Case 7

Summary of Case 7 A

• Employee engagement is not the same as a happy or satisfied employee
• Engaged employees go the extra mile to complete and over exceed on their tasks
• Engaged employees leads to higher profit, 6%
• Engaged employees are loyal to the company and plan their future within, not looking at other options

Summary of Case 7B

• Less than 30 % percent of today's workforce is engaged in their work
• Engaged employees leads to better performance
• Actively disengaged workers harm a company
• To build an engaged workforce:

           1. Use relevant measurement

           2. Engage all levels of an organization every day

           3. Select engaged managers and hold them responsible for team engagement

         4. State clear and realistic goals for engagement

Challenges?

• Measuring engagement and taking it apart from satisfaction
• Getting or creating engaged employees
• What to do with actively disengaged employees
• How to make engagement part of company DNA?
• How to actively uphold engagement?

Theory, Model and Key Concepts

When talking about engagement, leadership is one key aspect to focus on. Without having a clear framework laid out by the company leaders, engagement will eventually fail. Creating an engaged workforce stems from the company strategy. Each and every employee needs to know and understand the company strategy and where the company is heading. Only then will that employee be able to identify how his or her input drives towards that goal. Once that is set, the company can pursue to engage the employees and make them want t go that extra mile to achieve the strategic goal. Taking ownership of the strategy is key in creating an engaged workforce. (D. MacLeod and N. Clarke, p. 76) Not only is strategic goals important, they can also provide a purpose for an employee. Rembach states, that giving a worker a purpose to work for and towards, will lead to more engaged staff. Therefore, the strategy needs to explain why the business is useful for the society, the environment etc, in order to be really engaged in a company. (J. Rembach, 2017)

“People join businesses but leave managers” MacLeod and Clark state in their report Engaging for Success . Managers are the link between the company leadership and the workforce. They are supposed to entail and live out the company strategy and its values. If an employee sees an engaged manager, he or she  will be of the opinion, that the company is engaged. Choosing engaged managers is therefore very important. (D. MacLeod and N. Clarke, p. 80-82)  Managers are there to motivate, offer coaching and feedback. They provide the opportunity for an employee to excel at their work. They treat employees fairly and with respect, setting the tone for the whole working environment. A bad management recruitment decision can therefore be detrimental for a company's profitability and success. (D. MacLeod and N. Clarke, p. 88) One recent example of bad management and loss of income for a company, was in the South African electricity public utility company, Eskom. Due to corruption, the company had previously overpaid for coal and truck services, and had been over producing electricity made by coal. Now that the coal mines are closing and trucker’s aren’t receiving overpay anymore, the company is facing widespread strikes, causing South Africa to have problems with electricity production for its citizens. All of these issues could have been avoided by making good management decisions ( K.Heese, K.Allan, 2017)

Being listened to and heard is an important feeling in private life, but equally so in the office. If an employee feels that managers are listening to their concerns, needs, and wants, they will be more engaged. Listening is a talent that must be actively practised by a manager or anyone in a human relationship. Really taking the time to listen, and try to understand another is not an easy task. “To be able to motivate and inspire others, you need to learn how to listen in both individual meetings and at the group level.”, says S.stibitz in the Harwards Business Review. Listening is an active decision that you have to make, and you have to set it as a priority. (S.Stibitz, 2015) According to MacLeaod and Clarke, being heard in the company is key to produce and engagement employee. “The ‘ Sunday Times Top 100 Companies to Work for’ found that feeling listened to was the most important factor in determining how much respondents valued their organisation. Being heard reinforces a sense of belonging within an organisation and a belief that ones actions can have an impact.” (D. MacLeod and N. Clarke, p. 93)

It is of course clear, that none of the discussed issues will lead to engaged employees, if the organization is not based on integrity, abying to its core values. Saying one thing, and then doing another, will not go by unnoticed by employees, eventually leaving them with mixed sensations or mistrust towards a company. If a company states that it has employee safety as a top priority, but then does not provide safety training, the integrity of the company will be diminished and the workers will no longer trust what managers say. This in terms leads to disengagement from the company. (D. MacLeod and N. Clarke, p. 104)

Literature:

(D. MacLeod and N. Clarke, Engaging for success: enhancing performance through employee engagement, http://engageforsuccess.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/file52215.pdf (27.2.17)

J. Rembach, 2017, “9 Devastating Thruths undermining your employee engagement”, Customer Think, http://customerthink.com/9-devastating-truths-undermining-your-employee-engagement/ (3.3.17)

K.Heese and K.Allan, 2017, “Eskom debts need switched-on action”, Business Day, (27.2.17) https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/opinion/2017-02-15-eskom-debt-needs-switched-on-action/

S.Stibitz, 2015, “How to Really Listen to Your Employees”, Harward Business Review, https://hbr.org/2015/01/how-to-really-listen-to-your-employees (27.2.17)