Employee Engagement:
This blog
will identify 5 examples of how companies communicate with their employees.
Examples will be given of upward and downward communication processes; there
will also be examples of employee participation and involvement.
The advantages
of each method will be highlighted. Maslow’s theory of motivation will used to
link these examples.
What is employee engagement?
Engagement is
about establishing mutual respect in the workplace for what people can do and
be, given the right context, which serves us all, as individual employees, as
companies and organisations and as consumers of public services. It is our firm
belief that it can be a triple win: for the individual at work, the enterprise
or service, and for the country as a whole. (Clarke, 2009)
This is a
succinct description of employee engagement and describes the feeling of the
authors when writing this Government commissioned report, the then secretary of
state, The Rt Hon Lord Mandelson in his foreword, explained the need for this
report at a time of recession, this report is still prudent today and goes on
to explain in great detail by the Authors the need for employee engagement.
The document engaging
for Success can be viewed here engaging
for Success and is an in-depth study of many major companies and the
methods used by them to engage with their employees, in the form of case
studies. This has been shown to be an invaluable method of employee engagement
as this ensures that organisations who demonstrate these steps have a much
better chance of meeting the challenges of international competition than those
who do not (Clarke, Engagement for Success, 2009)
5 examples of employee engagement:
Involvement
in decision making: Employees are made to feel part of the organisation when
asked to participate in decision making
.
.
Intranet:
this is an internal way of communication and is used to enable circulation of
upcoming events, and distribution of sensitive company meetings, and is also
used publicly (within the organisation) for appraisal purposes. This is an on-line employee forum.
Power point
presentations: This is a top down form of engagement, in that; this is usually
undertaken by a manager and demonstrated to the employees.
Union
meetings: This is in the form of an official body of employee representatives
who voice the opinions of the employees in a formal meeting with management, upward
engagement.
Meetings:
This is in the form of face to face meetings between employees and management,
where employee participation is encouraged. This can be a chance for management to listen to employees and observe employee engagement.
Advantages of employee engagement and
linking back to the above examples using Maslow’s need hierarchy as reference:
Employee
engagement ensures upward and downward participation; this enables employee
cohesive actions in the form of group discussions, power point presentations,
etc.
The
advantages of employee engagement can be gauged when applying Maslow’s hierarchy
(figure 1) of needs model.
Once the
lower level of needs have been established (at the physiological level), giving
more of the same does not provide motivations, individuals will seek to advance
to the other levels as each lower level has been satisfied (Mullins, 2002). This also applies to the workplace as
the 5 levels of needs can be comparable with stages of satisfaction within the
work environment, see analogy below.
Figure
1: Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
Involvement
in the decision making has been shown, particularly when working in teams, to
enable feelings of autonomy and leads to greater job satisfaction when given
influence over their input with their job (Clarke, 2009). This can be linked to level 3 on
Maslow’s hierarchy, as the attributes listed can be applicable to a cohesive
work group.
The Intranet,
when used as a tool for communication and appraisal, can be linked to number 4
on Maslow’s hierarchy of esteem and is also linked to number 4 on the Gallup
engagement table, see Figure 2. This can be gauged as self-respect or status;
and can be in the form of positive feedback from managers.
Figure
2: Gallup engagement.
Gallup engagement
Involvement in the decision making, can be seen as a chance for management to observe employee interaction. This is an opportunity for management to gauge if their employees can
flourish and make decisions. This is also linked to Maslow when he
discusses if a person is an apple tree or not-does he bear apples (Maslow, 1988) meaning can they be productive when engaging?
Unions can be
a form of upward engagement by representing the employee when requesting
improved working conditions, a pay rise, etc. when dealing with management.
This is a positive way of dealing with matters that can involve emotional
factors if the employee were to deal with them themselves.
Power point
presentations, as described above, are a useful tool for managers to convey and
demonstrate heterogeneity throughout the organisation. This can be linked to
level 2 on Maslow’s needs hierarchy as a tool for employment of resources.
Meetings
amongst all within the organisation can ensure group dynamics can flourish, in
that, creativity spontaneity and problem solving opportunities can be aired
with a view to group cohesion. This activity can be linked to Maslow’s
self-actualisation level, level 5.
Conclusion:
Employee Engagement
has been demonstrated and linked to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs model. The examples
illustrated have been shown, when practised, will enhance the chances of
organisations within the competitive world of business, when faced with
international competition. The validity of engagement has been demonstrated
linking the 5 examples used to Maslow’s hierarchy and clearly illustrates, when
applied leads to upward and downward communication within organisations.
Works Cited
Clarke, D. M.
(2009, July). Engagement for Success. Retrieved May 7, 2013, from
Engagement for Success:
http://www.engageforsuccess.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/file52215.pdf
Clarke, D. M.
(2009, July). Engaging for Success. Retrieved May 6, 2013, from
Engaging for Success:
http://www.engageforsuccess.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/file52215.pdf
Maslow, A. H.
(1988). Additional Notes on Self-Actualization, Work, Duty, Mission. In A. H.
Maslow, MASLOW ON MANAGEMENT (p. 5). Canada: John Wiley & Sons Inc.
Mullins, L. J.
(2002). Evaluation of Maslow's theory. In L. J. Mullins, Management And
Organisational Behaviour (pp. 426-427). Edinburgh: Pearson Education .
