Role of Employee Engagement in an Organization, Using M&S Food Store as an Organization - Essay Example

? The Role of Employee Engagement in an Organization, Using M & S Food Store as an Organization To what extent does organization support Employee engagement? Employee engagement remains a key pillar in any organization. Every organization desires committed and enthusiastic employees. Employees must feel as part and parcel of an organization before taking part in building that organization (Dijkman, 2008). Despite the importance employee engagement in companies and workplaces, research paints a grim picture of the extent of employee engagement in organizations. Only a third of employees have motivation in their work places in the United Kingdom (BergHind, 2005). Some organizations have embraced a strong sense of developing employee willingness to have a positive mental attitude towards work (Accor Services, 2009). Only twenty nine percent in the United States are enthusiastic about their work and employment. The business landscape is more unpredictable and more dynamic than ever before. However, despite challenges, most organizations have continuously supported employees to create a positive mental attitude towards work. Human resource remains a fundamental resource in any business. Companies that pride themselves in continued improvement of the intangible resources of the business entity. The intangible resources encompass the psychological factors that influence the mental preparedness and willingness of workers in an important pillar of progress in any company. The company has established itself as a true benchmark of success in the retail industry through creating a sense of belonging among employees ( Bradley, 2007). The human resource personnel and other officials in the company engage the workforce in various developmental steps of the company. In the current dynamic and ever evolving business landscape, companies have stepped up efforts to engage employees. In the past, organizations were concentrating on staff retention plans which were ineffective in guaranteeing high performance. This is because companies were keeping millions of unwilling workers who simply turned for duty but were never interested in building the organization (Clarke & MacLeod 2009, p 168). Organizations today are engaging employees through informing employees about the organizations, creating strong communication channels where there is feedback from employees and committing the top management to proper service delivery. At the moment, several organizations have improved the extent employee engagement effort. What are the benefits of engaged employees and how they are been rewarded in regards to their engagement to the organization. The psychological factors are key to the success of any company. Any employee who is engaged to a company will produce better results than an employee who is not motivated at work (Baldwin & Davis, 2006). This makes rewards and benefits to an employee who is engaged very necessary if any organization has to continue performing well (Clarke & MacLeod, 2009). Employees who are engaged will be handled well by the organization. Employees who have a positive attitude towards their work have less stress and are less likely to fall sick compared to those who are not engaged. Employees who are engaged derive joy and attach meaning to their work. This makes employee engagement the heart of high performance in an organization (Accor Services 2009, p 162). A strong correlation was established between employee engagement and the level of performance. The stores that were in the top quartile of engagement achieved eight percent higher mystery shop scores than those in the bottom quartile (Marks and Spencer Group Inc, 2012, p. 56). This underscores the importance of employee engagement in the success of the company. The biggest job related concern among workers in the United Kingdom is the amount of salary employees earn. More than forty six percent of the workers consider the salary they earn as their main concern (Merrit J. E., 2012, p. 29). Engaged employees get offers from the company. These range from discounted theatre tickets, funded nursery, play scheme places, holiday offers, gym membership and store discounts to support the employees. There are other small benefits such as free tea and coffee at the work place. Even though job security, a decent salary for the employees and offering a decent and reasonable time at work rank among the most important employee engagement benefits, these other small benefits and rewards still rank among important offers for engaged employees ( McNulty, 2006, p. 28). Research Objectives To investigate the role of employee engagement in Mark and Spencer organization To investigate the outcomes of employee engagement To establish the main barriers for effective employee engagement To investigate the organizational support in employee engagement Literature review Role of employee engagement in an organization and review outcomes of employee engagement According to Burrow (2008), employee engagement has replaced employee retention efforts in organizations in the contemporary society. This is attributed to the contribution of psychological factors in boosting performance in a company or industry. Dijkman (2008, p 27), states that employee engagement is considered as the enthusiasm and passion to work. It encompasses a positive attitude and behavior that boosts job performance so that it is in tandem with the objectives of the organization. Employees need motivation so that they achieve the goals and mission of the organization. Organizations need to boost the general wellbeing of their employees. Human resource management in an organization is broadly divided into hard and soft human resource management. Carson, Gilmore, Gronhaug, & Chad (2001, p 12), study found out that in hard human resource management, employees are considered as mere assets and are treated in terms of profit and loss to an organization. On the other hand, in soft human resource management, where employee engagement falls, employees are treated as a core of the success of the organization. They are considered as a fundamental resource that is responsible for driving the organization forward. The management is charged with the responsibility of rewarding and motivating their employees (BergHind, 2005, p. 51). Dixon (2005, p 175), has shown that there are several theories and models on employee engagement. They include the soft human resource management model also called the Harvard Model, The social exchange theory and the CIPD Model of engagement. These models have become the heartbeat of employee engagement. The Harvard Model encompasses four aspects of strategic policy. They include human resource flows, reward systems, employee influence and work systems. The aspect of human resource flow is the most significant in the Harvard Model. The human resource model ensures the right mix and number of staff in an organization. This also encompasses the processes of resourcing and developing employee competencies. The reward system will include the benefits and a competitive salary to motivate the employee. On the other hand, employee influence refers to the participation of the employee in decision making within the company or institution. It also includes giving authority and power to employees. This will make employee have a sense of belonging to the company. Such employees will be more willing to shoulder the organization even amidst financial instabilities. There are four Cs that have are paramount in employee engagement. They include commitment, congruence, competence and cost effectiveness in developing the company (Accor Services, 2009, p. 42). Employee engagement is crucial for the development of any company. The article points out that, among the stores that the company runs across the world, the stores that recorded the highest level of employee engagement had a corresponding high score in performance (Laurie, 2008, p. 43). This means that employees perform best in circumstances where there needs and expectations have been met by the organization. The company is better placed if the employee enjoys a free working environment than when the employees are only bound to the company for employment alone. Employees will be concerned about the success of the company of they are involved in the strategic planning and management of company resources. According to the annual report, the positivity in the company stands at seventy five percent (Lashley, 2012, p. 54). When the stores were divided into quartiles based on the success of the company in staff engagement, the stores that were in the upper quartile in terms of employee engagement had achieved an eight percent higher mystery shop score than the shops that were in the bottom quartile. In the past, companies have concentrated staff retention programs while largely ignoring staff engagement. A company might have a massive workforce; however, if the work force is not motivated to work towards achieving a strong foundation, the company is bound to fail. Employee engagement remains core to the success of any business in the current dynamic world of business (BergHind, 2005, p. 45). It is imperative to tend to people, just like the ecosystem, in order to get profits. Any company can only benefit from its workforce if the company can engage its workforce and commit it towards the future achievements of the organization. The sustainability of the company is based on the engagement of the employees so that they share the dream of the organization (Kuratsko & Andretsch, 2009, p. 69). Employee engagement is crucial in the eventual success of the company. The market today is dynamic and requires staff engagement in order to increase revenue of the company. Engaged employees are crucial for the company to maximize revenue sources. The current business landscape is characterized by competition and reduced opportunities. Companies have maximized of the revenue they obtain. Today, most employees are more concerned about their level of salary than anything else. The job security and the time spent working are only second and third respectively among the major concerns of the employees today. In employee engagement, benefits and rewards matter (Grayson, Lemon, Tay, Slaughter, Zhouying, & Rodriguez, 2006, p. 15). Employee engagement is key for a sustainable high performance. Organizations must recognize that employee engagement is a strategic issue that cannot be left to the management of the organization alone. An organization must focus on listening to the employee opinions through proper communication channels. Companies must create a culture within the organization to foster growth and development within the company. Even though barriers to employee engagement exist, organizations must come up with strategies that will create a positive work force (Clifton, 2009). Employee engagement helps organizations survive economic difficulties because employees will feel that the company belongs to them. Engaged employees have a sense of belonging and, therefore, will be ready to shoulder the organization through a blink moment. Employees that are more involved are more likely to produce better results compared to those employees who are less involved. Staff retention is no longer the most important human resource strategy. Organizations cannot rely on the number of staff to guarantee performance. Effective performance in this era of a competitive market can is crucial in building a successful organization. An employee who is willing to work and enthusiastic about the work place is best suited to help the organization grow. Some members of staff have ideas that can improve service delivery and develop customer responsive products and services. These ideas can only be harnessed through feedback from employees. Engaged employees offer ideas and suggestions that may be invaluable in innovativeness from an organization. This shows that organization must engage employees because of the crucial role engaged employees play in an organization (BergHind, 2005). Employee engagement is a very promising prospect on paper. The concepts and models of employee engagement indicate that the future of employees in terms of benefits and rewards is bright. However, in real sense, employee engagement is nothing different from the human resource management system. The implementation of policies that support employee engagement is not satisfactory. The top brass in companies and organizations still dictate the process of decision making in organizations. Junior employees are never part and parcel of decision making. Even though junior employees may have exciting ideas about the organization, no one really cares about incorporating these ideas into policies of the organization (Dijkman, 2008). The idea of employee engagement is an oversimplification of managing staff relations. The strategies of employee engagement are simply a public relations affair. Despite employee engagement being crucial in the development of the organization, there are many barriers that frustrate efforts of employee engagement. Trade unions have criticized the employee engagement. The fact that employees go an extra mile to develop the organization means that employees are subjected to exploitation. Any services that employees offer to an organization must be paid for on the basis of remuneration terms and conditions. Employees should not be asked to work in an organization in the name of a positive driving force and yet this work is not paid for by the organization. The fact that trade unions are not considered in the various models of employee engagement shows the flaws of employee engagement. Employees may lose their jobs without protection from trade unions due to loopholes in the employee engagement models. Employee engagement should be all inclusive in order to protect employees from exploitation (BergHind, 2005, p. 76). Organizational support/employee engagement Creation reorganization of the Human resource management department is the first step towards achieving employee engagement. Companies must create a central support team to help employees (Frisk, 2006, p. 63). Companies must create People Policy Support Teams which is responsible for the management of employee relations in the company across all the stores in the world. It is paramount, according to the article, to surmount duplication of roles in the company. The team should address the grievances of the employees. In this manner, the company can achieve the best platform of supporting employees and engaging them. The company should have a database that highlights the individual problems of the company staff and possible solutions to the problems. This will, according to the article, reduce the time spent on dealing with a certain issue affecting the employee. There is need of transformative leadership in order to achieve these key milestones in the company (Taylor, 2003, p. 22). Companies must restructure their human resource management to be people centered. Employees must be the center of focus when dealing with the demands of the employees and their needs. Companies have to concentrate on the intangible aspects of the human resource (Dijkman, 2008, p. 41). Literature on Marks and Spencer employee engagement Mark and Spencer organization has created an attractive and enthralling working environment that creates a sense of belonging among its workers. The working environment is relaxed where employees can sit down and chats about the exciting weather and their plans for the weekend. Instead of employees being under unnecessary pressure and harassment, they have enough room to breathe and enjoy a relaxed atmosphere. This creates a psychological sense of belonging and oneness among employees (Marks and Spencer Group Inc, 2012, p. 45). Marks and Spencer organization shows a genuine interest in the wellbeing of the employee and their needs. The expectations of the employees are crucial in developing Mark and Spencer. The organization, through its human resource management department attempts at meeting the needs and satisfying the expectations of its employees. Even though the company has a huge human resource, it invests equally well in the research about them (Dixon, 2005, p. 48). The company utilizes surveys that cover the opinions of the employees. The employment of qualitative research methods enables the company to capture the information on their employees in its salience, timelessness and with accuracy. The company acts on this research to seek ways of improving the employee engagement (Dijkman, 2008, p. 42). The human resource management at Mark and Spencer has evolved from one that was only concerned with staff welfare and industrial relations to one that is more strategic and is focused on the agenda of the people at Mark and Spencer. The human resource management is people-centered. They are no longer considered as mere workforce in the name of human resource. At the moment, Mark and Spencer organization treats employees in all aspects of life. The company invests a lot of money in understanding who their employees are and what they expect from them. The company also seeks to understand the actual feelings and attitudes of each employee. In this manner, the company is able to meet the needs of the employee and develop a positive working environment (Marks and Spencer Group Inc, 2012, p. 14). According to the human resource manager of Mark and Spencer organization, employee trust in the management is crucial in engaging the employees (Smith, 2010, p. 33). The Mark and Spencer organization continues to draw engagement through making sure that the company utilizes proper communication channels with employees. Communication is responsible for driving the wheels of engagement in any company. The organization has established structures in which the employees are given an opportunity to understand the company’s business plans and the part they play in developing the building the company (Marks and Spencer Group Inc, 2012, p. 23). The company attempts at engaging the company employees through sharing of ideas on how to improve the working environment within the organization and how to create a better working relationship with customers than ever before. When employees are engaged in the decision making process, they feel they are part of a team. Mark and Spencer organization normally asks their employees to make suggestions on the necessary initiatives that the company can put in place to make the organization a better place. The employees have become core in the development of the company’s strategic plans and ideas. When an employee is engaged in the decision making process, development of the strategic plan and the realization of the vision of the company in the future, the employees are more obliged to shoulder the company through thick and thin ( Mooi & Sarstedt, 2011, p. 94) Employee engagement is not a reality in the organization. The reality on the ground shows the company does not offer rewards and chance for their employees to advance their careers. This shows that employees are exploited and do not receive rewards and benefits which are core to employee engagement models. There is need for engaged employees to be offered rewards for their commitment to the organization. Trade unionists are critical of the exploitation employees are exposed. Employee engagement may constitute overtime that is not paid by the organization. The organization must embrace employee engagement fully by offering tangible benefits to engaged employees (BergHind, 2005, p. 133). Main barriers for effective employee engagement The article of employee sustainability highlights several challenges. There are several obstacles in staff engagement. There are challenges that face the company from within and those limitations that are as a result of external factors. Internally, most of the companies are expansive. These companies have many employees across the world. Most companies have an extensive workforce ( Carson, Gilmore, Gronhaug, & Chad, 2001). The massive company stores and the scale of the workforce make it difficult to deal with individual issues that affect the work force in the company. The number of workers makes it hard for the company to deal with issues that affect some of the employees. There is also reactive decision making within organizations. This does not pick up issues afflicting employees early before it’s too late. There is a need of responsible leadership in these companies in order to engage all the employees. This may be lacking in some companies. It is also expensive to research on the needs and expectations of employees, according to East Daniels (Clifton, 2009, p. 101). Companies have to invest in research in order to understand the needs of their employees. The work of establishing employee feedback is difficult and cumbersome. The data has to be analyzed. There are external factors such as influence from rivals in the business sector who might offer more lucrative deals than what the company offers its employees (BergHind, 2005). This may excite an exodus of employees. Managers may be inconsistent based on their different attitudes and feelings. This may make certain employees feel that they are being treated unfairly by the company. Low levels of advocacy and lack of proper communication channels may lead to a low perception about the top brass of the organization. If there is mistrust in any organization, employees are less likely to have a good attitude towards the company. It is also worth noting that the current culture of working for long hours affects the life and work balance. This in effect negates the essence of employee engagement. Most employees will see the job as a source of exploitation and torture. Economic instabilities may make the company unable to meet the needs and expectations of its employees. This will kill the morale of the employees ( Carson, Gilmore, Gronhaug, & Chad, 2001, p. 42). METHODOLOGY The research will use qualitative data collection. The study will involve interpretation of data from secondary sources. The research will use secondary sources of information because the information about the organization is wide. The research philosophy will be interpretivism because it will allow for the understanding of the different points of views. This philosophy will reflect on the individual differences in the business environment. The research approach will be deductive. The deductive approach because the research will involve the testing of theoretical information. The survey strategy will be employed since the research involves analysis of quantitative data by the use of descriptive and inferential statistics (Burrow, 2008). This will allow the research to have representative information since time and resources will not allow for a research on the whole population. Samples will be chosen from the population of people who work at the Marks and Spencer food store. Secondary sources of data will be utilized. These sources will be useful because they will aloe for comparison of findings from different sources. The information will contain up to date industry (Laurie, 2008, p. 67). Limitations There are several limitations in using secondary sources of data. The results of this study cannot be used to generalize the entire Marks and Spencer because it is limited to the food store. There is little time for the research to cover most of the organization. Some secondary sources of data may be inaccurate. This may result from errors in computation or recording during the primary research. Secondary sources may also be liable to manipulation during collection of primary information. The primary researcher may be biased. This may make anyone who collects secondary information from this sources obtain biased information (Burrow, 2008). There is also the possibility of some secondary sources of information being inaccessible due to their confidentiality. The company may want to preserve its image. It may, therefore, only avail information that does not affect the company negatively and damage the company’s image. Equally significant is that some of the secondary sources of data may be obsolete. This makes them useless in research. The business landscape is dynamic and ever evolving. Therefore, any researcher must brace themselves to update information frequently in order to cover the existing market demands. Obsolete data may be misleading and fail to reflect on the actual market trends (BergHind, 2005, p. 28). Findings and discussion The results of the study are analyzed against previous research. The research will be analyzed, critiqued and the recommendations from the study will be suggested. The collected data will be analyzed using excel spreadsheets. The correlations between variable will be explored with care being taken not to make conclusions from casual relationships between variables. The research findings point out that there is a strong correlation between employee engagement and the eventual performance of the company (Clifton, 2009). Secondary data reveals that shops that had an upper quartile engagement had a score of more than eight percent in terms of employee engagement. Those stores that were in the bottom quartile in relation to employee engagement recorded very dismal scores in terms of the eventual performance of that store. This is according to the annual report of Mark and Spencer organization report of 2012. This underscores the significance of employee engagement in shaping the company and improving performance. Business entities must, therefore, boost employee engagement approaches in their companies in order to motivate workers towards achieving the dream of the company. A positive workforce is a prerequisite to the success of any company (Baldwin & Davis, 2006, p. 29). Conclusion Employee engagement is a vital tool in the success of a company. The wellbeing of an employee and motivation has major role is the performance of an employee. Human resource is a fundamental resource in any company or business entity (Baldwin & Davis, 2006). No company can pride itself as a legendary institution without putting in place initiatives that will motivate workers in order to help the organization succeed. Employees are more willing to contribute to the success of the institution if they are engaged and supported by the human resource management in the organization (Accor Services, 2009). The general welfare, needs and aspirations of a company are more important than merely retaining staff. In a nutshell, companies must invest heavily in establishing the needs of employees. Focus must shift from staff retention plans to staff engagement since staff who are motivated are key to the success of a company (Accor Services, 2009, p. 32). Bibliography Baldwin, J., & Davis, M. (2006). More Than A Name: An introduction to branding. New York: AVA Publishing. BergHind, J. (2005). Employee Engagement. New York: Jason & Sons. 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