Employee Engagement: Key To Organisational Success
Employee engagement strategies form a big part of productive and profitable workplaces. If numbers tell you a story, a report by Gallup drew a quantifiable parallel between an engaged workforce and the company’s bottom line. According to the report, companies with effective engagement strategies not only experience lesser employee turnover but an increase in profitability by 21 per cent.
And profitability is just one indicator from an organisation’s perspective, high employee engagement translates into greater employee satisfaction which in turn makes an organisation, a desirable employer of choice.
From creating effective communication channels to developing employee reward programs to recognise and appreciate their human asset, companies are coming up with innovative programs to enhance engagement.
For a company like Abbott, continuous feedback from employees forms an essential part of the process.
"To make sure our employees are heard, the “Your Voice Counts” survey provides them with the opportunity to have their opinions heard. This is an annual survey that asks questions on how people feel, what they need to keep evolving, are they feeling valued and if they’re getting the right level of work and personal support in several core areas. The feedback from this survey guides us with tangible actions across Abbott, says Deepshikha Mukerji, Regional Director, Abbott, India.
Besides this survey, we also invite employee testimonials for specific programs/initiatives and participation in forums and webinars, where topics of interest are discussed with larger audiences", she adds.
Another important aspect for the HR department to enhance the employee engagement process is to democratise the employee experience and give employees a greater sense of responsibility and decision-making power.
The role of HR has become significant says Shobna Priya, AVP, HR CAMS. She advocates the need to invert the pyramid and involve employees the run the initiatives while HR manages the overall governance framework.
The HR function, today, has moved beyond employee wellness and is becoming more centred around creating the right employee experience.
As more and more companies are developing their own strategies to reap the benefits of a highly engaged workforce, a win-win situation is likely to result for the employer as well as the employee leading to successful organisational outcomes on the whole.
