Why is employee engagement an important strategy to foster within an organization? What experience have you had or what examples have you seen or heard about that have helped foster a culture of engagement? Share one strategy that you believe can foster an engaging environment in the workplace.
Discussion 5-1: Employee Engagement
Employee engagement is an important driver of success in contemporary organizations. Although there are different definitions of employee engagement, the one that is commonly used by organizations is having a team of employees who are committed to their organization and are able to make contributions that lead to organizational success (Society for Human Resource Management, 2022a). An organization should foster employee engagement due to a number of reasons. For example, fostering employee engagement increases productivity, promotes loyalty, enhances retention, and leads to increased safety. Employee engagement is also linked with increased customer satisfaction, a positive company reputation, and a high stakeholder value (Society for Human Resource Management, 2022). These benefits explain why employee engagement is an important strategy to foster within an organization.
Many organizations have successfully utilized strategies that have enabled them to foster a culture of engagement. A good example of these organizations is Orlando Health. In the year 2018, the Advisory Board Company honored Orlando Health with two awards for its outstanding levels of employee engagement. The employee engagement strategies that have worked best for the company include employee recognition, ongoing leadership training, and nurturing a mission-driven working environment (Orlando Health, 2018).
A strategy that I believe can foster an engaging environment in the workplace is onboarding. An effectively implemented onboarding plan boosts employee engagement by strengthening the relationship between the new hires and the management (Society for Human Resource Management, 2022b). Employees who are successfully integrated into an organization are highly engaged and are committed to both personal and organizational growth.
References
Orlando Health. (2018). Your doctor loves where they work: Why it matters for you. https://www.orlandohealth.com/content-hub/your-doctor-loves-where-they-work-why-it-matters-for-you
Society for Human Resource Management. (2022a). Developing and sustaining employee engagement. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/sustainingemployeeengagement.aspx
Society for Human Resource Management. (2022b). Understanding employee onboarding. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/understanding-employee-onboarding.aspx