Definitions of Employee Engagement
Employee engagement has been defined in various ways over the
years depending on the author. The enthusiasm for work which makes an employee
to get involved and satisfy with work can be defined as employee
engagement (Harter et al., 2002). When an employee demonstrates a positive,
accomplished working mindset which can be characterized by dedication and
absorption can be considered as an engaged employee (Kuok & Taormina,
2017). The positive attitude of an employee towards the organization and its
value is considered as employee engagement an engaged employee would be aware
of the business affairs and maximize performances for the betterment of the
organization (Hettiararchchi & Jayarathna, 2014).
Engaged performance of an employee can be achieved when the
ardor for the work is stimulated resulting organizational success (Singh
& James, 2016). Further, the extent to which employees put discretionary
effort in to their work, in the form of extra time, brain power or energy is
defined as employee engagement (Towers Perrin, 2003).
Dimensions of Employee Engagement
In any organization, the work force comprises of four types of
employees; highly engaged, moderately engaged, passively engaged and actively
disengaged (Wildermuth & Pauken, 2008). In a highly engaged
environment employees are totally engaged whereas in a moderately engaged
environment employees are nearly engaged, in a passively engaged environment
the employees are nearly engaged as well as nearly disengaged and and finally
actively disengaged employees are the ones who are totally
disengaged (Chandani et al., 2016).
There are three different facets of engagement as intellectual
engagement, effective engagement and social engagement (Singh & James,
2016). Intellectual engagement is the employee thinking positively and hard
about the work assigned and how could perform better (Shuck & Wollard,
2010). Effective engagement is thinking positively about carrying out a perfect
job (Dalal, Brummel, Wee, & Thomas, 2008) and Social engagement
is actively discussing with the others at work with regard to related
improvements (Singh & James, 2016).
Factors Enhancing Employee Engagement
Firstly, organizations need to understand the drivers of employee
engagement (Gruman & Saks, 2011).
Job Challenge - When the scope of the job is large the employee gets
more chances in engaging in the job.
Autonomy - The
freedom that is being given to the employee to organize the work schedule and
organize the way of performing which provide them the ownership and control.
Variety - This is the job that gives the
employee to perform variety of duties by using different knowledge levels.
Feedback - Giving the
employee a feedback of the performance (Luthans & Peterson, 2002).
Fit - This allows the employee to believe
consistently
Opportunities for development
- Giving the job meaningful as the employer gives pathways for the individuals carrier development and growth
Rewards & Recognition - Giving necessary rewards and recognition which in turn impact on staff motivation.
Rewards & Recognition - Giving necessary rewards and recognition which in turn impact on staff motivation.
Another important
factor could be quality of leadership given by the line managers in performing
the duties as employee engagement requires a proper leadership through focusing
on a clear mission, vision and values and further it is discussed that an
effective recruitment and orientation programs are the first instance of the
first day of an employee (Markos & Sandhya, 2010). Almost two thirds
(60%) of the surveyed employees require additional opportunities to grow
forward in order to stay satisfied in their performing jobs.
A crucial ingredient in the employee engagement and retention
formula is the strong Manager employee relationship (Attridge,
2009). Furthermore a manager need to do five things to create a highly engaged
work force, such as Align efforts with strategy, Empower, Promote and encourage
team work and collaboration, help people to grow and develop and provide
support and recognition where appropriate (Bakker & Demerouti, 2008).
By assigning a proper job could enhance the engagement. Further
the employees at the start come for their employment for the salary
however the employee get engaged at their assigned duties since the
employees engaged work is meaningful (Seijts & Crim, 2006).
Organizing learning and development programs, Developing engagement through
Rewards systems, recognition and promotions are factors that enhance employee
engagement (Bartlomiejczuk, 2015). Therefore when employees are more
engaged it tends to increase productivity (PratimaSarangi & Nayak, B.,
2016).
The Components of Employee Engagement
There are three overlapping components of engagement which is
been introduced by Institute for Employments studies which are;
commitment,organizational citizenship behavior and
motivation (Zayas-ortiz, Rosario, Marquez, & Gruñeiro, 2015).
References
Attridge,
M. (2009). Measuring and managing employee work engagement: A review of the
research and business literature. Journal of Workplace Behavioral
Health, 24(4), 383–398. https://doi.org/10.1080/15555240903188398
Bakker,
A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2008). Towards a model of work engagement. Career
Development International, 13(3), 209–223.
https://doi.org/10.1108/13620430810870476
Bartlomiejczuk,
G. (2015). How do Recognition Programs Impact Employee Engagement and How have
Companies with a Large Global Footprint Structured such Programs to Drive
Results? Cornell University.
Chandani, A., Mehta, M., Mall, A., &
Khokhar, V. (2016). Employee engagement: A review paper on factors affecting
employee engagement. Indian Journal of Science and Technology, 9(15).
https://doi.org/10.17485/ijst/2016/v9i15/92145
Dalal,
R. S., Brummel, B. J., Wee, S., & Thomas, L. L. (2008). Defining Employee
Engagement for Productive Research and Practice. Industrial and Organizational
Psychology, 1(1), 52–55. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1754-9434.2007.00008.x
Dr.
PratimaSarangi, & Dr. Bhagirathi Nayak. (2016). Employee Engagement and Its
Impact on Organizational Success – A Study in Manufacturing Company,
India. IOSR Journal of Business and Management (IOSR-JBM) , 18(4),
52–57. https://doi.org/10.9790/487X-1804015257
Gruman, J. A., & Saks, A. M. (2011). Performance management and
employee engagement. Human Resource Management Review, 21(2),
123–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2010.09.004
Harter,
J. K., Schmidt, F. L., & Hayes, T. L. (2002). Business-unit-level
relationship between employee satisfaction, employee engagement, and business
outcomes: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(2),
268–279. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.87.2.268
Hettiararchchi, H. A. ., & Jayarathna, S. M. D. .
(2014). The effect of Employee Work Related Attitudes on Employee Job
Performance: A Study of Tertiary and Vocational Education Sector in Sri Lanka. IOSR Journal of Business and
Management, 16(4), 74–83. https://doi.org/10.9790/487X-16447483
Kuok, A. C. H., & Taormina, R. J.
(2017). Work engagement: Evolution of the concept and a new inventory. Psychological
Thought, 10(2), 262–287. https://doi.org/10.5964/psyct.v10i2.236
Luthans, F. J., & Peterson. (2002).
Employee engagement and manager self-efficacy: Implications for managerial
effectiveness and development. Journal of Management Development Human Resource Management International
Digest Strategic HR Review Iss Human Resource Management International Digest
Iss, 21(17), 376–387. https://doi.org/10.1108/02621710210426862
Markos, S., & Sandhya, S. (2010).
Employee Engagement: The Key to Improving Performance. International Journal of
Business and Management, 5(12), 89–96.
https://doi.org/E-ISSN 1833-8119
Seijts,
B. G. H., & Crim, D. (2006). What engages employees the most or, the ten
C’s of employee engagement. Ivey Business Journal, 23(4), 1–6.
https://doi.org/10.1306/D42695F3-2B26-11D7-8648000102C1865D
Shuck, B., & Wollard, K. (2010).
Employee engagement and HRD: A seminal review of the foundations. Human Resource Development
Review, 9(1), 89–110. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534484309353560
Singh, M., & James, P. S. (2016).
Antecedents and consequence of work engagement: A literature review. International Journal of Applied
Business and Economic Research, 14(12), 8635–8656. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940610690169
Towers Perrin. (2003). Working today:
Understanding what drives employee engagement: The 2003 Towers Perrin talen
report, 1–35. https://doi.org/10.13109/prkk.2007.56.4.310
Wildermuth,
C. D. M. E. S., & Pauken, P. D. (2008). A perfect match: Decoding employee
engagement - Part II: Engaging jobs and individuals. Industrial and
Commercial Training, 40(4), 206–210.
https://doi.org/10.1108/00197850810876253
Zayas-ortiz, M., Rosario, E., Marquez,
E., & Gruñeiro, P. C. (2015). Relationship between organizational
commitments and organizational citizenship behaviour in a sample of private
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Initiation of good employee engagement process is essential for the success of the organization. Additionally, to make this engagement process more effective organizations need leaders who can inspire and make a change (Allen, 2014).
ReplyDeleteThanks Prabath.
DeleteFurthermore, Heikkeri (2010) said the disengaged employees are considered as one of the dimensions of organizational structure in the form of their severity i.e., complex in nature and also leads to change the behavior in negative directions. Further, the researcher suggested
that such complex behavior is detrimental to the organization and therefore the authority needs academic and managerial skills to understand and dealt with such employees to make things happen in a normal manner.
Adding some more points Baumruk (2006) defined that the
ReplyDeleteemployees who are interested in their work role go the extra
mile and the organization also get more benefits, achieve the
goals of the company while time developing the culture of the
organization.
Yes agreed Perrin,s Global workforce study(2003) further defines willingness and ability of the employees to help their employees to help their organization succeed largely by providing discretionary effort on a sustainable basis.
DeleteAn institution's vision can only be achieved if the maximum use of resources, a cooperative working environment and all employees work towards a specified goal (Armstrong, 2008). Job performance is taken into consideration and depends primarily on employee talents and motivation. In addition, motivation can be learned and improved as an expert (Ganta, 2014).
ReplyDeleteYes,motivation plays a major role and as the motivation is the key factor for employee engagement and with highly motivated staff the company is towards organizational goals.(Pexson,2015).
DeleteTo add on to the “discretionary effort” you have mentioned in your blog, I would like to mention that it is not just more effort. It is effort that requires personal initiative, the kind of effort that can only come from people who feel safe and secure in their jobs, well-connected emotionally with co-workers and leaders, and highly-invested in the meaning of their work (Rheem,2018).
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree with you. More preciously, people are initiative in their jobs when they are being well served by the employer. This has been justified by the Pixson (2015) in the deep description of Hygiene factors
DeleteHi Shamalka,
ReplyDeleteAdding on to characteristics of an engaged employee - the engaged employee treats others with respect, helps colleagues to perform the duties more effectively, can be relied upon, goes beyond the requirements of the job and sees the bigger picture sometimes at personal cost (Robinson et al 2004).
Engaged employees always moves on the right paths. Spiritually they are bound for the success of the organization and when they see any barrier for the success of the firm take every possible attempt to rectify it. The same can be by working extra hours, working on holidays . Further, supporting co-staff and respecting them also can bring under same category (Lookwood, 2007)
DeleteLeaders should structure a working environment where there is increased employee engagement and participation; communicate goals, gain employee understanding, and apply communication styles that fit the need of each employee at all levels; recognize and plan opportunities for development for employees through training and development; recognize the importance of personally engaging with their employees; and, understand the importance of having consistent meetings to update employees about new products and services.( Thompson 2016)
ReplyDeleteThis quote more towards training and development. However, it is a part of the employee engagement. Recognition with a proper plan and to take them to higher position in the organization is essential by the employer. In the above context creation of engaged employee recognition in a good environment or culture has been confronted by Poll (2014).
ReplyDeleteRole of directors during the time spent connecting with employees Managers have the greatest effect on representative commitment. They should be encouraged to create significant relationships with staff, recognize great execution and make work that is challenging and has purpose (Zajkowska 2012)
ReplyDeleteEnhancing engagement is a continues process which added more value and emotional bond with work. Moreover, it does not make only happy employees with full incentives/salaries as well as creating employees who enjoyed working in the organisation with a higher retention level (Towers Perrin (2003)
This can be explained in the organizational culture as it makes a considerable impact towards the employee engagement. Though it’s carry out by the HR personals, it’s the responsibility of all the front line managers as the employees are directly reporting for them(Jaramillo and Richardson,2017).
ReplyDeleteElements of engagement factors deal with career advancement, Clear communication, recognition, Cooperation among employees, contributions, Job control, credibility in leaders, and confidence in the company (Lockwood , 2007).
ReplyDeleteAs Harter et al.(2002) suggested that manager may motivate their employees towards the realistic outcome, when they were having more engagement at their work and leaders must have to have a clear communication forms among the organization. In the short form, When employees engaged in their work, perceive psychological well-being and health, it refers to such employees who focus all resources in terms of personal skills and power resources to their responsibilities
ReplyDeleteRecently authors have demonstrated that good practice in HRM impact the bottom line. The Sheffield study Patterson et al, (1998) suggests that if managers wish to esteem the performance of their companies, the most vital area they should emphasize is the management of people (Patterson et al, (1998) cited in Purcell, J 1999:27)
ReplyDeleteEmotional bonding is the first step in creation of employee engagement. Engagement can not be created forcefully as it has a sentimental value. Obviously, when organization holds high number of employees who has emotional bonding towards the employer, that will increase the staff retention level as people do not want to walk over from the institution ( Bakker, 2009).
DeleteMore over on what you have discussed, Swathi (2013) illustrate key outcomes of employee engagement as Individual outcome and Organisational outcome. Individual outcomes explained such as Motivation, Commitment, satisfaction, Loyal, Secure Job and higher Performance. Organisational outcomes explained such as Higher profits and Productivity, Improved Quality, Satisfied / Loyal Customers, Increased Retention and Revenue Growth. Furthermore engaged employees results in competitive advantage (Pandey, 2013)
ReplyDeleteYes agreed ,the competent individual with adequate knowledge skills & attitude which are the factors of success and growth of any company as it create an unmatched competitive advantage(Lockwood,2007).
DeleteHi, in order to enhance employee engagement leaders need to
ReplyDeletefollow the below communicate the organizational goals clearly,
provide a clear line of sight, and develop an open culture
(MacLeod and Clarke, 2009). furthermore, its recommended
that the line management needs to provide freedom and
empowerment to their employees and provide improvement
opportunities; make the employee understood of expectations;
treat employees equitably and with respect; offer coaching,
feedback, and training; and ensure work is effectively and
efficiently designed.
Yes of course ,Great leadership plays a major role and increased employee work engagement which result in high level of performance in the organization (Harter,Schmidt & Hayes,2002).As per the Gallup Organization research reported by Coffman and Gonzalez-Molina it is important that the managers make employees aware of individual strengths, provide continues feedback on the way that the strengths are being used ,clear the path, build trust by showing commitment, challenge people with their strengths, focusing on particular skills & knowledge, giving employee ownership & creation of their outcomes(Amstrong,2014).
DeleteHi Shamalka, leadership plays a major role in employee
ReplyDeleteengagement. They often have information regarding the
changes and activities and the relationships to the users of
them giving them end to end visibility to the process (Storey et
al., 2009). Storey further says disclosing this information to
employees in a controlled context will make the employees
equally engaged with the impact that they have.
Role of the managers or leaders is to spent time connecting with employees . Managers have the greatest effect on representative commitment. They should be encouraged to create significant relationships with staff (Zajkowska 2012)
ReplyDeleteInformative Blog! SOS is one of the largest Online employee engagement platform in India that keep remote workers connected. Boost productivity with a social, fun, engaging workplace experience.
ReplyDelete