Employee Engagement

Employee Engagement

[Name of the Writer]

[Name of the Institution]

Employee Engagement

Best Practices

Employee engagement is as critical in an organization as the other resources to keep the company upright and intact. It improves the employee performance and productivity of the organization. It further enhances the positive and growing ambiance of the workplace, as the bond between employees and the company grows stronger by keeping the employees engaged and motivated (Kumar, & Pansari, 2015). In this regard, the best practices for motivation and engagement of employees are devised and enacted by the organization for the benefit of the company and workers. Following are the two best practices used by the leaders of successful organizations for keeping their employees motivated and engaged:

Support and Authority

The companies have various managerial and supervisory levels, concerning that every person in the organization is answerable to their higher-ups (Jha, & Kumar, 2016). If an employee is going through some issues regarding work or personal life, the role of the management here is supportive and helping so that the employee keeps regard and show loyalty to the company which enabled him in the times of desperate needs. The support from the leader is something which every worker aspires to have, thus in some situations managers step-in to rectify the circumstances. The authority or autonomy, when provided to the employee, makes them responsible for their job. Therefore, a worker is given enough freedom for completing their tasks carefully.

Team Recognition and Hard Work

To keep the workforce motivated and going in the right direction, it is the best way to recognize and appreciate their hard work and team effort. This gives and employee the feeling of satisfaction at the job, and it also provides them the urge of doing more good takes so that the organization and their superiors are happy with their work. The practice of using motivating words like ‘good job,' ‘well-done,' or ‘appreciated' gives a pushy to the employee and they strive for doing with more hard work and strength. The efforts like recognition day or awards like an employee of the month etc. give the employee a sense of being appreciated, and inspiration comes within.

Comparison of Best Practices with Actual Practices

The common practices used by GAP Inc. for engaging their employee is through rewarding them by money or volunteering at off times, and also they work on the aspect of employee growth in the company and out of the company for better careers. GAP Inc. reward or pay back their employees on extra work they do for the organization or community in general. The pay back is done through different ways by the employees, i.e., the field team grants, money for time, fund raising match and take five hours per month for volunteer work. Such programs give social and business benefits to the employees, as well as to the organization (Mone, & London, 2018). The volunteers have a lower turn-over rate than the employee who is not active in volunteer work, thus the retaining rate of engaged employee twice more than the non-engaged one.

The company works on the growth of employees, i.e., their career and advancements in the organization. They tend to prepare the employees for the future by opening chances for their growth within and out of the organization. The best employee with true potentials is identified by the managers, and they help them move to the higher posts. The recognition and support are provided to the employees through higher management which keeps the employee engaged and focused on the company, working for its well-being. The communication patterns and hierarchy are well-managed. There is no ambiguity concerning the autonomy and breach of authority. Team and hard work recognition are done through this process, and it helps in retaining the employee and engaging them well with the organization.

Recommendations

The strategies and recommendations altered and advancement made in the policies so that the engagement of more employees is possible by every means. There are certain recommendations for the organizations, i.e., GAP Inc. for improving their employee engagement practices. The engagement of an employee is based on two broader levels; first is the leader's and second is manager's level. The role of these two entities in an organization is crucial regarding the betterment of employee and organizational goals. Along with this, the engagement at the workplace is maintained through providing different ways for improving the employees' connection with the organization.

The leaders can improve employee engagement by devising different ways and methods by which a powerful vision of the company is communicated to the employee. Keeping track of a company's activities and achievements create a sense of belonging within the employee (Popli, & Rizvi, I2016). Leaders empower their teams by being the role model as well as the mentor and keeping the team unified with each other and eliminating discrimination and bias. The role of the manager is essential; as managers should be able to ensure that they have acquired and developed relevant people according to the job with enough capabilities to run the organizational functions. The managers ensure the efficient working of the teams.

The other practices, like flexibility, authenticity, giving breaks, asking for feedbacks, taking stay interviews rather than leaving interviews, giving a unique ambiance and doing weekly get together engage employees very effectively in the company. Moreover, the culture of an organization matters a lot to the individual working there, for instance, if the culture is ‘people-focused' it will create a working environment where every worker or employee is valued and heard by the superiors (Taneja, Sewell, & Odom, 2015).

Insight Gained

The analysis of the best and actual practices gave a much comprehensive insight into the effectiveness of employee engagement in an organization. The first think which I learned throughout this exploration is that the leader’s role is vital in effectively engaging an employee with its organization. Secondly, the growth of an employee is the most engaging thing in an organization which is actively achieving its goals and accomplishments. As a leader, I will successfully create a fearless environment, with the chances of employee's growth in the company.

For creating a friendly environment, a leader must enhance and induce in its team a sense of togetherness and frankness. Provide the team with flexibility and autonomy so that they are free to work in their styles and manners. The breaks from the continuity of work are very much useful in lowering burnout from employees. The get together, and outdoor meet-ups also build a deep connection of employees with their managers and leaders. It is a great way of interaction for the employees with their colleagues and superiors. The exit interview is not very supportive when it comes to employee engagement, rather ‘stay interviews'' should be conducted to know about the position and view point of an employee about the organization.

Moreover, the relationship between management and workers should be trustworthy and open. The authenticity of relationship aggravates the performance of the employee and their loyalty with their work as well. The efforts of employee maters mostly on the level of input by the organization in his well-being and future goals. As a leader this effort is made by communicating the appreciation and policies made in the interest of the employee, ad ensuring them that the company seeks to have their progress along with its advancement.

References

Jha, B., & Kumar, A. (2016). Employee engagement: A strategic tool to enhance performance. DAWN: Journal for Contemporary Research in Management, 3(2), 21-29.

Kumar, V., & Pansari, A. (2015). Measuring the benefits of employee engagement. MIT Sloan Management Review, 56(4), 67.

Mone, E. M., & London, M. (2018). Employee engagement through effective performance management: A practical guide for managers. Routledge.

Popli, S., & Rizvi, I. A. (2016). Drivers of employee engagement: The role of leadership style. Global Business Review, 17(4), 965-979.

Taneja, S., Sewell, S. S., & Odom, R. Y. (2015). A culture of employee engagement: A strategic perspective for global managers. Journal of Business Strategy, 36(3), 46-56.