Welcome Peter Quintana – our first guest blogger with a short series on:

Employee Engagement

Recent research from Cranfield University has shown that introducing HR, management and leadership practices such as those inherent in the Investors in People programme, can lead to increased financial success, increasing levels of trust, co-operation and engagement of employees, increased flexibility of the workforce and increased ability of the organisation to adapt to change.

The conclusion is that employee engagement could be a major source of competitive advantage as the UK moves out of recession.

This is a very significant conclusion to reach, and has reinforced in my mind the importance of employee engagement, particularly to the small business.

In this short series, I want to explore this conclusion further by asking what is employee engagement, what are the barriers to developing engaged employees, and what strategies (and behaviours) should managers and leaders be adopting.

What is Employee Engagement?

There are a myriad of definitions for engagement. What seems to be more or less universally agreed, is that it is about attitudes and behaviour, and building more effective relationships between organisations and their people.

Some companies talk about wanting a workforce that has a passion for the brand, pointing out that brand is not just something that the marketing and PR departments think about. Others want their workforce to have pride in the organisation they are working for.

An employee will work harder and more effectively for a company that cares for them and their well being than for one that only sees them as a means to an end, irrespective of how they feel about the employer’s brand.

Dale Carnegie Training suggests that employee engagement involves a workplace where employees:

• Feel personally and emotionally bound to the organization
• Feel pride in recommending it as a good place to work to other people
• Get more than just wage or salary from working there and are attached to the intrinsic rewards they gain from being with the organization, and
• Feel a close attachment to the values, ethics and actions embodied by the organization

Effective engagement doesn’t happen by chance. It requires a structured, focused approach to aligning people with business goals.

‘employee engagement means employees are not just satisfied with their jobs’

Engagement is an employee’s choice. Companies are fond of saying their employees are their most valuable asset, but employees will always know just how much they really mean it by observing and experiencing behaviours, from the top right through all the management layers.

For me, employee engagement means employees are be not just satisfied with their jobs and the place they work, but motivated, loyal, actively promoting their employer and proud of where they work.

A real goal, therefore, of employee engagement should be to establish a joint organizational vision, excite people to realize that vision, explore practical ways to make that vision a reality, and work toward implementing that vision. If this can be done, then not only can you have a workforce proud to work for you, but you can generate real cost savings in your recruitment and drive improved business performance.

Peter Quintana

Peter Quintana and Associates specialise in business performance improvement. They are proven practitioners, independent and objective and focussed on developing mutual trust and respect with their clients. They offer a range of services designed to help business owners unlock the full potential of their businesses.
Web: www.peterquintana.co.uk

 

Tagged as: employee engagement, leadership