Employee Engagement Final Paper

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1 Employee Engagement Erin Flinkman State College of Florida MNA 4404 – Human Resources: Employee Relations & Employment Regulations Professor Margaret Beck November 26, 2023

2 Employee Engagement One of the most important indicators in measuring work satisfaction is through employee engagement. Employee engagement is a fundamental concept in organizations in the effort to understand and describe the nature of the relationship between an employee and their organization. Employee engagement can also be defined as a measure of the emotional commitment of employees to the organization and its values, and their willingness to invest – at their own discretion – additional effort to help the organization achieve its goals. When employees are committed to an organization and its values, they are willing to go beyond what is expected of them. We will look at how to engage employees, the pros of employee engagement, and the cons of disengaged employees. An environment where employees understand and commit to the company’s direction, strategy, and goals is an organizational way of life. How to Engage Employee’s Knowing how to engage employees is one of the key factors to running a successful business. As a manager, creating a workforce that is not simply happy, but engaged and motivated to produce, will clear one stumbling block on the path to success. Workplace culture is the key to setting the tone for engagement. A culture of innovation, good internal communication, and a reputation of integrity.

3 According to Engage Resources, “Culture in this context can be seen as a set of beliefs, values and norms that represents the unique character of the organization and that provides the context within which decisions are made and behaviors regulated. It reflects the identity of the organization, and in some ways it becomes the identity of those who work there as well. Culture has a reciprocal side to it – the management and staff of the organization affect the culture as much as the culture affects them” (Engage Resources, n.d.). It’s about allowing employees to be their authentic selves so they can leverage their strengths and unique perspectives. Employees want to feel valued and challenged; they want to be trusted and given the freedom to explore and learn within the job. According to Glen Llopis, “Today’s leaders must constantly focus on the growth of their teams and strengthening the capabilities of individuals that can make the team more effective; this creates an environment of continuous innovation and initiative” (Llopis, 2022). According to Team, “Before you can start to measure their level of engagement ask yourself the following: Are your company’s goals and visions clear and concise? Do the employees understand these goals? Is there a clear link between the employee’s work and the company’s goals?

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4 Can the employees see how their work ultimately contributes to the success of the business? Is the leadership of the organization present and able to motivate the workforce? Are the managers equipped with the skills needed to lead a team to success? When all these components are in place, you can begin to look closer at how well engaged your employees are” (Team, 2021). The baseline for an organization to be engaged starts with an engagement survey. The surveys should be companywide with carefully-crafted engagement strategies, action plans and management feedback sessions – which are then followed-up with annual or bi-annual remeasure surveys for comparison and to be more accurate quarterly surveys for benchmarking purposes. Then if you can compare your data to that of other companies who have completed the same survey, it gives you a better determination whether the scores are low or high. T- Scores are one method of representing benchmark scores and tell you how your scores compare to other places. When these surveys are conducted it creates a conducive workplace environment. You then can get an employee to buy-in and become committed by empowering them with individualized engagement reports so they can take ownership of their own engagement. Now that the survey has been completed and the data interpreted you can determine the areas that need to be reinforced to increase employee engagement. This may entail looking at

5 leadership and changing leadership habits and behaviors. You want to make sure that leadership on all levels are equipped with data driven insights, tools, and the knowledge to drive engagement in their own teams. So, they also take responsibility and ownership of the engagement of their employees. There are both organizational drivers and managerial drivers to drive employees to engagement. According to SHRM, “Quantum Workplace has identified six organizational drivers of employee engagement that have the greatest impact: 1.The leaders of their organization are committed to making it a great place to work. 2. Trust in the leaders of the organization to set the right course. 3. Belief that the organization will be successful in the future. 4. Understanding of how I fit into the organization's future plans. 5. The leaders of the organization value people as their most important resource. 6. The organization makes investments to make employees more successful” (SHRM, 2022). For the managerial drivers SHRM states, “Employee engagement increases dramatically when the daily experiences of employees include positive

6 relationships with their direct supervisors or managers. Behaviors that are directly correlated with employee engagement include:  Employees enjoy a good relationship with their supervisor.  Employees have the necessary equipment to do the job well.  Employees have the authority necessary to accomplish their job well.  Employees have freedom to make work decisions” (SHRM, 2022). There are many factors that influence employee engagement—from workplace culture, organizational communication, and managerial styles. Then there is the trust and respect, the integrity of leadership, and the reputation of the company. Getting to know your employees, providing the tools necessary to do their jobs well, showing recognition for their hard work, bonuses, support work-life balance, and encouraging your employees are simple yet effective ways to motivate employees to be engaged in their jobs as well as being satisfied. Pros of Employee Engagement There are several benefits when it comes to engaged employees and why it is vital to any organization. One of the main benefits is the success and productivity levels. When businesses have highly engaged employees, they are

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7 more productive and efficient, leading to better business outcomes. Santhosh of Culture Monkey states, that “Engaged employees are passionate about their job, feel valued and recognized for their efforts, and have a sense of belonging and purpose. They are more likely to go the extra mile, take on additional responsibilities, and work collaboratively with their colleagues” (Santhosh, 2023). Employees who are engaged are also more likely to maintain and provide excellent customer relationships and service, positively impacting your company's reputation, revenue, and bottom line. A pro of engaged employees is that they are more likely to go above and beyond for their customers, which results in higher customer service satisfaction rates and loyalty as well as leading to higher profits for the organization. In addition, engaged employees are committed, more likely to stay with the company, which reduces the costs for turnover for the organization leading to a more stable work environment and improving the business's overall stability. Engaged employees are more likely to be productive, innovate, and produce new ideas that can drive business growth and success giving the organization a competitive advantage. Furthermore, employees who are engaged are likely to follow safety procedures and protocols, reducing the risk of workplace accidents and injuries. They take pride in the work they do their contributions, resulting in higher-quality products and a higher-quality of work. According to Team, “a business that has employee engagement strategies tends to have less sick days to

8 account for. Companies with engaged employees can expect to see a reduction in the number of days of work missed by an average of four days per employee per year” (Team, 2022). When employees feel a genuine connection to the work they are doing, the crucial roles they play for the success of the business, and mission of the company they deliver exceptional results. Cons of Disengaged Employees On the other hand, when it comes to disengaged employees there are several drawbacks for an organization. Disengaged employees are demotivated, they have a lack of enthusiasm, and are indifferent to their work and the company. They may show up for work but are not invested in their job, which can lead to low productivity, poor performance, and higher turnover rates. When employees are disengaged, they most likely will not go above and beyond for their customers. Which can lead to customer service dissatisfaction, poor reviews, and a bad reputation for the company. The disengaged employees would be doing the bare minimum for the organization. They would not have pride in the work that they do, which would lead to lower-quality work and lower-quality productivity. Disengaged employees create higher turnover rates for an organization which costs the organization valuable resources and time. Also, disengaged employees may take shortcuts when it comes to following safety procedures and protocols leading to increased accidents or on the job injuries. Furthermore, having

9 disengaged employees creates an unstable environment for the organization reducing the overall stability of the company and their business revenue. Employee disengagement can be a trickle-down effect from top management throughout the whole company. When managers are not investing in their employees and empowering them to be engaged, they are driving their company to a place of complacency which in turn costs them. How much? According to Karen Barysenko, “disengaged employees have 37% higher absenteeism, 18% lower productivity and 15% lower profitability. When that translates into dollars, you're looking at the cost of 34% of a disengaged employee's annual salary, or $3,400 for every $10,000 they make” (Barysenko, 2019). If an organization's leadership is complacent about creating a wonderful place to work, then why should they have the expectation that their employees will be anything but complacent about their day-to-day responsibilities? Conclusion Employee engagement is one of the most important indicators in measuring work satisfaction. With several definitions employee engagement relates to the level an employee is emotionally committed to the organization they work for as well as the organization’s values, willing to go beyond what is expected of them to accomplish organizational goals. Employee engagement is a key factor to running a successful business. There are pros of employee

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10 engagement which include: higher productivity, lower turnover rates, and higher customer service satisfaction. On the other hand, there are cons to disengaged employees that include: lower productivity, higher turnover rates, and a bad reputation for the company. A culture of innovation, good internal communication, and a company reputation of integrity create an environment where employees can grow and thrive. Getting to know your employees, providing the tools necessary to do their jobs well, showing recognition for their hard work, bonuses, support work-life balance, and encouraging your employees are simple yet effective ways to drive employees to engagement. Works Cited Borysenko, K. (2019, May 2). How much are your disengaged employees costing you? . Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/karlynborysenko/2019/05/02/how-much-are- your-disengaged-employees-costing-you/?sh=48c721583437 Engage Resources (n.d.). Engage Theory . Engagement theory. https://www.mindsetmanage.com/concepts-guidelines/engagement/flowwor k-theory Gallup, Inc. (2023, October 21). Indicator: Employee engagement . Gallup.com. https://www.gallup.com/394373/indicator-employee-engagement.aspx

11 Llopis, G. (2022, October 12). 6 things wise leaders do to engage their employees . Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2015/02/02/6- things-wise-leaders-do-to-engage-their-employees/?sh=7d7b74a27f5d Santhosh. (2023, August 21). 17 benefits of employee engagement: Why it is important . CultureMonkey. https://www.culturemonkey.io/employee- engagement/benefits-of-employee-engagement/ Team, T. E. (2021, August 11). How to engage employees; a complete guide for managers . Nutcache. https://www.nutcache.com/blog/how-to-engage- employees/ SHRM. (2022, April 26). https://www.shrm.org/ResourcesAndTools/tools-and- samples/toolkits/Pages/default.aspx

Employee Engagement Final Paper

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