Employee engagement has been one of the most popular topics in today’s business world. According to Schaufeli et al. (2002: 74), employee engagement can be considered as ‘a positive fulfilling work-related state of mind that is characterized by vigour, dedication and absorption’.
It is believed that a fully engaged workforce is the most valuable asset of any organisation. Apparently, employees who are enthusiastic, highly committed and involved in the company’s life, tend to perform better. Nevertheless, still many companies find it problematic to encourage their personnel to be devoted to their jobs and feel as a part of the firm. Unfortunately, the level of engagement is much lower than disengagement level. As indicated in the study of the Gallup organisation, 75% of employees in most companies are disengaged at work (Grissom, 2008: 54).
There are several main drivers of employee engagement. Undeniably, one of them is reward system. Not only tangible rewards are effective but also intangible rewards (recognition, appraisal, personal growth, learning and development,) seem to be desirable by the workforce. More importantly, the persons who should influence employees to achieve organisational goals and objectives are the managers.
Managers ought to act as leaders and be good examples to follow. Therefore, if a manager is not engaged, no employee can be. Moreover, the key to employee collaboration is effective communication. The quality of workplace communication refers to how well managers and employees understand each other. It is essential to establish open communication at work, since it helps to avoid misunderstandings.
Managers have to consider the communication needs of the workforce (Welch 2011), since it is likely to improve their relations. Additionally, what determines employee engagement are trust and sense of control. As underlined by Chughtai and Buckley (2011), trust in management and trust propensity increase the engagement level. Not only trust is the key to positive employee relations, but also it is linked to employee commitment. Controlling individuals usually makes them feel powerless and vulnerable. Hence, both managers and employees want to be in control. According to Pech (2009: 28), a high level of work control positively affects our well-being.
Overall, engaged workforce can be compared to a team (Together Everyone Achieves More), which is formulated to meet a certain target.