What is employee engagement all about?
Keeping the right people and retaining them within your organization.
Why is engagement all that important?
Employee engagement illustrates the commitment and energy that employees bring to work and is a key indicator of their involvement and dedication to the organization. Employees who are engaged are more productive, content and more likely to be loyal to an organization.
How do you achieve employee engagement?
When organizations put sound HR practices in place, they are more likely to discover that employees feel satisfied, safe and will work to their full potential…and that means they are more likely to stay put.
What is the HR responsibility and how it relates to employee engagement?
Strategic HR Planning
- People are the main resource that organizations have for delivering services
- Strategic HR planning links HR management directly to an organization’s strategic plan and that means that staff will have meaningful roles tied to the strategic direction of the organization
- Strategically planning how your organization will meet its current and future HR needs and how people will be supported and nurtured within your organization is critical for success
Operational HR Planning
- At an operational level, organizations put in place HR management practices to support management and staff in achieving their day-to-day goals
- Whether it’s determining how many employees are needed to deliver services over the next year or how performance will be monitored, the HR management practices and activities need to be planned to answer the question: “Where is our organization going and how will it get there?”
- An operational plan ensures that employees are properly supported
Compensation and Benefits
- Though usually not ranked the most important, compensation is an important factor in job satisfaction
- An employee who feels adequately compensated monetarily is more likely to stay with your organization
Developing HR Policies
- Policies and procedures both communicate the values of your organization and provide everyone with a consistent process to follow
- Policies and procedures provide your employees with a process to follow and that knowledge can help them confidently approach situations, particularly difficult situations
Employment Legislation and Standards
- Provincial/territorial and federal governments outline the minimum requirements to ensure a safe and equitable work environment for employees
Job Descriptions
- Job descriptions are basic HR management tools that can help to increase individual and organizational effectiveness
- A well-written job description sets an employee up for success by outlining their responsibilities and the parameters of their position
- Job descriptions also show how an employee’s position contributes to the mission, goals and objectives of the organization
Performance Management
- Performance management is an ongoing process where the manager/supervisor and employee work together to plan, monitor and review an employee’s work objectives or goals and overall contribution to the organization
- Motivates employees to do their best
- Establishes clear communication between the manager and the employee about what s/he is expected to accomplish
- Provides on-going, constructive feedback on performance
- Establishes plans for improving performance, as necessary
- Identifies the skills and abilities of each employee so that work assignments build on and reflect an employee’s strengths
- Identifies individual employees for more challenging work
- Assists and supports staff in achieving their work and career goals by identifying training needs and development opportunities
- Contributes to the succession management plan so that employee skills are developed and employers develop the skills they need to fill an potential HR gap in the future
Learning, Training and Development
- Investing in training programs helps employees develop personally and professionally
Workplace Diversity
- Creating an environment where people feel welcome and safe from harassment and discrimination motives staff to perform
- Absenteeism and performance problems decrease while productivity, morale and employee retention increases
Work Teams and Group Dynamics
- When you develop and support effective teams, you enhance the power and feeling of satisfaction of individuals working on the team
- When a team works well, it means that staff trust one another and that leads to better sharing of knowledge and understanding
Conflict Resolution
- In a healthy workplace, there will be conflict
- Having a conflict resolution policy and a process will mean that conflict is constructive and not destructive
Workplace Wellness Initiatives
- A healthy workplace means more than just warding off colds and the flu
- It is more holistic and takes into consideration the physical, spiritual, environmental, intellectual, emotional, occupational and mental health of employees
- Wellness promotion doesn’t just benefit the employee — an organization filled with healthy, balanced and fulfilled employees is a productive workplace that retains its employees
Employee Recognition
- Giving employees a sense of shared values and purpose by creating a relationship with them is important
- When you thank employees you value them and that, in turn, is motivating
- Updating staff on organizational issues through internal communications like e-mail updates and newsletters builds the sense of team and their value to the team
Staff-volunteer relations
- Develop a sense of team with staff and volunteers contributing to the organization’s mission
Why are employee Satisfaction and engagement surveys important?
Listening to employees’ insights and suggestions for improvement will provide the organization with valuable information that can be acted upon to increase the level of employee engagement in the workplace. Employee surveys are an important tool to solicit employee feedback. They can be administered internally or externally as long as responses remain anonymous. Employee engagement surveys provide a way to improve productivity and emotional commitment by identifying the root causes of workplace issues. Be sure to:
- Establish your guidelines
- Develop an action plan
- Communicate the findings with you employees
- Move in a positive direction to further engage your employees based on the survey results
