“The best companies now know, without a doubt, where productivity—real and

limitless productivity—comes from. It comes from challenged, empowered, excited,

rewarded teams of people. It comes from engaging every single mind in the organization,
making everyone part of the action, and allowing everyone to have a voice—a role—in
the success of the enterprise. Doing so raises productivity not incrementally, but by
multiples.”
Jack Welch
Former Chairman and CEO of General Electric
Human Resources, 10 September 2003

Introduction:

It is the need of the hour that, Organizations should increasingly convert from
traditionalism to the contemporary learning and individualized corporations. With
growing opportunity and greater flow of information, employees today want to be in the
best workplaces handling the best suited responsibilities and enjoy greater autonomy.
Therefore, engaging the employees to the work as per their competency level must
occupy the centre stage not only for the HR department but also for the immediate
bosses.

The extent that an employee believes in the mission, purpose and values of an
organization and demonstrates that commitment through their actions and their attitude
towards the employer (both internal & external) will determine the employee satisfaction
towards his/her work. Employee engagement is high when the statements and
conversations held reflect a natural enthusiasm for the company, its employees and the
products or services provided.

Employee engagement is the level of commitment and involvement an employee has

towards their organization and its values. An engaged employee is aware of business
context, and works with colleagues to improve performance within the job for the benefit
of the organization.

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT:

In other words, employee engagement can be described as:

“The degree to which an employee is emotionally bonded to his/her organisation and is
passionate about the work that really matters”. The organization must work to develop
and nurture engagement, which requires a two-way relationship between employer and
employee. Thus Employee engagement is a barometer that determines the association of a
person within the organization.
Engagement can also be defined as “the extent to which people enjoy and believe in what
they do and feel valued for doing it.”

Enjoyment

Engagement

Belief Value

Employee commitment and engagement is measured by three primary behaviours –

Say, Stay and Strive.

'Say' is evidently achieved if the employee consistently speaks positively about the
organisation to co-workers and refers potential employees and customers.

'Stay' refers to the employee's intensive desire to be a member of the organisation,

despite opportunities to work elsewhere.

'Strive' indicates an extra effort and behaviours that contribute to business success.

As organizations globalize and become more dependent on technology in a virtual

working environment, there is a greater need to connect and engage with employees to
provide them with an “organizational identity”. Employee engagement plays a greater
role in the current era where every contribution by each of the employee counts.
Employee engagement programmes throw light into the success of the company in
engaging its employees in the productive activities.

Employee engagement is not just the process of engaging the employees productively. It
also expects the organization to pave the way to ensure that the employees are motivated
to put in their best efforts for the wealth maximization. This requires building loyalty
which can inject commitment in doing quality work. The mission must be well defined
and supported by well set organizational plans and policies for its attainment. The
management is also to provide with the set of tools and material that are necessary for
performing the task effectively.
 WHAT DOES AN ENGAGED EMPLOYEE THINK, FEEL & DO?

I understand how my
role in the organization I understand how my unit/
is related to the department contributes to
organization’s goals, the success of the
objectives & direction. organization
COGNITIVE
THINK
I am willing to
put in a great deal I would recommend
of effort beyond my organization to a
BEHAVIOURIAL AFFECTIVE friend as a good place
what is normally
ACT FEEL to work
expected to help
my organization
to succeed
I am proud to tell
others that I work for
I am personally my organization
motivated to help
my organization to
be successful

Various researches have been conducted in the past and all of them have one thing in
common that if an organization wants to sustain in the long run then it is really essential
for it to have an engaged workforce. Employees feel engaged when they find personal
meaning and motivation in their work, receive positive interpersonal support, and
operate in an efficient work environment. All efforts are made on maximizing employee
output and making the most of organizational resources. An engaged workforce takes an
organization to great heights.

LEVELS OF ENGAGEMENT

Engaged
• Work with passion
• Feel connected to work, employer
• Drive innovation

Not engaged
• Checked out or retired on the job
• Putting in their time, not their energy

Actively disengaged engaged

• – Interfere with others productivity
ENGAGED BEHAVIOUR

• High levels of effort

• Persistence at difficult tasks
• Providing assistance to others
• Going “above and beyond”
• Making recommendations
• Expanding personal
• Adapting to change

CATEGORIES OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

According to the Gallup, the Consulting organization there is there are different types of
people:-

I. ENGAGED:

"Engaged" employees are builders. They want to know the desired expectations for their
role so that they can meet and exceed them. They are naturally curious about their
company and their place in it. They perform at consistently high levels. They want to use
their talents and strengths at work every day. They work with passion and they drive
innovation and move their organization forward.

II. NOT ENGAGED:

“Not-engaged” employees tend to concentrate on tasks rather than the goals and
outcomes they are expected to accomplish. They want to be told what to do just so they
can do it and say they have finished. They focus on accomplishing tasks vs. achieving an
outcome. Employees who are not-engaged tend to feel their contributions are being
overlooked, and their potential is not being tapped. They often feel this way because they
don't have productive relationships with their managers or with their coworkers.

III. ACTIVELY DISENGAGED:

The "Actively Disengaged" employees are the "cave dwellers." They are "Consistently
against Virtually Everything." They're not just unhappy at work; they're busy acting out
their unhappiness. They sow seeds of negativity at every opportunity. Every day, actively
disengaged workers undermine what their engaged coworkers accomplish.

As workers increasingly rely on each other to generate products and services, the
problems and tensions that are fostered by actively disengaged workers can cause great
damage to an organization's functioning.
IMPORTANCE OF ENGAGEMENT:

An organization’s capacity to manage employee engagement is closely related to its

ability to achieve high performance levels and superior business results. Some of the
advantages of Engaged employees are:

• Engaged employees will stay with the company, be an advocate of the company
products and services, and contribute to the bottom line of the business success.

• They will normally perform better and are Self-Motivated.

• There is a significant link between employee engagement and profitability.

• They form an emotional connection with the company. This impacts their attitude
towards the company’s clients, and thereby improves customer satisfaction and
service levels.

• It builds passion, commitment and alignment with the organization’s strategies and
goals

• Increases employees’ trust in the organization

• Creates a sense of loyalty in a competitive environment
• Provides a high-energy working environment
• Boosts business growth
• Makes the employees effective brand ambassadors for the company

A highly engaged employee will consistently deliver beyond expectations.

Employee Engagement Begins From Day 1:

Research has proved that employee engagement begins from day one repairing
employees for their new roles and communicating how they can help the firm meets its
goals can go a long way toward determining whether new employees ultimately succeed.
The main requirement is to focus on improving communication, both to managers who
do hiring and to employee's themselves. Thus for this there should be structured
inductions.

Organizations seeking ways to build a motivated, satisfied and engaged workforce should
start by putting in place structured and well-planned orientation programmes for their
new employees.

Difference between Satisfied Workforce and Engaged Workforce.

A person who is engaged may not be satisfied while a person who is satisfied may not be
engaged. There's lot of difference between an employee being satisfied and employee
being engaged. An employee may be satisfied with the facilities that he is getting and that
would be sufficient enough to continue with the organization. On the other hand an
employee may be 100% engaged to his work yet may not be satisfied one of the reasons
could be that he does not have a supportive boss.

Engagement Is Linked To Three Essential Forces In The Organization - Attrition,

Productivity & Profitability:

Attrition is the number of people leaving the organization and it's a well-known fact that
is one of the major problem being faced by the organizations be it any sector. An engaged
workforce definitely has less chances of leaving the organization, a person who is
engaged in his work is likely to stick to the company as he offers his best and as result of
which the organizations takes due care of him in the form of hike in salary by way of
incentives and bonus.

Attrition is likely to come down in the organization, which have engaged workforce and
this will get in the likely benefits for the organization.

Productivity is the output of the workers in the form of work done by them it’s not the
quantity that matters it's the quality that is of importance for the organization. An
engaged workforce has an understanding of what is expected of them at work so thus
they are able to carry on their task effectively and efficiently thus adding to the
productivity of the organization and thus adding to the growth and success of the
organization.

Profitability is the ability of a company to earn a profit. It is a relative measure of success

for a business. Research has proved that an engaged workforce is likely to result in an
increase in the profitability of the concern as they have complete dedication and
commitment to their work and thus this is likely to result in an increase in the profit of
the concern and thus ensuring the success of the organization.

The organizations now days take all reasonable steps to ensure that they have engaged
workforce like organizing birthday bashes, talent shows, sports activities and many other
things. They want their employees to be committed to their work fully besides all the
above activities they also make sure that the employees have role clarity, get all the
material and equipment they require to perform their work efficiently etc.
DETERMINING ENGAGEMENT

The employee must feel that there is somebody in the organizations who cares for him
and wants his success and growth. In all this we referring to the 12 questions that Gallup
uses for studying the engagement level of employees in the organization.

Gallup is an organization that studies the engagement level of the employees.

1. I know what is expected of me at work.

2. I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right.

3. At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.

4. In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work.

5. My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person.

6. There is someone at work who encourages my development.

7. At work, my opinions seem to count.

8. The mission or purpose of my company makes me feel my job is important.

9. My associates or fellow employees are committed to doing quality work.

10. I have a best friend at work.

11. In the last six months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress.

12. This last year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow.

Thus if you want the success of your organization and see it reaching great heights all
you need is an engaged workforce, i.e. all you need is justifiable answers to the above 12
questions.

Most organizations have today realized that a satisfied employee is not necessarily the
best employee in terms of loyalty and productivity. It is only an Engaged Employee who
is intellectually and emotionally bound with the organization who feels passionate about
its goals and is committed towards its values thus he goes the extra mile beyond the basic
job.
FACTORS AFFECTING EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

• Workplace Culture

• Organizational Communication

• Managerial Styles

• Leadership

• Company Reputation

• Access to Training & Career Opportunities

• Work/ life Balance

• Personal Empowerment

DIMENSIONS RELATED TO EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

1. Physical dimension
• Levels of energy or effort
• Persistence

2. Emotional dimension
• Enthusiasm and inspiration
• Sense of significance, pride, and challenge
• Feelings about job, supervisor, management, organization

3. Intellectual dimension
• Mental focus
• Level of concentration
• Absorption in tasks
• Beliefs about organization, leaders, workplace culture

LEVERAGING ENGAGEMENT

I. Job and task design

II. Recruitment and selection
III. Training and development
IV. Performance management
V. Compensation
I. Job and task design

Motivational characteristics of work

• Skill variety
• Task significance
• Autonomy
• Performance feedback

Social characteristics of work

• Interdependence of job roles

• Feedback from others
• Advice and support of coworkers

II. Recruitment and selection Recruitment selection

• Target recruitment
• Choose best-suited candidates

III. Training and development

• Employee orientation
• Knowledge and skills training

IV. Performance management

• Set challenging goals
• Provide positive feedback and recognition for accomplishments
• Resolve performance problems

V. Compensation
• Incentive pay
• Flexible benefits

VI. Manager’s behaviors

• Commitment to diversity
• Responsible for success/failure
• Honesty and integrity
• Problem solving assistance
• Respect for employees
• Setting realistic expectations
• Passion for success
• Defending employees
BARRIERS TO ENGAGEMENT

• Outside of local control

• Damaging to employees and customers
• Emphasize control of employee behavior
• Barriers can be removed
• Root causes:
 Fear
 Flow of information
 Organizational alignment
 Reward system
 Short term focus

INCREASING ENGAGEMENT:

• Communicate organizational goals and objectives

• Promote employee engagement culture

• Align day to day work with organizational goals

• Maintain open dialogue

• Reward supportive behavior

• Listen to employees

• Provide challenges and opportunities

• Do a “pulse check”

• Hold managers accountable

• Let employees know how they can contribute

• Genuinely thank employees