Employee Engagement Means Different Things To Different People

​Employee engagement is a buzzword for sure but definitely a grossly misunderstood one. While many companies strive to measure and quantify the degree of engagement their employees feel, the basic question of what engagement means to each individual company is often lost.

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Employee engagement is a buzzword for sure but definitely a grossly misunderstood one. While many companies strive to measure and quantify the degree of engagement their employees feel, the basic question of what engagement means to each individual company is often lost.
For a company working in the services space, it may be imperative to have a team that is focused on delivering results every single day. Their goal is to better themselves, and their offering, on a frequent basis.
For another company in manufacturing, the processes may already be in place. Employee engagement here could mean fewer accidents, attention to faults and a happy factory floor.

Measuring Employee EngagementWithout knowing what employee engagement means to us, it is pointless to measure it, much less to use it as a parameter for success. Highly engaged employees have an impact on profits. They also lead to a bearable attrition rate and build a culture of loyalty and commitment to the cause.

Why, then, do so many endeavours meant to increase employee engagement do so little in the end? Business researchers feel that this can be attributed to the adrenaline shot of perks that companies end up introducing to increase engagement scores. For example, a weekend away at a resort can help the team recharge and come back to work with a more positive outlook, but within a few weeks, scores likely drop back to their average.

This brings us to a very pertinent question- ‘What can we do to increase the average employee engagement?’ Now, increasing employee engagement and sustaining it over a period of time becomes a longer, more rewarding journey than a weekend getaway.

Do your employees thrive on challenges? Switching up teams can make a good learning opportunity. Do they like to build skills in their own domain? You can sponsor a few training programs.

At the same time, it isn’t always about the employees and their preferences. Think about which of these approaches would be beneficial to your company and the employees, both. Implement only those that are sure to give you value for money, and can help your employees grow within the organisation.

Understanding that engagement means two very different things to employees and their employers is the first step towards developing an engagement process that can benefit both parties.