Employee Engagement: A Quick Guide
Sometimes it can happen in an organization that the only aspects of employee engagement that are given much attention are the tangible things such as compensation and benefits. There are actually other aspects of engagement that are quite intangible, broader and go beyond money and facilities. When this aspect of employee engagement is overlooked, it can lead to fast employee turnover which is not really good for any organization because it will involve more time, money and effort.
Although we can measure employee engagement quantitatively, it goes beyond that. In a sense, we can depict it as an emotional response, whereby the employee either loves or enjoys the job, or not. It is either a positive or a negative response. When an employee is engaged, he looks forward to working, and in the workplace he uses his skills and talents not only for himself but also reaches out to help others. When he is on the job, you find him very enthusiastic. When an employee is disengaged, it is the opposite of this. Going to work becomes a burden, and he does not enjoy much of what he does and so the efforts are at a minimum, and he is not very useful to others around him.
It then becomes the duty of managers to help their employees by creating a company culture that is conducive to employee engagement. Some things that managers can do is to get to know their employees well, ask them what is the best things they like about their jobs and what they like the least, and through these responses he can make some changes, perhaps, which can make employees feel important, and which can lead to an environment which is employee friendly. Workshops and team building activities can be scheduled with the goal of helping the team build communication skills and other skills needed for the job.
The good thing about employee engagement with total rewards statements is that it motivates employees to do their best. And when employees are doing their best, it follow that customers are satisfied with dealing business with them. When employees are engaged, it becomes contagious that those near them will have the same high spirits. Higher productivity and profitability is achieved when employees in an organization are engaged. And these people are most likely to stay in the organization for a long time.
Another thing that managers can do to keep employees engaged is to show that they can be trust, are approachable, are willing to help them do better at their jobs, and just plainly show that they care about them. Even the type of work that an employee does affects engagement. They should be given stimulating work and they should have a clear understanding of how their efforts help the company reach its goals. If the job is inherently monotonous, managers can help by thinking of ways to bring fun in this boring job. All this will have its rewards, because when employees are engaged, the organization will surely prosper.
