Four Key Factors for Employee Engagement Highlighted by Acas
Engagement of employees in the working of a business is considered an important tool in improving its health. Acas, the employment relations service, has recently highlighted the importance of this in a paper published earlier this month. The areas where employee engagement help are in the retention of employees because of increased loyalty, which, in turn, boosts the morale of the employee and also allows for greater productivity in the company.
The line managers are in the first line of communication so they play a vital role in increasing employee engagement. Along with this there is also the need to have a good team of senior managers who play a complementary role to the line manager. The senior managers and the line managers need to work in close harmony so that the employee develops a feeling of trust. Effective communication between the employee and the management, continuous feedback and the opportunity to improve individual skills also contribute to greater employee engagement.
The paper has used the factors listed in the McLeod Report published in July 2009 to suggest a possible roadmap towards achieving the desired level of employee engagement. They are leadership, employee voice, engaging managers and integrity. A brief explanation of the factors follows.
For an employee to be truly engaged in the activities of the business organisation he/she should have a clear idea of the purpose of the business and his/her potential contribution to it.
Engaging managers are an asset. They provide a clear idea of the expectations of the employer to the employee. Also, each employee should be accorded the respect due to him/her and a policy of equal treatment be followed.
To make the employee a part of the organisation one needs to listen to his/her views and give them proper importance and if possible implement them.
Integrity of purpose and behaviour on the part of the manager will also lead to a sense of belonging and trust.
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