Overview
An
organization's competitive edge and the market differentiator pitch has a high
dependency on its workforce. Furthermore, In a modern-day workforce, the
Loyalty of an employee is measured based on his behavior and attitude,
reflected as employee engagement than the number of years of service (Mohanty
and Choudhury, 2018). Employee engagement plays a crucial role in achieving
higher business outcomes in an organization, having a direct influence on
productivity, profitability, and maturity of an organization (Kompaso and
Sridevi, 2010).
A well-engaged workforce
collaborates and contributes among them selfs to enhance higher personal
performance as well as the combined team's performance (Alshammari, 2015).In
contrast to that, a disengaged workforce works in silos than as a team lacks
teamwork, motivation, and collaboration resulting in high employee turnover,
low productivity, and reduced overall profits (Kompaso and Sridevi, 2010).
Studies have shown that both
employees and employers have to put effort into a 2-way relationship to
establish strong employee engagement (Kompaso and Sridevi, 2010). Therefore, an
organization needs to have a solid platform in identifying what drives employee
engagement and implement correct practices to facilitate to drive this behavior
among its workforces (Singh, 2019). This blog post will critically analyze how
best you can create a self engaged culture within your organization to derive a
high-performance workforce.
Employee Engagement
Employee
engagement is constructed with multiple dimensions and can be many ways of
defining employee engagement. However, the dimensions associated with those
definitions can be, either composite measurements or used as distinct
dimensions (CHRISTIAN and SLAUGHTER, 2007). All of these dimensions gather
around the investment of cognitive, emotional and physical energy of an
employee towards an associated role to achieve organizational goals (Kahn,
1992). Saks (2006) has also stated, that employee engagement has been defined
with the composition of the cognitive state of the employee, emotional
perspective, and his behavioral aspect, in performing the current associate
organization role.
On the other hand, Armstrong and Taylor (2014) explain employee engagement from a different perspective in terms of Commitment, Motivation and Organization citizenship. As stated by Armstrong (2010), this model has been produced by the Institute of Employment Studies and presented in the below figure as IES model of employee engagement.
On the other hand, Armstrong and Taylor (2014) explain employee engagement from a different perspective in terms of Commitment, Motivation and Organization citizenship. As stated by Armstrong (2010), this model has been produced by the Institute of Employment Studies and presented in the below figure as IES model of employee engagement.
Figure 1
IES model of employee engagement
Source: (Armstrong et al, 2014)
As per Aktar (2019), a worldwide survey done by Gallup
Consultancies in 1012, indicates that close to 2/3 of the employees(63%) are
not engaged or motivated at their job, resulting in a decrease in performance.
On the other hand, Rich, Lepine, and Crawford (2010) state that, employees who
are engaged display higher performance by putting more cognitive, emotional and
physicals energy into their work. Moreover, these employees are more
focused, work as a team, connected, moreover satisfied with what they do as
a part of their job role. Overall, the interrelationship that works performance
has with employee engagement is significant Gallup (2012). So, understanding
what drives engagement is a key to get the best out of your employees.
Drivers of Employee Engagement
As stated by Singh (2019), studies have shown that employee
engagement is tightly coupled with several key factors in terms of drivers.
These are,
· Employee’s impression on the
Organization
· Trust based on past
heuristics
· Tasks associated with the
current job role
· Managers and their
relationship with employees
· Team environment
· Enablement of employee
personal development
· Enablement of employee
growth
Siddhanta and Roy ( 2010), also adds some additional
factors which contribute to employee engagement such as, respect, transparency,
recognition and rewards, Leadership, clarity in setting goals, enablement to
perform work and motivation. On the other hand, based
on several research findings worth of three deceases of research, Proactive
Insights (2014) has summarized the key
drivers for employee engagement in to 10 universal factors. They call it “The
Power of 10”. Below video will discuss these 10 drivers.
Video 1
Top 10 Drivers
of Employee Engagement
References
Source: (Proactive Insights, 2014)
A study by Aon Hewitt has described
the engagement of an employee as an employee's intellectual and emotional
state, which simulates the employee to operate in an optimum efficiency
(Kanwar, Soni and Sharma, 2017). As stated by Kanwar et al, Hewitt has also
come up with a model which describes engaged employee in 3 main behaviors as
described in below figure. These behaviors can be described as “Say, Stay and
Strive”.
Figure 2
Aon Hewitt’s Employee Engagement Model
Source: (Aon Hewitt, 2015)
Aon Hewitt (2015) describes an
engaged employee as someone who speaks positively about the organization and
would not hesitate to recommend it. At the same time, he has a strong intend on
having long term plans within the organization with minimum intention to leave.
Also, the engagement employee is highly energetic to put extra effort in to
make a successful outcome to the organization.
Conclusion
Employees are a key part of any organization. The full potential capacity of the workforce depends heavily on the fact that how willingly employees want to perform their assigned work to achieve organizational goals and objectives. Therefore, how engaged employees are, plays a crucial role in creating a high-performance workforce. Employee engagement has to be looked in mainly from an intellectual perspective in terms of employee's phycological attitude towards an organization, fellow employees, managers, and assigned role tasks.
References
Al-dalahmeh, M., Masa’deh, R.,
Abu Khalaf, R. and Obeidat, B. (2018). The Effect of Employee Engagement on
Organizational Performance Via the Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction: The Case
of IT Employees in Jordanian Banking Sector. Modern Applied Science, [online] 12(6), p.17.
Available at:
http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/mas/article/download/75309/41555
[Accessed 12 Aug. 2019].
Aktar, A. (2019). EMPLOYEE
ENGAGEMENT:does it matter for employee performance?. THE COST AND MANAGEMENT, [online] 44(4), pp.27-35.
Available at:
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6695/8b262e1685abdbcf137dec871e4af6ba2988.pdf
[Accessed 9 Aug. 2019].
Armstrong, M. (2010). Evidence-based reward management. London: Kogan Page, p.41.
Armstrong, M. and Taylor, S.
(2014). Armstrong's
handbook of human resource management practice, 13th edition. 13th ed. London: Kogan Page,
pp.192-202.
Alshammari, H. (2015).
Workplace Productivity through Employee Workforce Engagement: A Review
Study. International
Journal of Business and Social Science, [online] 6(12), pp.156-160. Available at:
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/ea75/e2fdf08e94c7b0df6f9d4bffa3bb9821bde6.pdf
[Accessed 7 Aug. 2019].
CHRISTIAN, M. and SLAUGHTER, J.
(2007). WORK ENGAGEMENT: A META-ANALYTIC REVIEW AND DIRECTIONS FOR RESEARCH IN
AN EMERGING AREA. Academy
of Management Proceedings, [online] 2007(1), pp.1-6. Available at:https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274755758_Work_engagement_A_meta-analytic_review_and_directions_for_research_in_an_emerging_area.
Fay, D., and Sonnentag, S. (2012), Within-Person
Fluctuations of Proactive Behavior: How Affect and Experienced Competence
Regulate Work Behavior. Human Performance, 25, 72- 93.
Gallup Consulting (2012). The Relationship
Between Engagement at Work and Organizational Outcomes.Gallup Management
Journal
Kahn, W. (1992). To Be Fully
There: Psychological Presence at Work. Human Relations, [online] 45(4), pp.321-349. Available at:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/248106894_To_Be_Fully_There_Psychological_Presence_at_Work
[Accessed 8 Aug. 2019].
Kompaso, S. and Sridevi, M.
(2010). Employee Engagement: The Key to Improving Performance. International Journal of Business and Management, [online] 5(12), pp.89-94.
Available at: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/0ca0/6a76e3f030dc2b58294498300c121fa4b112.pdf
[Accessed 7 Aug. 2019].
Mohanty, M. and Choudhury, S.
(2018). A Conceptual Model of Employee Engagement - From the perspective
of Manufacturing Industry. RESEARCH REVIEW International Journal of Multidisciplinary, [online] 3(7), pp.290-295.
Available at:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326572482_A_Conceptual_Model_of_Employee_Engagement_-_From_the_perspective_of_Manufacturing_Industry
[Accessed 7 Aug. 2019].
Proactive Insights (2014). Top 10 Drivers
of Employee Engagement. [video] Available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwVfBdlAUhU [Accessed 29 Aug. 2019].
Rich, B., Lepine, J. and
Crawford, E. (2010). Job Engagement: Antecedents and Effects on Job
Performance. Academy
of Management Journal, [online] 53(3), pp.617-635. Available at:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280294544_Job_Engagement_Antecedents_and_Effects_on_Job_Performance
[Accessed 9 Aug. 2019]
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(2013).The role of employee engagement in the relationship between job design
and task performance, citizenship and deviant behaviours. The
International Journal of Human resource management, 24(13), 2608-2627.
Stephen P. Robbins (2009). Organizational
Behaviour: International Version, 13/E. Pearson Higher Education
Saks, A. (2006). Antecedents
and consequences of employee engagement. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 21(7), pp.600-619.
Siddhanta, A. and Roy, D.
(2010). Employee engagement Engaging the 21st century workforce. ASIAN JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT RESEARCH, [online] pp.173-174.
Available at: http://www.ipublishing.co.in/ajmrvol1no1/sped12011/AJMRSP1015.pdf
[Accessed 9 Aug. 2019].
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30 Comments
I agree with above comments. Employee engagement is seen as a motivational factor towards organization’s achieving its objectives. The good environment that is offered to the worker enables him to offer the best that the organization needs for its achievement of goals and objectives (Paluku, 2016).
ReplyDeleteYes, research done by Al-dalahmeh et al. (2018) have further elaborated on the relationship between employee engagement and workforce performance.
DeleteHi Kanchana, As you have mentioned that Employee engagement plays a crucial role in achieving higher business outcomes in an organization, having a direct influence on productivity, profitability, and maturity of an organization (Kompaso and Sridevi, 2010). I think organisation have fully responsibility of creating such a environment for employees.
ReplyDeleteYes, this is an area where most of the organizations struggling to find an ideal solution. As per Singh (2019), this has been the main challenge for organizations in the digital era
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhile fully agreeing with your points mentioned under the drivers of employee engagement, I would like to mention that 'intrinsic motivation' can also be considered as a driver of engagement. These are what help drive employees to find that emotional connection without depending on external factors, thereby finding a sense of meaningfulness and of progress that often takes them through challenging times (Davila and Pina-Ramirez, 2019).
ReplyDeleteYes agreed. Bektas (2017) has also researched how intrinsic influence employee motivation in an environment.
DeleteAccourding to Markos and Sridevi (2010), Employee Engagement is Employees willingness and ability to help their Company to achieve goals further, Work involvement and enthusiasm.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. As Mohanty and Choudhury (2018) , has stated this aspect is identified as the Loyalty of an employee towards the organization, and the employee motivation is crucial factor in employee loyalty.
DeleteStaff interested in their jobs and committed to their employers bring major competitive advantages for companies, including higher productivity and a lower turnover of workers.It is therefore not shocking that organisations of all sizes and types have made substantial improvements in policies and practices that promote participation and dedication to their employees (Vance,2006)
ReplyDeleteAgreed. As per Shahzadi et al (2014), hardworking employees seek to validate their contribution and worth, which in turn is reflected in their commitment and motivation to accomplish job duties.
DeleteYou have well identified the subject matter. I agree that the employee engagement plays a major role in achieving the goals and objectives of the organization (Kompaso and Sridevi, 2010).In order to get the maximum output of the accurate application of employee engagement; much more attention needs to be given for the key drivers of employee engagements as you have clearly mentioned in your statements.
ReplyDeleteYes, for instance Gupta and Subramanian's (2014) study reveals that financial renumeration, opportunities to learn / acquire new skills and the actual amount of work handled, as factors which affect employee motivation levels significantly.
DeleteVery well said, according to (Robinson et al., 2004) an employee who is engaged towards work will always have a positive mindset about work and other colleagues which in return would improve his performance of the organisation.
ReplyDeleteYes; Sun, Li & Bunchapattanasakda, Chanchai (2019)'s study shows that employee engagement can be gauged by positive attitudes displayed by the employee towards his work and work environment.
DeleteWell written article kanchana, as you mentioned employee engagement is inner devotedness to the organization where to organization become a success. Engaged employee always works with passion and truly committed whereby having an engaged employee is an asset to an organization (Allen,2014).
ReplyDeleteYes, the individual employee should be a focal point. Nyambegera and Gicheru's (2016) study highlights motivation as a very individualistic characteristic, which is determined by unique human perceptions regarding their work.
DeleteAgree with you, according to Kortmann et al. (2014) organizations should use minimum resources to make maximum profits in a rapidly changing environment, therefore organizations should work hard to keep employees engaged and motivated to achieve profitability.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, Osabiya (2015)'s study reveals the importance of applauding and appreciating work done by high performing employees if organizations are to benefit from their contribution.
DeleteHi Kanchan, great introduction to the topic. In addition to the drivers of employee engagement discussed on the post, Sundaray (2011) also highlights health & safety as one of the key factors. This is not limited to the trades such as manufacturing or construction, even in the services industry (which I am currently working in), health and safety is one of the key areas of concern for the workforce & employees demand good health and safety measures. For an example, my current organization operates around the clock hence the safety of employees during night time is a key area of focus.
ReplyDeleteTrue, Gyensare et al. (2019) has also observed that addressing the health and safety concerns of employees with utmost priority will in turn contribute to getting the best out of them.
DeleteAgreed your points.These are common themes related to engagement: Pride in employer , Satisfaction with employer , Job satisfaction, Opportunity to perform well at challenging work , Recognition and positive feedback for one’s contributions , Personal support from one’s supervisor ,Effort above and beyond the minimum, Understanding the link between one’s job and the organization’s mission , Prospects for future growth with one’s employer and Intention to stay with one’s employer
ReplyDeleteYes, according to Sirota (2005) employee engagement is a 'virtuous circle', where everyone involved can benefit through its proper execution. For example, a well treated employee will have higher productivity in which case the employee and employer will both get the best of both worlds.
DeleteAgree with kanchana.
ReplyDeleteAs you said, “Employees are a key part of any organization”. Without any motivation factors, employees will not provide their 100% therefore it’s engage with employees and they fell they are valued. Plus this will help the growth as well.
Indeed. Frank et al. (2004) even defines employee engagement as the voluntary effort employees provide above and beyond what is required by employees in their job. This clearly depicts how important it is to engage with employees in order to ensure the continuous growth of an organization.
DeleteFurther to your statement Kanchana, Robinson et al. (2004) define employee engagement as a positive attitude held by the employee towards the organization and its value. An engaged employee is aware of business context, and works with colleagues to improve performance within the job for the benefit of the organization. The organization must work to develop and nurture engagement, which requires a two-way relationship between employer and employee.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. It is of course a two-way street. Employees can also expect their employers to acknowledge, understand while providing assistance to ensure their overall wellbeing (Ladyshewsky 2010) .
DeleteI agreed with your research. We organise Online employees engagement activities for the work-from-home employees. With these virtual employee engagement events, employees can participate in various activities, freely enjoy their social life digitally.
ReplyDeleteEngaged employees care for the company, they’re not simply working for salary and promotions but they also work effectively and efficiently for the growth of the company. Online employee engagement activities have become the most popular topic for leaders and HR professionals, because of the pandemic conditions.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete