What is Employee Engagement and Why does your Organization Need it?

In the recent years, the concept of Employee engagement has been the subject matter of discussion for many organizations and managements. The benefits of having engaged employees are gaining attention all over the world. But, what is this employee engagement and why it should be implemented? What are these benefits that are making the savvy companies run behind these concepts?

Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is the extent to which an employee invests all his cognitive, emotional and behavioral abilities to work for the positive outcomes of the organization. Employee engagement can be recognized as the level of enthusiasm and connection that employees have with their organization. It measures how motivated are the employees and how committed they are towards the success of the organization.

Employee engagement depends on the actions of an organization, particularly the core members such as supervisors, HR managers, team leaders and the top management. Their involvement in making the employees engaged is crucial in filling the office atmosphere with enthusiasm and interest.

Where does this come from?

In 1990, the Boston University professor, William Kahn has first introduced the concept of Employee engagement. In his explanation, he emphasized that the Employee engagement occurs when a person expresses their “Preferred Self” in their work setting, which helps an employee in establishing strong connections to their work colleagues and performance.

This develops a strong sense of belongingness for the employee towards the organization. The concept of employee engagement was actually a breakthrough as the companies were focused on employee satisfaction, till then. But, what’s the difference between employee satisfaction and employee engagement?

Employee Satisfaction

Programs related to Employee satisfaction focuses on perks and benefits offered to employees, like distributing Sodexo passes, free sodas in the fridge, and casual Fridays that help create a pleasant work environment. But this employee satisfaction has a limited connection with employee engagement that is essential for organizational growth.

Employee Engagement

According to the global business leaders, engaged employees tend to be high performers. The Organizations with more engaged employees will be highly productive with higher rate of Employee retention. The engaged employees of an organization, stay motivated and motivate others too to work efficiently. They create a positive work environment and keep it vibrant by putting in extra effort for the success of the organization.

Why Does Employee Engagement Work?

But why do highly engaged employees stay motivated, work efficiently and be more productive with no thoughts of quitting the job? It is Simple. It happens because they feel valued and supported by the organization.

People who are engaged at work not only improve their quality of work but also find better value of life at their work. People, who are engaged by their work, feel energized doing it and thus maintain positive mental health. They love their job. They also help others to get involved in their work, by offering help to those in need, like to new hires.

They get so absorbed in their work that they lose track of their time. Such employees would also like to contribute more to the organization like stretching beyond their roles
to complete the work in time and deliver quality output.

How are they Motivated?

Employees get motivated in a positive work environment. Employees feel more valued and heard when they have the opportunity to provide regular feedbacks, without any hesitation on the outcomes. In some companies, there are situations where employees are under-valued and are made to do laborious work that is filled with boredom.

The incentives, free beverages and cab facilities might keep them satisfied but not motivated towards their work. In order to keep the employees of your company engaged, their engagement levels and the aspects that drive their interest should be known. But this is not possible by just posing a question like, “How satisfied are you with your company?”

In fact, this needs a lot more. Conducting a survey by framing a questionnaire that could address the roots of employee engagement and sending them to the employees gives the employees a chance to voice their opinions. Actually, this is not a one-size-fits-all solution. The surveys are to be conducted considering their roles, responsibilities and also the tenure of the employment. The feedbacks collected from the employees as a result of the survey conducted can be viewed by the managers.

The managers would know where to focus when they could get the access to results of the Employee engagement survey. When the employees’ feedbacks are taken seriously, when discussions are made regarding their experiences and performances, then the organization will be able to identify the need for change. This enables them to make some appreciable decisions. Thus the employee feels valued and loyal to the organization, and the organization also fosters its growth.

How does an engaged employee look like?

As per the studies on the effects of employee engagement, the engaged employees can be easily distinguished from the others. They are recognizable as their motivational levels are more pronounced. Engaged employees can generally be identified with the following traits.

• Engaged employees are found absorbed in the work
• They are enthusiastic about the work
• They find a greater sense of meaning in their work
• They find a strong connection between their strengths and their roles at the workplace
• They look for opportunities to learn and grow in the organization
• They put effort voluntarily for the betterment of the company

But why do they do that? Why do engaged employees find it so interesting to put extra effort and to go that extra mile to complete the job satisfactorily? What do they have in their minds that others don’t? Here is a list of things that the engaged employees feel other than the remaining employees of the organization.

• A sense of belongingness
• Growth in career
• Meaningful work
• Recognition from the company
• Empowerment
• Great work relationships
• Leadership

Considering the importance of all these factors, it is easily understandable why the companies are focusing on employee engagement strategies. Are you looking for the ways to implement Employee Engagement strategies in your company?

Employee Wellness Audit (EWA) is the flagship product of Wellness Hub that focuses on Employee Engagement and lets you have an engaged and efficient workforce for your organization. Know how to improve employee engagement with our varied number of surveys and assessments that enable your employees to function better. EWA is working towards a holistic betterment by bridging the gaps between employees and organizations through making the employees fully functional.