Human Resources-Employee Engagement - Essay Example

? Human Resources-Employee Engagement Human Resources-Employee Engagement Introduction Employee Engagement is a term referring to a process in which management creates a conducive environment for employees through which they get committed towards carrying out their responsibilities effectively. It is necessary for the organization that they create conditions through which employees are able to utilize their skills and capabilities in the best possible to accomplish their tasks and generate positive outcomes. The main focus on this report is on employee engagement and evaluating the relationship between employee engagement and productivity. Furthermore, a discussion will be carried out showing that organizations need to be updated about the latest trends and changes in Human Resource policies in order to reflect new expectations, which can provide a positive approach towards maximizing productivity in the organization. Employee Engagement Attributes Employee engagement is a phenomenon, which consists of three attributes; attitudes, behavior and outcomes. These are interlinked with each other and provide a virtuous circle of employee engagement. An employee needs to feel committed (attitude) towards carrying out their duties through proactive conduct (behavior) by the way he carries out in his tasks which can provide a result (outcome) in a form of higher productivity with little or no conflicts. These attributes are caused by organizations that engage employees to have a vision towards carrying their responsibilities through elements of mutual trust and understanding. Hence, through employee engagement programs there are improved performances. However, employees cannot be manipulated towards commitment because it may result in disillusionment so it is necessary there are scales to review their performances. Employee engagement needs to be measurable so that it can be correlated with the amount of effort an individual puts in performing his tasks (Macey et al., 2011). Employee Engagement and Productivity Employers can play a very effective role in enforcing employee engagement in the organization and use it as a tool to increase productivity. In order to increase the potential of employees, there is a need to incorporate them together by defining the core values and principles of the organization. Productivity can be increased through employee engagement as employees may feel that they are motivated to work towards each other and they may also own the outcome of their performances as they are liable to connect their tasks with the organizational goals. Hence, these engaged employees tend to be more vigilant and have a pro-active relationship with each other and the employer. Communication with employees is necessary in order to engage them and define the purpose of their roles as it creates an engagement, which can help achieve these organizational goals. Employers who take part in engagement through effective communication can drive them to do better jobs. The main focus for employers should be how these individuals can identify themselves. Employers need to provide support to them through rational content as well as at a personal level. Ability of the employer to engage them will also lower turnover in the organization. Employees who feel more engaged with the workforce may find themselves more secured and this employee retention will be cost effective for the organization. In organizations, where there is a problem in retention of employees there is a constant need to hire new employees and also carry out their training and development, which may be costly for the organization. Thus, engagement of employees increases the level of satisfaction among individuals, which increases their productivity as well (Albrecht, 2010). Fostering employees towards engagement In order to drive employees towards engagement, there is a need of a strategy through which a culture is developed in which besides judging the person’s ability to work, he is also given a psychological and social fulfillment. This will require a systematic approach to the process of motivating employees and allowing them not just to focus on their skills, but also take conscious effort to care of their personal aspects, which covers their thoughts and opinions. By creating this culture, employee engagement increases, there is more collaboration, and the employer is also able to get feedback from employees through effective communication (Dickson, 2010). Although, such culture may be different to implement, but by getting employees involved at all levels of planning this could be achieved. Driving towards change Through an employee engagement analysis, the employers can identify the areas where a need of change is necessary in order to have a maximum output. These can be carried out by staying connected by linking the values of individuals with the organization. This behavior will drive them towards a change, which can foster the needs of all individuals. A positive consequence of the change can be carried out by the introduction of incentives and a reward system, which can motivate employees towards engagement and change. It is necessary that employees are motivated and they maintain their engagement to respond to the competitive forces in the environment through a progressive approach that involve a change in workforce needs. An employee needs to feel valued and his accomplishments need to be recognized by the organization so that the competencies of these individuals match with the task and they get motivated to do more. An employee will only drive himself towards change when he feels his worth in the workplace, an employer can assign tasks to the employee but if there is no recognition through engagement then their behaviors may not be assertive and innovative (Wright et al., 2003). Reasons to initiate changes in HR Policies It is necessary that Human Resources take an initiative towards change by introducing new policies, which can help employees meet current and future challenges that are being faced by the organization. Through a strategy, human resources can tie the staff to meaningful goals and monitor them through employee engagement, which can provide answers to where the company is expected to go in the future and how they will be facing those challenges. Through implementation of the new policies, which are provided by the Human Resources, it will become easier for employees to carry out their tasks and reflect new expectations from them. When employee engagement is considered a key area in an organization, human resources can redefine policies which can communicate the values of the organization, define procedures through which employees can confidently approach a difficult situation, provide a secured and equitable working environment for employees and other key areas of the job description and specification through which employees are able to makes liable changes in their roles to maximize the outcome. In order to establish new policies, Human Resources need to ensure that there are performance review practices at least every six months, which can take in the ideas, suggestions and concerns of employees. These policies need to meet occupational needs and also give answers to challenges that are occurring on a day-to-day basis (Wright et al., 2003). New Expectations and Outcomes Once a change is brought in Human Resource policy, employees are supposed to work accordingly. Behaviors of individuals are liable to change as they are subjected to new expectations from them from their employers. However, the main purpose of employee engagement is to keep people informed about changes that may be taking place in the present time or will take place in the future and ensuring them they will get support from the management. Hence, they can depict that they will receive a fair treatment from the employer. Employers expect good performances from those individuals through their actions in carrying out their tasks and exhibiting positive behaviors, which are associated with it. While initiating new HR policies, these expectations from employees need to be examined as they reflect positive outcomes in the organization. Hence, these new expectations are beyond the job descriptions of employees. The employee will not just be expected to complete his tasks, he will also be expected to show how his work will have an impact on the organization, how the employee is behaving with his clients, customers and in what way has the employee been able to demonstrate organizational values. These are the new performance expectations that the employee needs to understand while carrying out his tasks. Human Resources need to have transparent and clear policies to review these as well as carry out annual engagement programs to determine drivers and threats in the workforce. These expectations serve as a foundation to add value in their performances and may also be a base to carry out employee assessment. Employer need to set clear instructions and policies to employees through engagement to carry out these tasks so that they can achieve the requirements which are set forth to them (De Hoogh & Ded Hartog, 2008). Conclusion By examining employee engagement attributes and its implication on productivity, we can conclude that the concept of engaging employees in the workplace gives better performances as it brings together all states of a person- physical, rational and emotional self together towards organizational commitment and having feelings of self-worth and job satisfaction. Moreover, there is a need to change Human Resource Policies as there are new expectation from employees, which should reflect through their dedication and efforts. List of References Albrecht, S.L., 2010. Handbook of Employee Engagement: Perspectives, Issues, Research and Practice. Northampton: Edward Elgar Publishing. De Hoogh, A. & Ded Hartog, D., 2008. Ethical and despotic leadership, relationships with leader’s social responsibility, top management team effectiveness and subordinates’ optimism. Leadership Quarterly, 19(3), pp.297-311. Dickson, D., 2010. Fostering Employee Engagement: Practical Tools and Best Practice Techniques. Amherst: Human Resource Development. Macey, W.H., Schneider, B., Barbera, K.M. & Young, S.A., 2011. Employee Engagement: Tools for Analysis, Practice, and Competitive Advantage. Oxford: John Wiley & Sons. Wright, P.M., Gardner, T.M. & Moynihan, L.M., 2003. The impact of HR practices on the performance of business units. Human Resource Management Journal, 13(3), pp.21-36. Read More