How important is Employee Engagement

People are the basic foundation of any business. A business plan and model can only be a success when executed in a proper manner and for any plan to be executed successfully the manpower of the company has to be intact. Manpower if used only as a resource will not add much value in its contribution to the organization’s goal. People of the company and their goals have to be aligned to the mission and vision of the company. It is very easy to bind the employees in set targets and get the work out of them but such a scenario would last for a short span of time only. If people don’t feel valued in the organization and their efforts and achievements are not being recognized and rewarded they gradually get disconnected and leave.

In the current scenario the major problem being faced by the companies is high attrition rate. Offering good packages or free meals is not the only solution to this problem.The people need to feel the trust, have their specified personal space to perform to the best of their capabilities and the freedom to express their ideas and thoughts. The organizational leaders can never attain the business objectives that are critical to improving organizational performance if people are not engaged. An engaged employee is a person who is fully involved in, and enthusiastic about, his or her work. He/She feels connected to the organizations values, beliefs and goals. Their managers and supervisors don’t need to keep a check on their work and remind them about their productivity levels as such employees are high on their integrity level. They would give their best even when not being observed.

Employee engagement has become an important aspect of corporate culture as it also affects the mindset of people. Engaged employees believe and have faith that they can make a difference in the organizations they work for. Their confidence on the knowledge they possess, skills, and abilities of both themselves and others is a powerful predictor of behavior and subsequent performance. The companies need to have good leaders who can not only guide but also engage employees to give their best and feel connected to the organizations goal. There are ten C’s of employee engagement that needs to be considered and followed by organizations to engage their employees and keep them motivated.

1.    Connect: The employees are and should be considered the most valued asset of any organization. Employee engagement is a direct reflection of how employees feel about their relationship with their seniors and management. There has to be a personal connect between the management and the employees where either of them could easily communicate and voice their opinion and concern. When employees feel connected they perform well as they have the assurance of being heard when required.

2.     Career:  Assigning the work and expecting results does not end the responsibility of the managers and management. In order to be focused on their goals as well as give perfect results first and foremost the employees should be given proper resources and guidance. Individual roles should challenging and meaningful to work on. These roles also need to be aligned with their career path Employees now a days are well aware of their market value and look for opportunities that would drive their career to new heights or add value to their knowledge base. Employees avoid mundane jobs and want to do new things in their job. So the tasks need to be designed in a manner to keep them engaged and give their best.

3.     Clarity: The employees should have clarity of the organizational goals and vision in order to align their efforts with the same. A mere assignment with some targets might not interest them for a long time. Only when they feel being a part of something big and valuable would they put an extra effort to it. When the employees have clarity of the impact and contribution of their efforts would they feel connected and engaged.

4.    Convey: It is necessary that the leaders/managers should clarify and communicate their expectations about employees and provide feedback on their functioning in the organization. For effective employee engagement such processes and procedures need to be established that help people master important tasks and facilitate goal achievement.

5.    Congratulate: It is a very common scenario in the corporate culture that there is a quick feedback system for poor performances or below the level performances and at times the employees are humiliated in front of the whole group for non performance or poor performance. On the contrary the achievements and accomplishments take time to get recognized and rewarded as rewarding candidates involve certain procedures.

6.    Contribute: Self satisfaction is an important aspect of any work. There is no doubt about it that an employee has a financial aspect attached to his job but apart from that the thing that keeps him connected to the organization is the feeling of being valued and important in terms of contribution. Here it becomes the prime responsibility of the leaders and managers to guide and motivate the employees and keep them engaged.

7.    Control: The employees now opt for such jobs where they are not treated as puppets doing what is being told without using their own brains. For employee engagement and motivation it is very important that individual roles are designed in such a manner where analytical aspect and decision making at various levels has been inculcated. The concept of being given opportunities to participate in decision making often reduces stress; it also creates trust and a culture where people want to take ownership of problems and their solutions.

8.    Collaborate: It has been witnessed since ages that when employees work in teams and have the trust and cooperation of their team members, they outperform individuals and teams which lack good relationships. Ten constructive minds and dedicated hands working for a common goal not only excel in their work but also match the perfection level. For such accomplishments the leaders and managers need to be focused on their training agenda and modules emphasizing on team work and collaboration.

9.    Credibility: People don’t do jobs for the heck of it. People want to be proud of their jobs, their performance, and their organization. It is very important for organizations to have a strong goodwill value and the leaders and managers should strive hard and try their level best to maintain a company’s reputation and demonstrate high ethical standards.When an employee feels, adapted, accepted and secured in an organization, he automatically gets engaged.

10.  Confidence: The most vital aspect of employee engagement is to buildup confidence in the employees about the company and its culture by being exemplars of high ethical and performance standards. It is very important for employees to feel assured of their career and financial growth being associated with the company. It is also very important for them to feel the pride and respect of being associated with the brand. This in turn boosts up their confidence level and keeps engaged.