Values Of Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is today’s leadership priority. However, the catchphrase goes a long way back in the beginning of the 21st century. It has gained interest to this date, which can be credited to Gallup’s first version of the Q12 in the 1990s commonly termed as the Gallup Workplace Audit (Gallup Consulting, 2006). Subsequently, Gallup has continuously refined and expanded their Q12 for current business challenges. Furthermore, several literatures, surveys and evidence-based studies abound that exhibited positive results with employee engagement such as increased performance, safety, retention and profits among others.

Employee engagement has been a trend of management since 2004.(CMI 2015) ‘Some people may believe that engagement is just about employees ‘going the extra mile’, but it is much more.’(CMI 2014) Within globalization, how to apply employee engagement is significant for an organization to achieve their performance. A key aspect of employee engagement concerns how employees manage their position, performance and development in relationship to the company’s strategies. Therefore, according to Moenguc (2013), employee engagement has been personalized as a“persistent, positive affective-motivational state of fulfillment.” To demonstrate how this process affects the overall performance of an organization, John Lewis has been selected as the case study

Employee engagement is a branch of public relations maintained between the manager and the employees. It is an integral part of a successful business organization. According to Kruse (2012) the employee engagement can be defined as, “The emotional commitment the employee has to the organization and its goals.” There is a distinction between the employee being happy and the employee actually being engaged in his or her work. According to Kruse (2012), a research from Towers

Studies have shown a clear correlation between engagement and performance, and improving them both. Also, links between employee engagement,

Researchers have found only 30% of employees in the United States are actively engaged in the workplace (Gallup 2013). In 2010, data provided by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (as cited in Moreland, 2013) show more individuals are voluntarily quitting their jobs. With over 70% of US workers disengaged, this topic has arguably prompted an interest that continues to be earnestly pursued by many. As a result, the Gallup Q12 expands the need for additional research based on their finding of employee engagement.

Employee engagement is a concept whereby an employee feels an emotional attachment to their employers and the goals and values the employer holds. There doesn’t appear to be a definitive description of employee engagement, but most agree that the emotional attachment is a key element to being an engaged employee. “The term employee engagement has gained considerable popularity in the past 20 years yet it remains inconsistently defined and conceptualized”, Shuck B & Wollard K (2010) - Human Resource Development Review. This emotional attachment could be described as a passion for the organisation and their part in it and a feeling that they can make a difference.

Aon Hewitt (2012) indicates that the business success is critical regarding company’s performance on employee engagement. Engaged employees have a clear understanding of their roles in business strategy and deliver greater performance; they get more involved as well as having a strong connection and commitment to the company and strive to go above and beyond in their jobs (Aon Hewitt, 2012). Aon Hewitt (2012) also mentions that engagement is about measuring the state of emotional and intellectual involvement or commitment of the workforce. It goes beyond satisfaction (“how much I like things here”) and commitment (“how much I want to be here”) to engagement (“how much I want to, and actually do, improve the business results”) (Forde, 2014).

An organization’s capacity to manage employee engagement is closely related to its ability to achieve high performance levels and superior business results. Some of the advantages of Engaged employees are • • • • Engaged employees will stay with the company, be an advocate of the company and its products and services, and contribute to bottom line business success. They will normally perform better and are more motivated. There is a significant link between employee engagement and profitability. They form an emotional connection with the company. This impacts their attitude towards the company’s clients, and thereby improves customer satisfaction and service levels • • • • • • It builds passion, commitment and alignment with the organization’s strategies and goals Increases employees’ trust in the organization Creates a sense of loyalty in a competitive environment Provides a high-energy working environment Boosts business growth Makes the employees effective brand ambassadors for the company

Currently, many businesses are looking toward engagement, which measures satisfaction, commitment, and also energy and enthusiasm. How a person feels about the work they do everyday has the greatest impact on engagement since they want to feel valued and be recognized for their efforts. That is truer now than ever since many people are working more than the standard forty hours a week and want to know that their time away from family matters. Satisfied employees are not necessarily engaged. Engaged employees have an emotional connection to the organization, believe they are contributing, and are growing both individually and professionally and put forth additional effort to complete tasks. That being said, recent studies suggest employers should switch their focus from employee satisfaction to employee engagement scores since it is a better indicator for retention of talent, satisfaction in culture and branding, and stakeholder value.

This course emphasized the concept of employee engagement in the workplace. Employee engagement is critical for many reasons, it is necessary to understand and help organizations lower employee turnover, increase revenue, and help managers communicate more efficiently. There are differences between employees who are actively engaged and disengaged in the workplace. Within active engagement, it is more likely that an employee is confident, valued, and inspired within the organization. They understand their personal worth in the group. The quote by Maya Angelou resonated with me, “People will forget what you said, what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel”. This quote speaks true to all aspects of life, not just in the workplace. When we treat people with their God-given significance, it can motivate them to work and live better. Employees who are

Employee engagement has been recognised by many organisations as a leading and primary source and tool of competitive advantage and business success. Based on research conducted, engaged employees are recognised as being more productive than disengaged employees; thus leading to improved employee performance, increased workplace productivity and profitability, and ultimately, organisational success. The term employee engagement is primarily associated with the employee’s commitment to the objectives, goals and ultimate success of an organisation, exercised together with the enhancement of the employee’s own sense of well-being and development. David Macleod explains employee engagement as “a concept that is greater than the sum of its parts” and describes the concept as, “this is about how we create conditions in which employees offer more of their capability and potential” (Macleod, 2015).

Employee engagement is the emotional commitment an employee shows for the organization and its goals (Kruse 2012). It can also be defined as the act of an employee being involved in, enthusiastic about and satisfied with his or her work (Seijts et al.., 2006). An engaged employee is one who actually cares and is passionate about his job and company goals. He or she does not work just to get a paycheck rather they work to ensure the organization’s goals are met.

Employee engagement has become a top priority for most companies and is a heavily used buzz word in the corporate world. With all the focus centered on this topic research shows that most employees are still not engaged. Recent surveys conducted by Gallup showed that active disengagement of employees is at a record low (Adkins, 2015). In our current economy companies need all the help they can get being profitable and maintaining a good company image. Good employee engagement can play a big part in that process. Employee engagement can positively or negatively affect a company on numerous levels:

Employee engagement is a relatively new concept. According to Stairs (2005, p.8) research into engagement has completely being ignored and a Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) report (Alfes et al., 2010, p.4) supported this view by stating that while academia became silent on the concept of employee engagement, the concept was actually placed on the discussion board by Human Resources (HR) professionals, practitioners, and consultants. Kular et al (2008) further state that there remains a paucity of critical academic literature on employee engagement. However, with the advent of concerns given to engagement in modern times, the concept has seen new faces of definitions and explanations given to it. The very first definition was given by Kahn (1990, p.694) as “the harnessing of organization members’ selves to their work roles; in engagement, people employ and express themselves physically, cognitively, and emotionally during role performances”. The aspect of engagement that is cognitive concerns employees’ beliefs about the organization itself, the leaders and the conditions under which employees work. The emotional side of employee engagement is about how employees feel of each of the three factors and whether they have positive or negative attitudes toward the organization and its leaders. The physical aspect of employee engagement concerns the physical energies exerted by individuals to accomplish their roles. Form this background, Kahn (1990)

The organization should aim to increase employee engagement. Employee engagement results in manifestation of citizenship behaviors such as conscientiousness, altruism, courtesy, sportsmanship, and civic virtue. These behaviors would contribute to the attainment of organizations objectives and its mission.