Employee Engagement and Disengagement PDF

TH2010 Engagement and Disengagement Employee engagement has continued to assume significance and acceptance among the human resource (HR) community as an aspect of effective management, which has the potential to improve business performance. An engaged employee can be thought of as one who is full...

TH2010 Engagement and Disengagement Employee engagement has continued to assume significance and acceptance among the human resource (HR) community as an aspect of effective management, which has the potential to improve business performance. An engaged employee can be thought of as one who is fully involved in and enthusiastic about their work, and so will act in a way that advances the interests of the organization. Therefore, employee engagement is defined as the degree of an employee’s positive or negative attachment to their job, colleagues, and organization, which greatly influences their job satisfaction and their willingness to learn and perform at work. Engagement Engagement is being positively present during the performance of work by willingly contributing intellectual effort, and experiencing positive emotions and meaningful connections to others. It is a combination of commitment to the organization and its values, plus a willingness to help colleagues. It goes beyond job satisfaction and is not simply motivation. An engaged employee is aware of the 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. Core Components of Employee Engagement Engagement exists when the following components were perceived as being realized in the employee’s work. Cognitive component - intellectual engagement or thinking hard about the job and how to do it better (“Performing my job is so absorbing that I forget about everything else”) Emotional component – affective engagement or feeling positive about doing a good job (“I really put my heart into my job”) Physical component – social engagement or actively taking opportunities to discuss work-related improvements with others at work (“I exert a lot of energy performing my job”) Characteristics of Engagement Employee engagement is associated with a range of positive outcomes at the individual and organizational levels: ✓ Engaged employees perform better. ✓ Engaged employees are more innovative than others. ✓ Engaged employees are more likely to want to stay with their employer. Some studies show that 35% of employees continue to work for their employers for five (5) or more years, while 17% want to leave within the next two (2) years. ✓ Engaged employees enjoy greater levels of personal well-being. ✓ Engaged employees perceive their workload to be more sustainable than others. Factors of Engagement These factors best predict and characterize employee engagement. If an employee affirms the following, their level of engagement is likely to be high. “I know what is expected of me at work”. “I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right”. “At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day”. “In the last seven (7) days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work”. “My supervisor, or someone at work, seems to care about me as a person”. “There is someone at work who encourages my development”. “At work, my opinions seem to count”. 08 Handout 1 *Property of STI  [email protected] Page 1 of 4  TH2010 “The mission or purpose of my organization makes me feel my job is important”. “My associates or fellow employees are committed to doing quality work”. “I have a best friend at work”. “In the last six (6) months, someone at work has talked to me about my progress”. “This last year, I have had opportunities at work to learn and grow”. Engagement in practice is about creating alignment between the individual and the organization’s goals. This alignment has both rational aspects, as evidenced by the statement “I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right”, and emotional aspects as evidenced by the statement “In the last seven (7) days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work”. Because of engagement, employees at all levels are prepared to give discretionary effort over and above the demands of the job. Disengagement The other part of the equation has to do with employees who are not fully engaged. Disengagement is the disconnection of selves from work roles. In disengagement, people withdraw and defend themselves physically, cognitively, or emotionally during role performances. These are three (3) psychological conditions related to disengagement at work: Meaningfulness – how meaningful is it for me to bring myself into this performance or job? Safety – how safe is it to do so? Availability – how psychologically available am I to do so? Disengaged employees complain to a) not have the tools they need to do their jobs well, b) did not know what was expected of them, and that c) their bosses do not listen to them. The importance of effective management, clear and relevant communication, fairness, and employee well- being must be highlighted to avoid several barriers to employee engagement including: leadership style during organizational change and periods of low performance; reactive decision-making that does not pick up problems until it is too late; inconsistent management style leading to perceptions of unfairness; low perceptions of senior management visibility and quality of downward communication; incoherent communication channels – increasing the amount of communication does not necessarily contribute to employee perceptions of communication; clarity and timeliness are more important; poor work-life balance due to a long-hours culture; and few opportunities for leadership development resulting in limited internal progression. Organizational Engagement Engagement is frequently associated with organizational commitment. Engaged employees are likely to display high levels of commitment, but not all committed employees are actively engaged. Engagement does not occur by accident. It is the outcome of several highly integrated approaches to the management of human resources that shape and direct patterns of behavior, thinking, action, and culture. The following are the four (4) key enablers found in highly engaged organizations: ✓ Visible, empowering leadership providing a strong strategic narrative about the organization, where it has come from, and where it is going. ✓ Engaging managers who: o focus their people and give them scope; o treat their people as individuals; o coach and stretch their people. ✓ Employee voice throughout the organization, for reinforcing and challenging views; between functions and externally; employees are seen as central to the solution. ✓ Organizational integrity – the values on the wall are reflected in day-to-day behaviors. 08 Handout 1 *Property of STI  [email protected] Page 2 of 4  TH2010 How can organizations improve levels of engagement? The following areas are of fundamental importance to improve organizational engagement: ✓ Good quality line management – managers who care about their employees, treat them fairly, encourage them to perform well, take an interest in their career aspirations, and provide development opportunities. ✓ Two-way, open communication – allows employees to voice ideas and suggestions, and keeps employees informed about the things that are relevant to them. ✓ Effective cooperation – between different departments and between management and trade unions. ✓ Focus on employee development – providing training that employees need for their current role and fair access to development opportunities. ✓ Commitment to employee well-being - taking health and safety seriously, working to minimize accidents, injuries, violence, and harassment, and taking effective action should a problem occur. ✓ Clear, accessible HR policies and practices – senior management and line management commitment to appraisal, equal opportunities, and family friendliness. ✓ Fair pay and benefits – in terms of comparison inside and outside the organization. ✓ Harmonious working environment – encouraging employees to respect and help each other. Employee engagement is more likely to occur when such certain conditions exist. Organizations can maximize employee engagement by providing and/or improving the abovementioned areas. Organizational Strategies for Enhancing Employee Engagement The challenge for multicultural organizations is to create and sustain an environment, culture, relationships, and work roles that enable and facilitate employee engagement. The approaches and strategies required are as multifaceted and complex as the organization itself, and it still goes without saying that, “one size does not fit all”. Such diversity exactly relates to the tourism and hospitality workplace. For today’s different generations, access to training and career opportunities, and work-life balance, and empowerment to make decisions are important factors in the professional/working life. To foster a culture of employee engagement, changing expectations and patterns of behaviors need to be taken into consideration in the design of strategies to enhance the levels of engagement. Some of the changing workplace dynamics that have influenced the growing interest in employee engagement and the approaches that have been adopted are: Employee–employer relationships are evolving into partnerships. There is an increased demand for work-life balance. HR has a more strategic role in promoting the links between employee performance and its impact on business goals. There is an increasing focus on selective retention for keeping mission-critical talent. There is greater work intensification as employers seek to increase productivity with fewer employees and resources. Acquiring and retaining key talent are re-emerging as top issues of concern. There is a decline in traditional communication methods and an increase in online communication. The needs, wants, and behaviors of the talent pool are driving changes in attraction, selection, and retention practices. In acknowledging these factors, organizations have responded in ways designed to leverage organizational engagement. 08 Handout 1 *Property of STI  [email protected] Page 3 of 4  TH2010 ✓ Culture – Organizations that provide a workplace culture with the psychological conditions of meaningfulness (job enrichment and work-role fit), safety (supportive manager and co-workers), and availability (sufficient and suitable resources) are more likely to have engaged employees. Consequently, organizations considered as an ‘employer of choice’ are more likely to attract and retain the best talent and have higher levels of engagement. Beyond compensation and benefits, key retention factors include the mission and values of the company, treatment of people, learning and development opportunities, work-life balance policies and practices, and rewards to employees for their efforts. Also, employee loyalty must be earned through a culture of respect, integrity, and learning and development. Therefore, an organization that treats its employees with dignity and respect creates a workplace culture that fosters loyalty and engagement by weaving retention and engagement into the fabric of the workplace culture. ✓ Communication – Clear, consistent, and honest communication is an important management tool for leveraging employee engagement. HR, therefore, needs to ensure that it promotes clear, concise information about the key business objectives and priorities. Most crucially, the organization needs to ensure that there are channels for employees to engage with the communication and feel confident that their voices are heard and responded to. Communication strategies that encourage employee engagement through open dialogue and strategic and continuous communication that lends credibility to the organization’s leadership are more likely to create an engaged workforce. On the other hand, a lack of communication or poorly communicated information can lead to distrust, dissatisfaction, skepticism, cynicism, and unwanted turnover. ✓ Effective managers - The manager creates the connection between the employee and the organization and, as a result, the manager-employee relationship is often the ‘deal-breaker’ in relation to retention. Studies show that employees who trust their managers appear to have more pride in the organization and are more likely to feel they are applying their individual talents for their own success and for that of the organization. However, studies show that only 56 percent of employees considered that their manager had a good understanding of their specific job function or fully utilized their unique talents. Managers who demonstrate the following characteristics promote employee engagement: Showed a strong commitment to Found solutions to problems diversity Respected and cared for employees as Took responsibility for successes individuals and failures Set realistic performance expectations Demonstrated honesty and Demonstrated passion for success integrity Defended their direct reports. Organizations should rethink keeping managers who fostered disengaged employees and so lost valuable talent to competitors. ✓ The working environment. Engagement levels are affected by the working environment. Where employees can see that they have support from others to help them do their job, there is a sense of teamwork, and they can safely express themselves, then engagement will be higher. This is also linked to ensuring that employees are matched to their jobs. The extent to which there is synergy is a critical driver of engagement. Reference: Beardwell, J. & Thompson, A. (2017). Human resource management: A contemporary approach (8th Ed.). Pearson Education Limited. 08 Handout 1 *Property of STI  [email protected] Page 4 of 4