Welcome to another weekend. Apparently, (which should be their side hustle) Kaduna State government has declared a four-day working week for government staff. This is supposed to make their work more efficient. I hope this works and only time will tell. We all know that for many government workers, their government work is their side hustle.
I believe this just gives them more time to do their main work and they will be just as tired when they come in to work on Monday like always. Whether this works or not, it is the employer trying to engage his staff.
Today and for the next few weeks we are going to be talking about Employee Engagement. Employees who feel connected to their organisation work harder, stay longer, and motivate others to do the same.
Employee engagement is the strength of the mental and emotional connection employees feel toward the work they do, their teams, and their organisation
Employee engagement affects just about every important aspect of organisations, profitability, revenue, customer experience, employee turnover, and more.
Engaged employees perform better, boosting the success of teams and the outcomes of the organizations. Employee engagement It is a deep, long-term connection to the organisation.
Employee engagement is appealing to HR because of its immediate benefits in employee retention, recruitment, job satisfaction, and happiness. But the benefits of employee engagement span much further than HRM.
Employee engagement is the strength of the mental and emotional connection employees feel toward the work they do, their teams, and their organisation. Based on their perceptions, employees can be categorised into four main groups. Highly engaged, moderately engaged, barely engaged, and dis-engaged.
The highly engaged hold very favourable opinions of their organisations. When employees feel connected to their teams, love their jobs, and have positive feelings about your organization, they’re going to want to stay and put in extra effort to help the organization succeed. They are “brand advocates” and speak highly of their company to everybody. They encourage other employees to engage.
The moderately engaged employees see in a moderately favourable light. They like their company but see opportunities for improvement. They are less likely to ask for more responsibilities and may underperform. There is something in the workplace holding them back from full engagement.
The barely engaged employees feel indifferent toward their organisation. They usually lack work motivation and will do the barest minimum. They may be researching other jobs and are a high turnover risk.
Disengaged employees have a negative opinion of their place of work. They are disconnected from the mission, goals, and future of the organization. They lack commitment to their position and responsibilities. They should not be allowed to infect other employees so as not to impact their productivity.
Employee happiness, satisfaction, or wellbeing are not the same as employee engagement.
Happiness says nothing about how invested employees are in the company, nor how hard they’re working on behalf of the organization’s mission. Happiness is a short-term, rapidly changing measurement. For example, an employee may feel temporary happiness from a raise and then sink back into disengagement.
Employee satisfaction can only be measured at surface level. An employee who is satisfied may not be engaged. A satisfied employee may not take steps to go above and beyond. They usually stay but are not driven to go the extra mile. Engaged employees are productive, while satisfied employees tend to coast through their work and experience.
Employee wellbeing evaluates how well they cope with stress or if they’re fulfilling their potential. Providing resources to increase employee wellbeing can however increase employee engagement.
When employees are engaged they want to go above and beyond the basic requirements of their job.
There is increased employee productivity. Apparently, engaged employees are 17% more productive than their peers. They’re more likely to work diligently, going above the call of duty.
Read also: Improving employee experience in the workplace
There is higher employee retention, because engaged employees know they will be recognized for their contributions. They see opportunities for professional growth and career development. They understand when organizational change happens and why.
These three pillars enable employees to connect to the present and the future.
There is Increased internal customer satisfaction which translates to external customer satisfaction. Engaged employees care deeply about their jobs, and thus, customers.
There is lower absenteeism. Engagement makes staff show up prepared for work. There is better employee health. Engaged employees are less likely to suffer from chronic disease, more likely to eat healthier, and more likely to exercise. Having healthier employees positively impacts your bottom line.
Engaged employees are more aware of their surroundings and can focus on the task at hand. Research has shown that 70% fewer safety incidents occur in highly engaged workplaces.
I will let you know how best to engage your employees. I assure you this is the best way to get results and not just being high handed.
