want to pursue employment in your organization. (Gallup 2020)
ReplyDeleteEngagement is a concept with a sparse and diverse theoretical and empirically demonstrated nomological net the relationships among potential antecedents and consequences of engagement as well as the components of engagement have not been rigorously conceptualized (Schneider,2008)
ReplyDeletePerrin’s Global Workforce Study (2003) uses the definition “employees’ willingness and ability to help their company succeed, largely by providing discretionary effort on a sustainable basis.” According to the study, engagement is affected by many factors which involve both emotional and rational factors relating to work and the overall work experience.
ReplyDelete