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Employee Engagement
More than a buzzword
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Qamar-ul-Bashar Khan
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The term 'Employee Engagement' was coined by the Gallup
Research Group about a decade ago. The more an employee felt
engaged, the higher were the productivity, profitability and customer
satisfaction of the company, studies showed. Engaged employees
work with more passion and feel a connection to their company. And
in this challenging economic environment, engaging employees so
that they perform better is more important than ever
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Qamar-ul-Bashar Khan
qamar@techaccesspak.com
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Employee engagement refers to positive feelings held by employees about their jobs and also the motivation and effort
they put into work. Definitely, engagement leads to positive employee behaviors that ultimately lead to organizational
success. Engaging employees is an issue which is getting worse with every passing day, not only in Pakistan but around
the globe. William H. Macey and Benjamin Schneider of the Valtera Consultancy tried to discuss the meaning of
‘Employee Engagement’. They also noticed its increasing popularity among HR consultants and the relatively recent
interest in the notion among academics.
Engagement should not be confused with satisfaction or commitment rather there are two significant components of
employee engagement:
• Feelings of engagement (focus & enthusiasm), and
• Engagement behavior (proactivity & persistence).
Engagement and Satisfaction are distinguished as:
• Engagement connotes energy and not satiation
• Satisfaction connotes satiation and contentment but not energy
Employees usually come to work ready to be engaged but organizations need to create the conditions that will release
that energy. It’s believed that employees feel and act engaged when managers create the right conditions that allow
them to do so. The essential condition for feeling engaged is fair treatment leading to a feeling of trust which in turn
allows them to feel safe to be engaged.
According to Macey and Schneider:
“Our framework places an emphasis on the management of human resources in ways that respect the energy people
bring to the work place and it puts the responsibility on management to create the conditions for employee engagement.”
A telephone survey conducted for “Lynn Taylor Consulting” has shown that, rather than helping to create the conditions
for employee engagement, managerial behavior is seriously worrying employees across the country. When bosses stay
behind closed office doors, workers begin to fear for their jobs. No fewer than 76% of respondents to the survey said
that the closed door scenario’ triggers thoughts of being laid off. In today’s economic environment, employees are
searching for every clue to determine their job fate. Too often, not enough direct input is given to employees, and so
non verbal clues are heavily relied upon. Managers behind closed doors may be shutting out more than noise. They
may be shutting down productivity.
Changes in managerial behavior, such as a closed door, more private conferences, or less direct communication all
represent potential “exit signs” to many employees, said Lynn Taylor, adding that while managers have to deal with
more sensitive personnel issues today than in previous decades, they can counter employee concerns at a critical time
with more proactive communication.
Acknowledging the astounding impact a small gesture can have on corporate productivity in tense times is a good first
step. Providing your team with reassurances whenever possible will mitigate unnecessary panic and help them stay
focused. Many employees may also avoid speaking up to their bosses for fear of being shown the door, when, in fact,
their ideas might boost a company’s bottom line at a time when that is sorely needed. Opening your door literally and
figuratively might not only mean greater profitability but in some cases, it may also help keep the doors of your business
open.
Almost a decade ago, a Gallup study indicated that “actively disengaged” employees –workers who are fundamentally
disconnected from their jobs – were costing the US economy between $292 billion and $355 billion a year. These
estimates were based on Gallup’s “Q-12” employee engagement survey of the US work force, which calculated that 24.7
million workers (19%) were actively disengaged.
Gallup research consistently showed a tendency for actively disengaged workers to be (in comparison with colleagues):
• Significantly less productive
• Report being less loyal to their companies
• Less satisfied with their personal lives
• More stressed and insecure about their work
The Q-12 survey refers to 12 core questions that Gallup asked employees at its clients work units:
1. Do I know what is expected of me at work?
2. Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?
3. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best everyday?
4. In the last seven days, have I received recognition for doing good work?
5. Does my supervisor or someone at work seem to care about me as a person?
6. Is there someone at work who encourages my development?
7. At work, do my opinions seem to count?
8. Does the mission or purpose of my company make me feel my job is important?
9. Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?
10. Do I have a best friend at work?
11. In the last six months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress?
12. This last year, have I had opportunities at work to learn and grow?
Rodd Wagner, a principal at Gallup and James K. Harter, PhD, chief scientist at Gallup’s international work place
management practice have written a book -12: The Elements of Great Managing by 12. The book focuses on vivid
portraits of real life managers harnessing employee engagement in a variety of situations:
• Saving a falling call center
• Turning a hotel’s finances around
• Improving care at a hospital for sick kids
• Building a better car, and
• Maintaining a factory’s production while battling power cuts
Ultimately, what emerged are the 12 elements of work life that define the unwritten social contract between employee
and employer. Through their answers to the dozen most important questions and their daily actions that effected
performance, the workers were saying, “if you do these things for us, we will do what the company needs of us”.
The author is Manager Human Resource, Techaccess Pakistan
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