Employee Engagement - Free Essay Example

The term employee engagement relates to the extent of the connection that an employee has to an organization and their commitment to achieving set goals. Employee engagement has emerged as a critical driver of success at Albertson companies. According to Rizwan, Shahid, Shafiq, Tabassum, Bari, &Umer (2013), high levels of engagement facilitates talent retention, promotes customer loyalty and enhances stakeholder value and organizational performance. At Albertson companies, one of the major problems is an increase in employee turnover. According to Van den Berg, Bakker, & Ten Cate (2013), turnover intentions tend to render poor service and affect organizational effectiveness. Studies have identified that the intent to leave an organization as one of the key indicators of turnover (Bothma & Roodt, 2013). From an organizational perspective, employee turnover at Albertson companies can result to costs arising from selection, training, recruitment, and the employment of temporary employees. Further, it may have a negative impact on employee morale and organizational culture. The retention of top talents at the organization has become a major challenge for the human resource managers. Prior to this paper, the writer had conducted four studies which focused on strategic, organizational dynamics, administrative and financial factors related to employee engagement and turnover reduction at the company.

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The first paper concentrated on the strategies that can be used to enhance employee engagement and reduce turnover at the company. The paper sought to answer the question: What strategies can be used to improve Albertsons employee engagement and employee culture and how will those strategies affect the costs and benefits of the engagement program? The relationship between the organization performance and employees has experienced a profound shift, which focuses less on energy, time, and loyalty to the company (Aguinis, Gottfredson, & Joo, 2012). Therefore, senior executives have to invest more time in developing strategies that not only attract new staff, but also retain top talent. Every person has job experiences that they want to be part of, and ones that they can't wait to leave, simply because they were not committed to the project from the start. There is a need to come up with effective strategies that will assist the organization in establishing the most effective performance evaluation strategies to increase engagement and reduce turnover.

The second analysis focuses on organizational dynamics in relation to employee engagement and the main question was: What are the direct and indirect costs of employee engagement activities at Albertsons? Even through engagement is important at the organizational level, it starts with each person and it is subjective. The extent of engagement of employees at an organization can have a significant impact on how they view themselves (Spilerman, and Petersen, 1999). The organization must recognize that potential of each employee extends beyond their job description. To tap to the full potential of each employee, it is necessary to acknowledge that every employee has a unique set of beliefs, goals, talents and life experiences and this drives their personal success, performance, and well-being (Reily, 2014).

The third paper focused on the administration, planning, and control. The research question that the paper sought to answer was: When an employee leaves, what is the typical impact on the organization and the remaining staff of that resignation until a replacement is hired and fully trained? Employee turnover is considered an acute problem due to its detrimental effects on the organization particularly when top talents decide to leave the organization. Furthermore, excessive turnover presents looming danger for the organization, and it undermines the organization's effectiveness and productivity. Ultimately, it can threaten the long-term survival of the organization, thus the retention of top talents is a big challenge for the administration (Aguinis, Gottfredson, & Joo, 2012).

The fourth paper covered a financial analysis that considered the financial factors that affect employee retention and turnover. The main research questions that were addressed are: What are the direct and indirect costs (recruiting, selection, formal training, on-the-job training, and other costs) of employee turnover? and based on a Financial analysis what approaches should Albertsons leadership consider for improving employee engagement? Financial analysis and planning is required in this scenario since it will help the organization in achieving strategic employee engagement tasks and goals with the available resources (Aguinis, Gottfredson, & Joo, 2012). In this paper, the writer presents the conclusions and recommendations on the issue of employee engagement and reduction of turnover at Albertson companies.

Section 2: Conclusions

Employee engagement refers to the commitment and connection displaced towards an organization, resulting to higher productivity levels (Du Plooy & Roodt, 2010). Extensive research has revealed that employee engagement is a major global business strategy and it has developed into a key link to company reputation, employee satisfaction, productivity and customer satisfaction. The information developed in the core course research produced factual data that helped in answering the major research questions.

A significant research question was: What strategies can be used to improve Albertsons employee engagement and employee culture and how will those strategies affect the costs and benefits of the engagement program? During the development of employee engagement strategies, managers and leaders at the Albertson companies need to know their people - not just what they do but also who they are. Each interaction with an employee can have an impact on their engagement and inspire discretionary effort. Therefore, the strategies that the company employs can have a significant influence on the engagement levels in the company, in turn influencing the costs and benefits of the engagement program. There are various strategies that can be implemented to enhance employee engagement and they relate to performance outcomes including profitability, productivity, turnover, absenteeism, quality, and patient safety incidents.

Strategies that are commonly associated with employee engagement such as increasing communication, promoting teamwork, and effective managers are key priorities for turnover reduction. While a good remuneration might go a long way in sustaining employee engagement, it does not do everything. The core elements of employee engagement strategies have everything to do with a sense of belonging. According to Andriotis (2016), for an employee to feel engaged they have to (i) feel valued, respected, and trusted, (ii) feel that their work is meaningful and it makes it a difference, and (iii) feel self-confident and secure.

Another significant research question was: What are the direct and indirect costs of employee engagement activities at Albertsons? A loyal and productive workforce is the key to success in an increasingly challenging business environment. There are various factors that can drive employee engagement including organizational culture, remuneration, and relationships that a worker has with their supervisors and workmates. Employees who are not engaged do not understand their responsibilities, and lack the confidence to make right decisions. The company has implemented various engagement activities including orientation, skill building, sharing best practices and brainstorming. Some of the direct and indirect costs of employee engagement activities at Albertsons include venue rental, catering costs, facilitator fees, and expenses for materials.

A significant research question was: When an employee leaves, what is the typical impact on the organization and the remaining staff of that resignation until a replacement is hired and fully trained? One of the often overlooked impacts of employee turnover relates to return on investment (Shah, 2017). Employees who have been employed for a long period of time possess a bank of critical knowledge, whether through training or experience on the job. When they leave, they go with the knowledge and this weighs heavily on the business.

Pre-departure disengagement also leads to a loss of productivity and potential loss of clients. Other workers may need to work overtime to cover for the employee who has left which translates to a possible increase in the cost of employee benefits. The departure of an employee can also lower the team morale especially if the employee who is leaving was a crucial team player. Furthermore, the spread of doubt, fear, and disengagement among the remaining staff can lower the productivity of the organization. In addition, due to working overtime, the remaining staff can become angry, resentful and overworked.

A significant research question was: What are the direct and indirect costs (recruiting, selection, formal training, on-the-job training, and other costs) of employee turnover? Preventing highly skilled employees from leaving your company by promoting a comfortable workplace environment and creating a strong talent management strategy translates to thousands of dollars saved in terms of direct and indirect costs. Some of the direct costs of employee turnover are cost of replacement, overtime cost, advertising, loss of skills and knowledge, interviewing, and lower productivity of new recruit. The indirect costs and risks associated with employee turnover include the risk of hiring the wrong individual, overworking, absenteeism, rookie mistakes that cost money and loss of customers.

Section 3: Recommendations

The preceding core course analyses produced a number of recommendations and that additional over-arching recommendations were also developed. The strategic implications of the employee engagement and reduction of turnover were addressed in the first paper. It involved an analysis of related studies, external and internal considerations, implications for business- and corporate-level strategy, and implications for structure and control systems. Based on this analysis, several specific recommendations were formulated and are discussed below. The recommendations for improving employee engagement involves being able to identify when there is an issue in the first place. Nonetheless, the signals are not always clear and it is important for managers to lay down a few guidelines to follow when establishing the level of employee engagement. According to (Rizwan et al., 2013) performance serves as an efficient barometer since the absence of employee engagement typically affects the performance of an organization. To implement this recommendation, the managers at Albertson's companies should focus on employee performance to help in identifying those who are experiencing problems and finding solutions. In addition, managers should also develop achievable goals and objectives. Employees are encouraged to give their best when they are working towards a goal.

To implement this recommendation, organization should develop clear and achievable goals for their employees. The adoption of this recommendation will also help to know when they have been successful. Lastly, the organization should perform a full review of communication to come up with strategies that improve engagement (Reily, 2014). To implement this recommendation, leadership is advised to enhance engagement through awards events, recognition stories and case studies.

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