Essence of Employee Engagement

It is observed these days, that the benefits delivered by the highly engaged employee workforce for the organisation is exceptional and is a part of the general language of the business. Employee engagement has many benefits to business owners and their staff along with those major companies boasting of the success they had through implementing the principles. Many companies are seen to proudly show off their improved engagement survey results and the good work involved in getting the employees engaged. However, here is a variance, 90% of the leaders attribute the importance of employee engagement and its successful impact on the business, yet 75% do not have a plan or strategy to do anything about it.

Employee Engagement – Lost its meaning?

The lack of a consistent definition has led to disconnect between talk and action. What does engagement actually mean? Why is it so important for companies to improve this aspect of the employee survey? Are they obtaining the expected results if they can’t pin it down?

The term Employee Engagement has multi definitions. It might be a dilemma for some; but for some it is more than a jargon filled fad depending on personal experience and context. To some it simply means engaged employees are more enthusiastic about the organisation and are willing to participate in company surveys, attend trainings, put extra effort and focus into a specific objective or special project that their employer wants them to. While for others, it means, going above and beyond the required duties and expected achievements enlisted in the job description.

All in all, it is one of those things arising when one’s heart and soul is put to work. Taken that, emotions being at the core and determining behaviours!

Our definition of Employee Engagement –

Engagement is the degree to which employees are psychologically invested in the organisation and motivated to contribute to its success. Engagement results in discretionary effort toward attaining organisational goals.

They can be defined separately as:

• Psychological- of, affecting, or arising in the mind; related to the mental and emotional state of a person.
• Investment – an act of devoting time, effort, or energy to a particular undertaking with the expectation of a worthwhile result.

If you were to enlist the definition of an ideal employee for a role in your company, what apart from all expected work descriptions would outline how you want an employee to perceive their role and purpose in your company? What level of engagement are you expecting from the candidate? Enlisting the below might help you:

• faithful, caring and trustworthy
• truthful
• proud to be a part of the company
• proficient, dedicated and reliable
• highly proactive and dedicated to achieving company goals
• harmonious with colleagues and generous in sharing knowledge
• helping others in the workplace to achieve the same attitudes and behaviour

But here’s the rub – we are talking about culture now, something no new recruit will have any first-hand experience of. This was the list of attributes we used to put on our careers office CV when we had no work experience but were proud of our punctuality and honesty and lived up to it. That is exactly what recruitment professionals would really like to know about a candidate but is so difficult to evaluate.

To know more about employee engagement and its benefits, contact us.