Employee Engagement and Employee Retention

Individuals coming together on a common platform to achieve the goals of the organization as well as to earn a living for themselves are called as employees. The smooth functioning of an organization depends on its employees and their seriousness towards work.

What is employee engagement?

Employee engagement refers to a situation where all the employees are engaged in their own work and take keen interest in the organization’s activities. An engaged employee is one who is focussed, enjoys his work and learns something new each day.

An engaged employee is satisfied with his work and would never think of quitting his job. He is the one who willingly accepts responsibilities and looks forward towards a long term association with the organization.

Lack of challenging work is one of the major reasons as to why an employee decides to move on. An individual should be delegated responsibilities as per his specialization and background for him to perform up to the mark. An employee delivers his hundred percent when he does something which interests him. Problems crop up when individuals have nothing creative and challenging to do. An employee must foresee a bright future and better growth prospects in the organization for him to stick to it for a longer duration. An engaged employee always stays motivated in his current assignments and does not look for opportunities outside. Why does an individual always look for challenges outside, why can’t he improve the conditions in his own organization? Monotonous work demotivates an individual and prompts him to look for a change.

As they say “an empty mind is a devil’s workshop”. In the same way, idle employees are the ones who loiter around and spread negativity all over the place. They are the ones who provoke others to fight amongst themselves. Individuals who have nothing to do at workplace kill their time by gossiping around and badmouthing their organization. They always talk negative about the management and encourage others to move on.

The team leaders and the management must take the initiative to assign challenging work to the subordinates so that they do not treat their work as a burden. An employee must be asked to do something innovative everytime. An individual engaged in his work strives hard to deliver his level best and live up to the expectations of the management everytime. He looks forward towards achieving his organization’s targets and thus making it one of the best places to work.

An employee who is busy with his work stays away from nasty politics, backstabbing and thus maintain the decorum of the office. He prioritizes his work and does not really get time for controversies. Individuals are reluctant to leave when they enjoy a cordial relation with their colleagues. Everyone expects a stress free environment at workplace and tends to leave only when there are constant disputes. No one likes to carry tensions back home. An engaged employee does not get time to participate in unproductive tasks instead finishes his assignments on time and benefits the organization.

The team leaders must monitor the performance of the team members to ensure whether they are satisfied with their profile or not? Performance reviews are a must to make sure every one finds his job interesting. Discussions are essential at the workplace and everyone should have the liberty to express his opinions on an open forum. Don’t impose things on anyone. Let people decide themselves what best they can do. This way employees are satisfied with their work and never look for a change.

One should always remember that offices are meant to work and not for fun. For an individual, his work should come first and everything else later. The employees who do not take ownership of their work blame others and the organization for the poor show. Cowards leave the organization at its bad times, the one who really has the potential to make it big stick to it and make things happen there only.