Demystifying ‘employee engagement’

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