Employee Engagement

Employee engagement can be defined as the level of commitment and involvement an employee has towards their organisation and its values – and visa versa.

Effective employee engagement means involving people in a two-way inclusive communication process that encourages participation.

The Communication strategy is therefore to:

• Provide credible, accurate and up to date information to all employees
• Ensure all employees have feedback channels to enable them to voice their views, concerns and issues
• Develop clear, robust, relevant, inclusive and integrated channels of communication
• Provide advice and support for business initiatives
• Measure engagement levels in all areas, and adjust communication tools where appropriate to encourage constant improvement
• Keep it simple and un-complicated at all times

Communication is about managing relationships, not just sending messages

Level 1 – the basic elements

At the most basic level, all employees should know:

• What is expected of them
• How they are performing
• How they can progress their careers
• How their role fits into (and contributes to) the organisation
• Factors surrounding their employment
• The vision and strategy of the organisation
• How to raise an issue with their organisation

Without these parameters, employment is without context with little motivation for an employee to perform beyond the basic essentials.

Level 2 – involvement

To become involved, employees need to participate.

To participate, employees need:

• An environment where they can feel confident to express views or share ideas without fear of recrimination
• Strong two-way communication vehicles
• The ability to make decisions (in circumstances where they are the experts)
• Methods to register their views, ideas, suggestions
• Access and time from senior management
• The time to communicate