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Last Updated on March 27, 2023 by Work In My Pajamas
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What Is Employee Engagement?
In a fast-paced world such as ours where stress is a common term, getting up and going to work every morning requires a lot more than just a paycheck. Employees nowadays look for something more relevant than a 9-5 job. They require a sense of purpose and value in their association with the firm. Employee engagement is this value infused enthusiasm with which employees link themselves with the firm and feel motivated to dedicate themselves to the task.
Employee engagement ranks a notch above Company Commitment and Job Satisfaction. It works both ways. The employee working gives his time and energy. In return, the company makes them feel appraised, valued, prized and cared for.
Why Is Everyone Talking About It
Firstly, engaged employees tend to be more motivated in their work. They have a constant urge to learn and grow through their endeavors. The company, in turn, grows with them. Secondly, satisfied employees spread the buzzword, be it on social media platforms or company engagement sites such as Glassdoor. A higher rating on these sites not only increases positive PR but also indicates a secure and satisfying job culture in the firm. Needless to say, it elevates the company’s reputation and more value for customers. Thirdly, high employee engagement results in a work environment where everyone is focused on the company’s goals and values. Such people tend to be seriously committed to both their jobs and the firm.
Poor employee engagement adversely affects companies in multiple aspects. Disgruntled managers provide poor ratings and negative word of mouth. This attitude also becomes unfavorable for the team members. Recurring absenteeism, picking up the slack when under the workload and missing deadlines are few of the other negative symptoms. Low employee engagement may lead to higher attrition rates and lower work quality. People satisfied with their job and the company prove to be priceless assets. Hence, the importance of and the emphasis on employee engagement is self-justified.
The difference between Commitment, Satisfaction and Engagement
Very often, the subtle differences can create a huge impact, the smaller ripples grow into tidal waves. Understanding the marginal differences between the terms is necessary to fully comprehend what we are trying to achieve.
- An employee who is both engaged and committed would strive to keep up with the companies’ goals and objectives. He or she would feel a driving motivation to constantly do a better job.
- A person who is just engaged but not committed would like to reap all the benefits of the company and abide by its policies but not be dedicated to his work.
- Engaged but not committed are those employees who are satisfied with the jobs that they do but are not fully dedicated to the organization.
- Employees who are neither engaged nor committed would neither would in terms with the organizations’ objectives nor would they be satisfied with their current roles.
The best-case scenario is the first one where all employees follow the company’s principles and strive their best to enjoy their jobs and be better at it as well.
How To Engage In Employee Engagement
Every change starts with an objective analysis of the current situation. Employee engagement is not something that can be dreamt of today and attained tomorrow. It is a continuously evolving process. To start with, hear the grievances of your employees. Give them a platform to voice their opinions, a place where they can put forth their views and be heard. Taking continuous feedback through employee engagement surveys on various cultural, environmental and sociological aspects might be a good place, to begin with.
Maintaining anonymity with these feedbacks is crucial to gather honest opinions. Many fear being named or face retaliation for a complaint or negative feedback. Moreover, rather than a Boolean Yes/No approach, encourage subjective answers and ratings. Put the questions from different aspects covering resources, relationships, integrity, opportunities, learning, self-growth, leadership and benefits. Share the overall score afterwards keeping a transparent mode of communication. Discuss the measures taken based on this info. This way the employees would feel that they are being heard and valued.
Effectory: An Employee Engagement Tool
Technology and online platforms come to our rescue again. Tools such as Effectory is one of the simplest and most convenient ways to achieve this. With services in over 35 languages and benchmarks for 56 countries, it is the leading provider of employee feedback solutions in Europe. Effectory incorporates easy-to-use features with exhaustive guides, interactive reporting, integration planning and flexible survey set-ups. Their current growth engages 200 specialists and supports more than 1200 organizations in 110 countries.
Effectory provides an exhaustive feedback suite spanning across all the dimensions and segments of employees working in an organization. Their tools help firms tap into the insights, ideas and feedback provided by their employees. These feedbacks are further analyzed through strategic goal monitoring tools focusing on the changes required. The expertise and technical knowhow give thorough insights. The team at Effectory sits with you and guides you along the process for collecting, analyzing and maintaining feedback. With the multi-faceted analysis techniques provided by this tool, it might be just the thing that your firm needs.
Work As One For The Best Of All
Employee engagement is not something that the management can incorporate today and achieve in a time-boxed manner. Every employee of the organization should be equally motivated to make it happen. For instance, adding an on-site yoga center to tend to a toxic work environment isn’t doing much. It is also not safe to assume that higher positions would result in higher job satisfaction and greater employee engagement.
In a perfect world, we would have had 100% engagement and all employees would be pleased. But, that is not the case. We should keep in mind that not every flaw can be fixed. In spite of all our efforts, there would still be certain situations where employees complain, business lags and deadlines are not met. That is just another day at work. What we still can do is act together and strive to make it a better place for everyone.
