05. Strategies to Build Employee Engagement

In order to gain maximum employee engagement researchers are proposed several strategies. All these strategies are based on four major principles (Kulkalyuenyong, 2016). These principles include,

5.1.Employee involvement and participation

5.2.Employee career development.

5.3.Employee recognition and rewards

5.4.Internal communication between management and employees

Many Characteristics of actively engaged workforce discussed in section 3.0, “Characteristics of engaged employees” can be seen in the staffs who are working for blue-chip multinational companies such as Nestles, Toyota and Fonterra. Because these organizations profoundly follow above strategies to improve the engagement level of the employees.

5.1. Employee Involvement and Participation

According to Lawler (1986) Employee involvement and participation refers to extent to which allowing employees to participate in managerial decision-making and suitable improvement activities in the organization. Further Ledford (1993) has identified four key strategies for Employee Involvement and Participation,

·         Educate employees on organization’s vision, mission, performance, plans, goals, and strategies

·         Train them to improve leadership skills, analytical skills, team work and problem solving.

·         Design best rewarding and recognition system which influence employees to get more responsibility and ownership on duties and responsibilities that they are handling.

·         Power sharing, assign both authority and responsibility for decision making  on operational activities. 

5.2. Employee career development.

Both employee and organization are benefited from career development and it is equally important to both parties. Because this helps to realize full potential of employee as well as the organization and further it helps stretch to the maximum (Armstrong, 2001). Career Counselling and Training programs are the main components of career development.

5.3. Employee recognition and rewards                                                                      

Rewarding and recognition mainly focus on motivating employees, increasing job satisfaction and enhancing employee loyalty.   Increases in pay, Promotions and performance rating, Special recognition, Employee Benefits and Services and Team rewarding are the main strategies come under Employee recognition and rewarding (Kulkalyuenyong, 2016).                                                      

5.4. Internal communication between management and employees

This is an art which helps educate employees on organization’s vision, mission and goals as well as get ideas of the employees for the well-being of the organization. As per Welch and Jackson (2007) internal communication helps to improve employee loyalty. Internal communication has four dimensions such as communication frequency, appropriate channels, sharing of information, and communication quality(Johlke and Duhan, 2000).

At present, internal communication has been identified as significant practice. In contemporary organizations such as Business Process Outsourcing organizations (BPO), Software Development companies and Audit firms arrange their office locations to avoid all the barriers relating to internal communication. These organizations never separated managers and subordinates at the office. All employees are work in same working area and separated cubicles and chambers are now become outdated.

List of References

Armstrong, M. (2001) Human Resource Management Practice. London: Kegan Page Ltd.

Johlke, M. C., and Duhan, D. F. (2000) Supervisor Communication Practices and Service Employee Job Outcomes. Journal of Service Research, 3 (2) 154-165.

Kulkalyuenyong, P. (2016) The importance of employee engagement in the hospitality industry, Dusit Thani College Journal, Vol.10, No.1, pp 269-282.

Lawler, E. E. (1986)  High Involvement Management. 3^rd Edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Ledford, G.E. Jr. (1993) Employee Involvement: Lessons and Predictions. In J. R. Galbraith & E.E.Lawler III (Eds.) Organizing for the Future: New Approaches to Managing Complex Organizations. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Welch, M., Jackson, P. R. (2007) “Rethinking Internal Communication: A Stakeholder Approach.” Corporate Communications: An International Journal. 12 (2), pp. 177–198.