Employee engagement is a source of worry for leaders and
managers throughout the world, since it is acknowledged as a critical factor in
determining organizational performance, creativity, and competitiveness.
Employee engagement has its origins in academic research, while it was
generally seen as a practical consulting issue until the 1990s (Bedarkar et al., 2013).
Some of the Employee Engagement Models apart from the ones
discussed in my previous blog posts are;
·The
Zinger Model
·The
Deloitte Model
·The
JD-R Model (Job Demands-Resources Theory)
·The
Gallup Employee Engagement model
·Schmidt
Model of Employee Engagement
·International
Survey Research Approach Model
In today's
business environment, as it is true with high job losses due to layoffs
and retrenchment in order to create a lean organization, it is also important
for organizations to stop losing performing employees due to declining job
satisfaction and a lack of motivation to stay with the company for a long time.
Employees who are motivated and fulfilled are more dedicated to the
organization's goals; in turn, enterprises must demonstrate a comparable
commitment to employee goals. HR's duty here is to work consistently to align
employee aspirations with the organization's aims. This goal can be met by
creating a motivating work environment that encourages and addresses employee
growth and development (Varma, 2018).
Some of the Employee Motivation Theories apart from the ones
discussed in my previous blog posts are;
·Vroom's expectancy
theory
·Adams' equity theory
·Skinner's reinforcement
theory
·McClelland’s
Need Theory
·Equity
Theory
·Porter
and Lawler’s Extension
The below video clip briefly talks about Employee
Engagement and Motivation.
Video 05: Employee Engagement and Motivation
Source: (Greggu, 2019)
“Turned on people figure out how to
beat the competition. Turned off people only complain about being beaten by the
competition”
-Ben Simonton, President - Simonton Associates & Leadership Science TV, United States
of America.
William Kahn, regarded as the intellectual father of the
employee engagement movement, coined the term "personal engagement."
Personal work engagement is defined by him as "the harnessing of
organization members' identities to their work roles; through engagement,
people utilize and express themselves physically, cognitively, and emotionally
during role performances." (Bedarkar et al., 2013).
To understand the phenomena, Kahn identified three factors
that contribute to employee engagement as shown in the below diagram:
psychological safety, psychological meaningfulness, and psychological
availability (Bedarkar et al., 2013).
Figure 06: Kahn’s Model on Employee Engagement
Source: (Padhi, 2015)
Psychological Safety relates to employees' feelings of
being able to express themselves fully without fear of negative effects to
their self-esteem, position, or career. Employees who are psychologically safe
will try to incorporate components of their lives outside of work (e.g., other
work experiences, hobbies) into their jobs in a meaningful way (Allen, 2013).
Employees are Psychologically Available when they are
mentally safe and their job is important to them. As a result, psychological
availability refers to a circumstance in which employees draw on their entire
selves in a focused and integrated manner to improve their role performance. According
to Kahn, the more of ourselves we put into a character, the more thrilling and
comfortable it becomes (Bedarkar et al., 2013). Employees' "feeling of
possessing the physical, emotional, and psychological resources essential for
investing themselves in role performances" is referred to as psychological
availability. Employees who are psychologically accessible believe they are
capable of leading the physical, mental, and emotional efforts required to
complete their tasks (Allen, 2013).
Psychological Meaningfulness, according to Kahn
(1990), refers to employees' feelings of being valued, worthwhile, and able to
give of themselves in their workplace environment. (Allen, 2013).
Kahn (1990) claimed that specific psychological variables
must be satisfied in order to create sentiments of involvement among employees.
Employees must feel psychologically significant, safe, and available to fully
participate in their professional position, according to his idea of engagement
(Allen, 2013).
Kahn's model sheds important insights on the psychological
circumstances that mediate the relationship between work-related characteristics
and employee engagement (Rothmann, 2010).
References
Allen, J. A. and Rogelberg, S. G. (2013), Manager-Led Group
Meetings: A Context for Promoting Employee Engagement. [Online]. Available at https://sci-hub.hkvisa.net/10.1177/1059601113503040. Accessed on 5th May 2022.
The Aon Hewitt employee engagement strategy incorporates
business results. It understands that employee engagement has a direct impact
on measures across the board, from customer happiness to revenues and beyond (Merry,
2013).
The below Figure 05 shows the Engagement Drivers and the respective Engagement Outcomes and the Business Outcomes.
Figure
05: Aon Hewitt Engagement Model
Source: (Hinzmann et
al., 2019)
Engagement Drivers are an important and actionable component of a complete
engagement model that goes beyond the engagement outcome. Multiple engagement
drivers are organized under various main themes: Brand, Leadership, Performance,
The Work, The Basics, and Company Practices (Aon Hewitt, 2015).
Engaged Employees “Say, Stay and Strive” which are called as Engagement
Outcomes. Employee engagement is measured by how much they speak, remain,
and strive, and it can be used to anticipate crucial business outcomes (Aon
Hewitt, 2015). Say is to positively speak about the company to
coworkers, potential employees, and consumers. Stay is to have a strong
sense of belonging and a strong desire to contribute to the organization. Strive
is to be committed in achieving success in their jobs and for the firm (Aon
Hewitt, 2015).
Business Outcomes are the results expected by an organization through Employee
engagement. Several Business outcomes are segregated under the four criteria: Talent,
Operational, Customer, Financial (Aon Hewitt, 2015).
For example, the Banking institution I work for which is a
leading Bank in Sri Lanka is a prestigious organization in the island
(Engagement Driver- Brand). Employees of the Bank do talk positively (Engagement
Outcome- Say) about the Bank to customers which is a support to increase the
sales in terms of lending and account opening (Business Outcome- Financial) subsequently
leading to increase of market share.
Hinzmann,
R., Rašticová, M. and Šácha, J., (2019). Factors of Employee Engagement at the
Workplace. Do Years of Service Count?. [Online]. Available at
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Aon-Hewitt-Engagement-Model-Aon-Hewitt-2015_fig1_338109967.
Accessed on 4th May 2022.
The
importance of having a highly motivated and engaged workforce is as it has a
direct impact on an organization’s success (Markos et al., 2020).
Some benefits of Employee Motivation and Engagement are being
discussed below;
·Improvement of Efficiency
A subordinate's or employee's status is determined by more than only his
or her skills and talents. The gap between ability and willingness, which aids
in improving the level of performance of subordinates, must be bridged in order
to achieve the best of his work performance. This will enhance productivity
while lowering costs optimizing activities, as well as increasing general
workplace efficiency (Adi, 2000). To achieve its objectives, every business
requires physical, financial, and people resources. Human resources can be used
to their greatest potential only if they are motivated. This can be
accomplished through increasing employee willingness to work. This will assist
organizations in getting the most out of their resource (Rothberg, 2005).
·Improved quality of work and customer
service
Employees who are motivated are more likely to perform to a higher
standard and put more effort into producing better products. People who work in
service sectors are also more likely to give excellent customer service and to
like their jobs. Employee engagement is positively associated with customer
happiness, corporate earnings, and productivity (Harter et al., 2002).
·Boost Innovative ideas
Motivated personnel are more invested in the company's success, therefore
they'll be in charge of coming up with new ideas and improving corporate
performance (Perez, 2021).
·Improved Problem-Solving capability
Most organizations search for problem-solving abilities in their staff.
Employees that are motivated will work harder to solve problems and overcome
hurdles. Employees with high levels of engagement and enthusiasm are more
likely to define their work roles broadly (Vance, 2006). Workers are more willing to take on
issues that are outside of their immediate responsibilities when job functions
are defined broadly. These challenges motivate people to think outside the box
and solve problems before they become a problem (Vance, 2006).
·Lower Absenteeism
Employees are taking fewer days off for illness or other reasons,
resulting in lower absenteeism. Employees that are motivated are more inclined
to return to work rather than take time off. It
is critical for employees to live their personal lives and devote time to
various elements of their lives in order to perform well at work. Employees
that have a better work-life balance are thought to be less stressed and have a
lower absence rate (Armstrong, 2014).
·Retention of workers
There is a low amount of personnel turnover. This is particularly crucial
for firms, as employees that stay in a business have experience and keep
recruitment costs low. There is also less training required (Nguyen et al., 2020). Numerous studies
have repeatedly indicated that firms with higher levels of employee engagement
have higher productivity and benefits from reduced staff turnover and
non-attendance rates (Nguyen et al., 2020).
·Flexibility and adaptability to
changes
Every employer aspires to be as flexible as possible. Employees who are
more motivated are more adaptable to change and more willing to try new things
(Hoang et al., 2022).
·Improved relationships between
management and workers
This could mean that employees are less
inclined to seek legal or industrial action against bosses if they accept
changes without protest (Meher et al., 2022). Employees are not required to
love or revere their bosses. Employees must have faith in their superiors'
decision-making abilities. People lose faith in companies if their employees
believe they are incompetent, whether on a professional or managerial level
(Brown, 2021).
·Improved Team work
Most motivated employees are more likely to be team players than solo
players since they are driven by the company's aims and objectives (Brown, 2021). How
employees feel about their coworkers and the relationships they form can make
all the difference in whether they enjoy going to work or loathe every minute
spent there (Brown, 2021).
· Spread positivity among other employees
Employees that are disengaged have a negative impact on others.
Furthermore, their hostility may contribute to an unhealthy corporate culture
(Flynn, 2011)
References
Adi, D.Y. (2000) Motivation as a Means of Effective Staff Productivity in
the Public Sector: A Case Study of
Nigerian Immigration Service. Borno State of Nigeria. Unpublished MPA
Thesis. School University of Maiduguri Nigeria.
Armstrong, M., and Taylor, S. (2014) Armstrong's Handbook of Human
Resource Management Practice. London, UK. Kogan Page Ltd.
Nguyen, L. G. T. and Pham, H.
T. (2020) “Factors Affecting Employee Engagement at Not-For-Profit
Organizations: A Case in Vietnam,” The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business. Korea Distribution Science Association, 7(8), pp. 495–507. [Online].
Available at https://www.koreascience.or.kr/article/JAKO202026061031709.page.
Accessed on 3rd May 2022.
Frederick Herzberg, a behavioral scientist, established
Herzberg's two-factor theory, also known as motivation-hygiene theory or
Herzberg's dual-factor theory, in 1959 with the purpose of discovering and
understanding the phenomena of job satisfaction (Bassett-Jones et al., 2017). This
is one of the most commonly used theories in job satisfaction research, and it claims
to be the most repeated study in this field since it has been employed in a
number of studies as a theoretical framework for evaluating worker satisfaction
(Dipboye, 2018).
Figure 04: Herzberg's Two Factor theory
Source: (McPherson,
2021)
This theory is regarded as one of the most influential
content theories in the field of job satisfaction at the time it was published
and the contrast between motivation and hygiene factors as shown in the above
diagram is the core premise of this theory (Alshmemri et al., 2017). Both of these factors have an
influence on job satisfaction; however, hygienic considerations are regarded to
be less important than motivational factors. Motivational variables are the
most important factors that might influence job satisfaction (Alshmemri et al.,
2017).
Herzberg, Mausner, and Snyderman developed this two-factor
theory after being influenced by Maslow's hierarchy of needs. First, Herzberg
and his colleagues hypothesized that job satisfaction and dissatisfaction were
impacted by two different sets of factors, and that satisfaction and
dissatisfaction could not be measured reliably on the same continuous scale. Herzberg's
fundamental idea was that certain variables cause people to have favorable
attitudes about work, while others cause them to have unfavorable attitudes (Alshmemri
et al., 2017). The Theory is explained further in the below Video clip.
Video 04: The Two Factor theory
Source: (Greggu, 2018)
The Two factors are being discussed in more detail below, along
with examples of the Satisfiers and Dis-satisfiers in the Banking Institution I
work for which is a leading Bank in Sri Lanka.
1.Motivators (Satisfiers) are intrinsic job factors that meet higher-order needs and
contribute to job satisfaction (Nickerson, 2021). They are inherent to the profession.
Therefore, motivation variables only function to improve and boost job satisfaction.
Job satisfaction may be induced by the existence of motivational variables, but
it cannot be induced if motivational variables are absent. The motivating
elements which were the first group, was connected with "the urge for growth
or self-actualization" and achievement, recognition, the work itself,
responsibility, progress, and the opportunity of growth were all the motivating
aspects (Alshmemri et al., 2017).
While the employees themselves become
motivated by their own achievements, the bank also provide sufficient recognition
regarding the same during meetings, communications to other staff via email, display
the name and/or picture of the employee on notice boards, host award ceremonies
and give tokens of appreciations.
Further, the superiors delegate their
authority giving certain responsibilities to subordinates resulting in Advancement
of their personal growth.
Since the work itself is a
motivating factor, the bank arranges Job rotation and extend on the scope and
the depth of a particular Job role. Such as enabling a particular staff member
to do the teller function and also the credit function in a Branch of the Bank.
2.Hygiene Factors (Dis-satisfiers) arethe extrinsic factors of a job that
must be met to prevent job dissatisfaction but that do not contribute to job
satisfaction (Nickerson, 2021). They are external to the employment. Therefore, hygiene elements work
to lessen job discontent. Poor hygiene variables can lead to work discontent,
whereas higher hygiene factors can reduce dissatisfaction but not cause
satisfaction. The other group of elements, known as hygiene factors, was
concerned with 'the urge to avoid discomfort' and company rules and
administration, relationships with managers, interpersonal ties, working
environment, and compensation were all considered as hygiene elements (Alshmemri
et al., 2017).
A clear and a transparent Company
policy and a Code of conduct is maintained by the bank, where employees
could rise and speak of any misconduct or ill-treatment. Bank Employees are provided with salary plus additional forms of cash
incentives and non-cash incentives in their Remuneration packages.
Moreover, they are provided with Job security
at any given time which is secured by a lawful agreement signed by the employee
when he/she joins the bank. Further, the bank holds the responsibility of the
employees while inside the office and follows all required safety
measures including fire drills and they even provide transport to and from work
subsequent to the break out of the Covid 19 pandemic so that the employees are
safe guarded minimizing their association with outside personnel while
travelling in public transport. Furthermore, the bank has facilitated Working from
Home Arrangements, BCP- Business Continuity Plans and Split Operations to safe
guard the employees.
In addtion, an Administration
department has been established to maintain healthy work conditions to
all employees including air conditioning, ventilation, sufficient work spaces,
required work-stations and fulfilling other basic human needs.
Maintaining Healthy relationships
are also entertained at the bank where team engagement activities are held such as parties, multi-cultural events, trips
and even foreign tours. Further, the Bank hosts trainings, meetings, knowledge/
experience sharing sessions and certain work and non-work challenges as well.
Supervisors are encouraged to be
unbiased and transparent during supervision, especially during
Performance appraisals. The bank has educated all employees about the platform
where any employee can raise any grievances and ill-treatment. Poor Management
and Leadership will lead to a drop in the Job satisfaction levels (Alshmemri et
al., 2017).
In studies in a number of foreign settings, Herzberg's two-factor
theory is still employed to measure and define the level of job satisfaction (Alshmemri
et al., 2017).
References
Alshmemri, M., Shahwan-Akl, L. and Maude, P. (2017) Herzberg’s
Two-Factor Theory. Life Science Journal.
14(5). pp. 12-16. [Online]. Available at http://www.lifesciencesite.com.
Accessed on 3rd May 2022.
Dipboye, R. L. (2018) "Work Motivation", The Emerald Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Emerald Publishing Limited, Bingley, pp. 103-174. [Online].
Available at https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78743-785-220181006.
Accessed on 3rd May 2022
In
simple terms, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs by Abraham Maslow is a theory of
motivation which states that five categories of human needs dictate an
individual’s behavior (Cao et al., 2013). It states that humans are motivated
to fulfill their needs in a hierarchical order and this order begins with the
most basic needs and moves on to more advanced needs (Cao et al., 2013).
Maslow's
hierarchy of needs is a motivational theory in psychology that consists of a
five-tier model of human needs as shown in the below diagram, from the bottom
to the top: Physiological, Safety, Love and Belonging, Esteem, and Self-actualization.
It is often shown as hierarchical tiers within a pyramid (Mcleod, 2018).
Figure 03: Maslow’s
Hierarchy of Needs
Source: (Mcleod,
2022)
The need at each level has precedence over the need at the
next higher level in this hierarchy of needs. Individuals must attend to
lower-level needs before they can attend to higher-level wants, such as
physiological needs receiving sufficient satisfaction for safety needs to
arise, safety needs receiving sufficient satisfaction for love and belonging
needs to emerge, and so on (Mathes, 1981).
Although Maslow presented his needs into a hierarchy, he also
recognized that fulfilling each need is not an all-or-nothing proposition, and
that people do not need to totally satisfy one need before moving on to the
next in the hierarchy(Hopper, 2020). Maslow even claimed that most individuals have only
partially satisfied each of their needs at any one moment, and that the needs
that are lower on the hierarchy are often the ones that people have made the most
progress towards (Hopper, 2020).
Despite the fact that everyone is capable of and desires to climb up the ladder to the greatest degree of self-actualization need, due to failures to fulfill lower level needs, this smooth upward movement is frequently disturbed. Because of this, not every individual will go through the hierarchy of needs from the lowest to the highest level; some may shift between different sorts of wants (Mcleod, 2018).
Based on many of Maslow's observations as a humanistic
psychologist, he postulated that there is a pattern of needs recognition and
satisfaction that people follow, generally in the same sequence and in this
book he introduced his theory about how people satisfy various personal needs
in the context of their work (Gawel, 1996).
Maslow sought to consolidate a wide amount of knowledge on
human motivation, when prior to this, many other researchers were
generally focusing on other elements such as biology, success, or power to
explain what energizes, guides, and sustains human behavior (Huitt, 2007).
Maslow proposed this five-stage hierarchy of needs
based on two categories: deficiency and growth needs. Each of the lower level
wants must be satisfied before going on to the next higher level within the
deficiency needs group and these deficiency needs are claimed to motivate
people when they are not satisfied, and they originate as a result of
deprivation (Huitt, 2007). The urge for growth needs does not begin when
something is missing. It all starts with a desire to grow as a person, and once
these needs are satisfactorily met, a person may be able to reach the summit of
the hierarchy, the self-actualization need (Mcleod, 2018). The first four levels of the hierarchy, from physiological to
esteem requirements, are frequently referred to as Deficiency needs as
mentioned in the below Video 03, whereas the highest level, self-actualization,
is referred to as Growth or Being needs(Mcleod,
2018).
Video 03: What is Maslow’s Pyramid? What is the Hierarchy of
Needs?
The five-stage hierarchy of requirements model is being
discussed in more detail below, along with examples of how the needs are met
according to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in the Banking Institution I work for
which is a leading Bank in Sri Lanka.
1.Physiological needs are biological necessities for human
existence such as air, food, water, shelter, and clothes. If these requirements
are not met, the human body will not operate efficiently. This, according to
Maslow, is the most significant need out of all the others (Mcleod, 2018). Bank Employees are provided with
salary plus additional
forms of cash incentives and non-cash incentives. Cash incentives are in the form
of bonuses, allowances, cash reimbursements, company shares, insurance and
medical schemes, pension schemes, monetary incentives, lending facilities under
concessionary interest rates and more. Non-cash incentives are in the form of flexible
work hours, office mobile phones and devices, company vehicles and drivers,
hotels and bungalows for a concessionary charges to spend vacations, leave
entitlement, wellness and healthcare programs, and more.
2.Safety needs develop only when physiological
needs have been met to a reasonable degree. Job security, security, health,
financial security, and safety wellness are all part of this degree of need
(Research History, 2012). Bank Employees are provided with Job security at any
given time which is secured by a lawful agreement signed by the employee when he/she
joins the bank. At the end of the stipulated probation/ contract time period,
the employee will secure a permanent position at the bank. Further, the bank
holds the responsibility of the employees while inside the office and follows
all required safety measures including fire drills and they even provide transport
to and from work subsequent to the break out of the Covid 19 pandemic so that
the employees are safe guarded minimizing their association with outside
personnel while travelling in public transport. Furthermore, the bank has
facilitated Working from Home Arrangements, BCP- Business Continuity Plans and
Split Operations to safe guard the employees.
3.Love and belonging needs emerge when physiological and safety needs have been met.
Friendship, closeness, trust, acceptance, receiving and giving affection and
love are all examples of social needs at the third level of the hierarchy of
human needs (Mcleod, 2018). The Bank frequently
arranges Socialization/ Employee engagement activities apart from work related operations,
such as parties, multi-cultural events, trips and even foreign tours. Further, the
Bank hosts trainings, meetings, knowledge/ experience sharing sessions and
certain work and non-work challenges to staff which eventually build up team
work and gives the employees a sense of belongingness to a team.
4.Everyone in society has a need or desire for a steady high appraisal of
themselves, Self-respect, Self-esteem,
and esteem of other people (Research History, 2012). Maslow further divided this need for
self-esteem into two categories: self-esteem and the need for respect from
others(Mcleod, 2018). The bank identifies Best
performing and Best customer serving employees and appreciate them among the
other team members and reward in terms of gifts and awards. Moreover, Performance
appraisals are also conducted quarterly or half yearly. Furthermore, every
individual is respected, even the janitorial staff and gender equality is
maintained.
5.Self-actualization is the greatest degree of need or the last to accomplish after achieving
all the others. It encompasses needs like realizing human potential,
self-fulfillment, personal progress, and peak experiences (Mcleod, 2018). As per Maslow, achievement of self-actualization
is very rare, and some of his examples of famous self-actualized individuals are
Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, and Mother Teresa (Hopper, 2020).
Maslow noticed that, based on the
individual differences and external environment circumstances, the order of
needs might be flexible like for example, for some individuals, esteem need
might be more important than the love and belonging need while for some others
it may be the other way round (Mcleod,
2018).
Maslow also suggested that there are
several prerequisites to be prepared to meet the needs and he believed that
having these prerequisites make it easier for people to achieve their needs
(Hopper, 2020).
Mathes, E. W. (1981). J Humanistic
Psychology.MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS AS A
GUIDE FOR LIVING.
21(4). pp. 1-4 [Online] Available at https://sci-hub.hkvisa.net/10.1177/002216788102100406.
Accessed on 2ndMay 2022.
