Employee engagement, while the name itself is defines the purpose of it, a good employee engagement definition encompasses is more than engaging employees in their work and workplace.
The broader definition includes employee interaction, retention, and company culture, however it has more to do with actual implementation. With changing trends in hiring employees, increased involvement of technology in Human resources and accessibility to multiple job openings, it is important to keep the employees engaged with the organization and keep up their motivation level.
While the employees who does not share a engaged bond with the company, are tend to be less productive, the level of dedication and loyalty is on lower side as compared to employees who share a connection with the company. The engaged employees are;
The organizations design strategies of effective employee engagement. The strategies are run though employee engagement programs which may or may not be applicable to all levels of management. The strategies work on improving employee engagement through different engaging activities, rewards and motivation. A well-planned Engagement strategy is the only way of improving employee engagement.
In order to reap the benefits of employee engagement, it is important to have a well-defined plan and ensure implementation in the phased manner. While the strategies do differ depending upon the type of the organization, whether that’s a Government or private company, whether it is into manufacturing or services sector and lot other factors play a role in designing the strategies.
We have tried to capture the most important parameters which contribute in designing the employee engagement activities;
Involve employees in your business strategiesWhile this may not seem possible for large organizations, but the small businesses can surely use this as an effective tool. The small businesses can in every 6 months, or even quarterly, present the most important issues in front your employees and ask for feedback. The HR team can involve the team in planning ahead, assessing opportunities and coming up with improvement ideas for business strategy.
By promoting transparency and inviting employees for strategic insight into how the company is being managed, the organizations can foster loyalty.
P provide learning opportunitiesLack of learning prospects is one of the biggest reason for attrition. With the development of new technologies, the employees want to be updated and it in turns gives returns to the organization itself. The companies can own Academy, where employees can access the knowledge and development opportunities that they need.
The HR needs need to assess their needs and their preferences, create a curriculum and set-up 1-2 classes per week. A lot of organizations develop internal online tutorial programs wherein the employees can login and dedicate few hours as per their convenience.
Engagement with upcoming opportunitiesThe organizations keep the employees updated about new product launch, big contract signing or about any big event lined up. This way the employees feel connected about and gets a feeling of importance that the organization is keeping them informed about happenings.
It is indeed a good strategy to communicate upcoming opportunities on a regular basis. The companies do float regular internal newsletters, emails mentioning about past happenings and future opportunities.
Timely rewards and recognition Every employee feels motivated with the recognition for their performance or special act worth appreciation. The organizations can publish the acts or performance achievers in the newsletters or emails and in fact even reward them personally in annual functions.
This strategy works best for the organization’s driven by product manufacturing, banking and insurance sector.
There are lot more strategies of employee engagement, however the best strategy is designed keeping in mind the business objective and budget allocation.