WAYS TO PROMOTE EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

 

1.    Ensure Psychological Safety

Employees feel insecure when exposed to inconsistent or unpredictable surroundings at the workplace. According to Kahn (1990), the four factors that complete psychological safety are management style, group and inter-group dynamics, norms and interpersonal relationships. Employees tend to perform better in a more encouraging manner when they do not perform work under stress. Employees perform better in more predictable environments where there are no risks in expressing themselves (Saks and Gruman, 2011). Subordinates sense more psychological safety at the workplace when exposed to approachable Management where the sense of belonging is felt and employee performance is not hindered (Spreitzer, Lam and Fritz, 2010).

2.    Freedom of Expression and Accumulative Decision- Making

For trust to be built between the organization and the employees and to encourage employee engagement, employers must work towards creating transparency and sustainable ethics at the workplace (Mukerjee, 2014). Employee feedback should be taken positively allowing for ideas to flow freely and should be provided the opportunity to contribute their efforts and suggestions without haste.

3.    Sense of Mutual Respect and Understanding

Organizations must strive to generate an environment of mutual respect and understanding between employer and employee. While employees aspire to fulfill employer expectations, employers should also show respect and understanding by providing support and trust. This exchange will ensure employee engagement improves as well as motivate employees to go beyond their expected roles. This creates reasonable accessibility and understanding between the two groups.

4.    Innovation Culture and Leadership Spirit

The organization should promote innovation and leadership spirit making room for more employee engagement. employee engagement. Any creditable contribution should be appreciated and acknowledged. This will be reciprocated by more employee participation with a leadership mindset. The culture of innovation is a fundamental tool to drive employee contribution.

5.    Learning Culture for Growth and Development

Organizations should support employees by providing opportunities for career advancement. Different tasks should be allocated to employees to encourage learning a diverse range of skills. The organization can offer support by investing in employees to attain higher levels of education. An integrated learning system should be available for employees to develop and sustain their skills at the workplace.

6.    Recognition of Capabilities and Competencies

hWhen employers promote and recognize employee capabilities and competencies, employees tend to showcase higher levels of employee engagement, allowing room for more enthusiasm to learn and perform better. Employers must allow flexibility and encourage employees to divert to areas in which they might perform better allowing for career progression and retention of employees within the same organization. Each employee is a different individual with different ideas and skill sets. Allowing for the free flow of ideas not only gives everyone a fresh perspective but also encourages employees to think out of the box and become experts in terms of problem-solving.

Video 1- Frientorship: The Solution to The Employee Engagement Problem | Claudia Williams 

(Source-Tedx Talks)

REFERENCES

Kahn, W. A.  (1990). Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work. Academy of Management Journal, 33(4), 692–724. Available at: https://journals.aom.org/doi/10.5465/256287 [Accessed on 4 Nov.2022]

 

Mukerjee, K. (2014). Fostering employee engagement in organizations: A conceptual framework. Inter-national Journal of Management Practice, 7(2), 160–176. Available at: https://www.inderscienceonline.com/doi/abs/10.1504/IJMP.2014.061476 [Accessed on 4 Nov.2022]

 

Spreitzer, G. M., Lam, C.  F., & Fritz, C. (2010).  Engagement and human thriving: Complementary perspectives on energy and connections to work In Work Engagement: A Handbook of Essential theory and Research (pp. 132-146). Psychology Press. Available at: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2010-06187-010 [Accessed on 5 Nov. 2022]