I was just a few weeks into my
first job when my then manager requested me to take charge of ‘employee
engagement’ activities for the center that we were working for. Being a
newcomer to the world of HR, I had little idea of what that meant. After a few
discussions with my team, I understood that it included activities that went
beyond the employees’ day-to-day work, and created an environment where
employees could freely interact with each other across departments. There were
existing activity-based clubs being driven by employees and provided a platform
for them to channelize their talents. In addition to it, there were periodic
events organized at a company level in which employees could take part.
As a freshly minted MBA, I was
armed with HR theories and frameworks I had studied in business school. None of
them had ever alluded to the term ‘employee engagement’. I tried to distance
myself from the task of driving employee engagement, asking myself why I was
not working on core HR activities that impacted the organization such as
performance management and retention of key employees. However, it was much
later that I understood that it is an equally important aspect in an employee’s
lifecycle and helps to create a vibrant culture at the workplace. Today’s workforce
is not merely looking for a job that pays well and provides a chance to develop
one’s skills. The fun aspect at work holds significance, and gives employees
something to look forward to. There are CSR activities which enable employees
to explore activities that make a difference to their community. In the highly
consumerist and self-centred society that we inhabit, employee engagement and
CSR, if managed well, could create well rounded individuals at the workplace. This
would not only enhance employee performance, but is likely to create a happier
workforce.
It would be ideal if young HR
professionals entrusted with ‘employee engagement’ are given to understand this
linkage between employee activities and their outcome, before starting work on
a plethora of company events which can sometimes be too overwhelming to cope
with. There are insights that one gleans through experience on the job, but it
certainly helps to have a context to certain tasks expected out of an HR
professional, including employee engagement J
