Commitments gone
awry
We are asking ourselves this
question a number of times during the day, month and year as well as constantly
in our lives. Be it our commitment within the family, within a relationship,
between friends, with acquaintances, among fellow workers, between a supervisor
and his subordinate, employer and employee, between tutor and student, jailor
and prisoner, citizen and country, Kings
and subjects, leaders and public. Commitment is the central theme in all
relationships and this commitment fluctuates with time and space and in a
manner of reciprocity.
Commitment stems from levels of
comfort and this comfort stems out of levels of engagement between two
individuals. The more the level of engagement, the more easy communication
becomes, and the easier it becomes when deciding on the length and scope of
engagement. Suppose a supervisor was to allot a certain work to a subordinate,
he will do it with a subordinate who is more familiar with the supervisor’s
goals and aspirations and line of thinking. This was made possible because the
subordinate has had more moments of engagement with the supervisor, whereby he
has acquired knowledge of the supervisor’s likes and dislikes, the manner of
reciprocity, the line of thought of his supervisor and would therefore be best
suited to engage more soundly with the supervisor when the time comes.
Let us assume that levels of
engagement are restricted to this one employee to whom the supervisor has
allotted the work since he trusts him to carry out his orders as if it were his
own, but additionally he must allot another worker to execute another
assignment too at the same time. Since he does not have another trusted
lieutenant, he feels handicapped and is not confident of being able to finish
the work with the same flourish as in the first instance. This handicap does not augur well for the
organisation and the employer, therefore he has to learn the lesson of engaging
more and more people in a manner that adds to finesse and quality in
productivity. Similar is the case within the organisation between different
levels of line managers and their subordinates, between line managers and their
department heads, between department heads and general manager and between
General Manger and the board. That is why the company needs to have a policy of
employee engagement.
What is employee engagement? Is
it a formula applied to the equation between lower level subordinates and their
supervisors? Or is it a sense that must prevail across the board? Is it a one
to one engagement which is personal in nature or is it an engagement which
encompasses aspirations and adds to the zeal of the employees? An employee
coaxed on a personal level might reciprocate at certain times, till his
personal needs are met, but to keep him entrenched in the values and goals of
the organisation and prompting him to remain wedded to the company will need
persuasion beyond personal peripherals. The longevity of service and the extent
of commitment will depend on the buoyancy he imbibes as a result of employee
engagement policies of the company.
There are many things which must
run simultaneously in an organisation to achieve optimum levels of employee
engagement. To keep an employee engaged he has to be made felt in the
organisation. Many a time employees drag themselves to their workplace, this is
a sure sign that employee engagement is dismal and at its lowest in the organisation.
However there may be exceptions too, but here we are discussing the usual. If
an employee does not feel comfortable in an organisation then productivity is
loosened and the organisation suffers as a whole. What are the reasons that may
make the employee drag himself to his workplace let us look at some important
ones.
1. Untidy
environment - An employee can feel put off if the environment is not tidy and
clean, it is therefore essential to keep the environment neat and clean. Waste
water and garbage must be channelized into covered drains and bins. An added
incentive would be if the surroundings are green with trees, leaves and
flowers.
2. Haphazard
and unruly work environment- If working rule is flouted openly then too he can
feel offended. Suppose employees are loitering around and chatting within
themselves and suppose the tone is loud with individuals having to yell to be
heard from distances assuming the spectre of a fish market or a stock exchange
floor. Then an employee may not feel engaged alluding that the organisation is
not organised in its work style.
3. Salutations
and greetings – If workers address themselves and their supervisors with
courtesy and mannerism and if the conversation is low and humble it gives an
impression of a place that is brimming with good natured and cultured people.
4. Work
rules & HR policies and attitudes – If the organisation has a fixed set of rules
and if the work rules are obediently followed and enforced without favour the
employee gets the feeling of being one with all others and is assured of fair
treatment. It is important to have a tidy HR policy that which is seen as
sturdy and that which is non-discriminatory. HR Department must be seen as
friendly guys for the good ones and merciless to the wayward. Actions must
follow a symmetrical path and must seem to be nonsensical and professional. The
HR department must earn the trust of the employees prompting them to feel at
home.
5.
Meeting aspirations – The organisation must be
able to meet the aspirations of the employees. Fulfilling at least some of the
aspirations will enable employees to stay put with an organisation for long.
6. Organisations
external relationships- Relationship with vendors, suppliers, and contractors.
An employee will value the organisation also based on the firm’s commitment to
supplies, payments, contractors and relationship with all stakeholders involved
in the business process.
7. In
house recruitment & social commitments– It is very important to scout for
talent within the boundaries of the organisation. An internal employee will
always be better than an external candidate for filling up a post.
Extracurricular activities must be encouraged and time permitted and
encouragement forwarded for discharging social obligations.
8. Attitude
of top ups – The Top and Middle management must seem eager to meet the
employees half way. Discussing them and their family and their aspirations along
with that of family members will go a long way in laying trust and durability. Employee
participation in business ideas and seeking advice of all employees on issues
periodically will lend strength to the concept of employee engagement, and by
extension loyalty and exuberance.
9. Free
exit – There must be a system of free exit in the organisation. When and if the
employee feels the need to quit for whatever reasons, he must be allowed to do
so adhering to the rules of the organisation. On no account should decisions
smack of any revenge or back stabbing. In fact an employee must be coaxed to
furnish fully the terms of exit and he must be seen off in the most pleasant
manner. This will create a good will for the organisation and will spread the
word in the labour market. The company stands to gain as a result of this
goodwill generated, resulting in attracting the best talent available in the
labour market.
These engagement efforts have
been specified broadly which will help employees seek an extended stay at his
place of work benefitting all the stake holders. There may still be some bad
fish, but then nothing is perfectly perfect, one must make allowances for the
turncoats and habitual offenders.
Lastly these efforts need to
percolate to the level of an ordinary worker and been seen by them as lasting
and concentrated effort by the management or its officials. Talking about
officials - to implement them in an orderly manner and keep the employee
engaged, is a full time job executable by experienced hands that have the will
and dexterity to learn from life.
Robin Varghese – robin_vargh@yahoo.com
4th September 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment