Terms of engagement
ECONOMY & POLICY

Terms of engagement

BNV RAMANA tells us how engaging employees is crucial for the organisation's success.

The economic recession has taken its toll by way of salary freezes and benefit cuts making it more difficult for the construction and infrastructure industry to survive. However, if they have highly engaged employees one thing is certain - employees will perform better and deliver good results, which is important for business success, even in the volatile economic times we now live in.

Engagement basics

Managers play a crucial role in bringing up organisational commitment amongst the employees of all ranks by removing pessimistic influences. This enables employees to have an attachment towards the organisation and develop a desire to stay with the organisation.

In such a situation, the engaged employees consistently talk positively about the organisation with co- employees, vendors, visitors, government officials and customers to boost the image of the organisation. In the process, they demonstrate the desire to be part of the organisation despite opportunities to work elsewhere.

They take an extra effort to engage in a behaviour that contributes to the organisation's business success. Employee engagement, which results in greater harmony yields greater productivity, better innovation and customer satisfaction.

Key drivers

It comes from challenged, empowered, rewarded and excited teams of employees. Last year, a cross-functional young managerial team was set up to identify key drivers that keep our employees engaged. The first step towards that was we asked the group to identify the key engagement drivers which would facilitate employee engagement. A few key engagement drivers identified are discussed here: Communication: Effective two way communication between the manager and his staff will raise employee engagement levels. The employee needs communication about where the organisation is heading, knowing what is going on, what is being planned and why it is important. Employees must be encouraged to express their opinion upwards to their managers and higher ups rather than downwards. More and more functional openness must be insisted amongst managers and the staff.

Career growth: The aim here is to find an optimal fit between the organisation's and individual's perspective. This means finding a solution which is satisfactory for both employer and employee taking into account employee's past skills, abilities and knowledge with current priorities for developing people and to focus more on the future talent needed. This is done by offering opportunities and encouragement for engaged employees to progress through training courses and learning processes, etc.

Autonomy: Employees need to be involved and engaged in decision making. The extent to which managers listen and value employee ideas, suggestions, etc, will determine and enhance the level of engagement. Managers must encourage employees to step outside their comfort zones and involve them in problem solving and decision making processes. Showing faith in the employee's capability to do the job will go a long way.

Praise and recognition:

Recognising both team and individual contribution and performance (at project site) helps. It is also important to give timely, positive, constructive and specific feedback and to share the employee's achievement with senior management personnel.

Standard operating procedure: It is imperative to have a standard procedure work plan for employees, which help understand work processes. Procedures, policies and strategy must be easily explained and in line with the vision and mission of the organisation. With these drivers in place, the focus would be on the capabilities of the Project Managers (PM). PMs are the ones who will keep the team cohesive and engaged with the organisation. They are the ones, who will be able to increase the trust and inspire the team in achieving the desired results for organisation. With that in mind, the idea of rolling out questionnaires with PMs was implemented. The survey resulted in addressing the shortcomings of PMs and in creating the right climate for the team for employee engagement. The gap was trounced with training interventions and leadership programmes. It helped the PMs in realising their importance in achieving employee engagement. Thus PMs play a significant role in bringing a positive climate in the organisation, which facilitates employee engagement.

Conclusion

The aim of focusing on PMs in employee engagement is that they are the DNA of the construction and infrastructure industry. A disengaged PM may cause a lot of issues, which may have a direct or indirect effect of his/her behaviour. This could have an impact on employee learning and development, treatment of employees, autonomy and the quality of communication and teamwork. The engaged PM will facilitate and empower the employees and show interest in appreciating and developing them thus creating an aroma around him, which nurtures employee engagement.

Economic disruptions or recessions will come and go but the organisation which has a strong employee engagement atmosphere will succeed and survive in spite of outside environmental pressures and depression. The key advantage of employee engagement is that it will reduce attrition, which is a major problem being faced in our construction and infrastructure industry. Further, productivity gets increased manifold as employees clearly know what is expected of them at work and they carry out their tasks effectively and efficiently creating better harmony and safety. This results in better bottom lines contributing to the success of any business.

About the author:

BNV Ramana, Asst General Manager (HR), Consolidated Construction Consortium Ltd has been associated with the company's HR department for over 23 years. He is also a member of various professional bodies in India including being the HR Panel Member of the FICCI-Tamil Nadu Council. In his current position, Ramana is responsible for compensation management, retention management, talent acquisition and performance appraisal with CCCL, Chennai.

To share your HR initiatives, write in at feedback@ASAPPmedia.com

BNV RAMANA tells us how engaging employees is crucial for the organisation's success. The economic recession has taken its toll by way of salary freezes and benefit cuts making it more difficult for the construction and infrastructure industry to survive. However, if they have highly engaged employees one thing is certain - employees will perform better and deliver good results, which is important for business success, even in the volatile economic times we now live in. Engagement basics Managers play a crucial role in bringing up organisational commitment amongst the employees of all ranks by removing pessimistic influences. This enables employees to have an attachment towards the organisation and develop a desire to stay with the organisation. In such a situation, the engaged employees consistently talk positively about the organisation with co- employees, vendors, visitors, government officials and customers to boost the image of the organisation. In the process, they demonstrate the desire to be part of the organisation despite opportunities to work elsewhere. They take an extra effort to engage in a behaviour that contributes to the organisation's business success. Employee engagement, which results in greater harmony yields greater productivity, better innovation and customer satisfaction. Key drivers It comes from challenged, empowered, rewarded and excited teams of employees. Last year, a cross-functional young managerial team was set up to identify key drivers that keep our employees engaged. The first step towards that was we asked the group to identify the key engagement drivers which would facilitate employee engagement. A few key engagement drivers identified are discussed here: Communication: Effective two way communication between the manager and his staff will raise employee engagement levels. The employee needs communication about where the organisation is heading, knowing what is going on, what is being planned and why it is important. Employees must be encouraged to express their opinion upwards to their managers and higher ups rather than downwards. More and more functional openness must be insisted amongst managers and the staff. Career growth: The aim here is to find an optimal fit between the organisation's and individual's perspective. This means finding a solution which is satisfactory for both employer and employee taking into account employee's past skills, abilities and knowledge with current priorities for developing people and to focus more on the future talent needed. This is done by offering opportunities and encouragement for engaged employees to progress through training courses and learning processes, etc. Autonomy: Employees need to be involved and engaged in decision making. The extent to which managers listen and value employee ideas, suggestions, etc, will determine and enhance the level of engagement. Managers must encourage employees to step outside their comfort zones and involve them in problem solving and decision making processes. Showing faith in the employee's capability to do the job will go a long way. Praise and recognition: Recognising both team and individual contribution and performance (at project site) helps. It is also important to give timely, positive, constructive and specific feedback and to share the employee's achievement with senior management personnel. Standard operating procedure: It is imperative to have a standard procedure work plan for employees, which help understand work processes. Procedures, policies and strategy must be easily explained and in line with the vision and mission of the organisation. With these drivers in place, the focus would be on the capabilities of the Project Managers (PM). PMs are the ones who will keep the team cohesive and engaged with the organisation. They are the ones, who will be able to increase the trust and inspire the team in achieving the desired results for organisation. With that in mind, the idea of rolling out questionnaires with PMs was implemented. The survey resulted in addressing the shortcomings of PMs and in creating the right climate for the team for employee engagement. The gap was trounced with training interventions and leadership programmes. It helped the PMs in realising their importance in achieving employee engagement. Thus PMs play a significant role in bringing a positive climate in the organisation, which facilitates employee engagement. Conclusion The aim of focusing on PMs in employee engagement is that they are the DNA of the construction and infrastructure industry. A disengaged PM may cause a lot of issues, which may have a direct or indirect effect of his/her behaviour. This could have an impact on employee learning and development, treatment of employees, autonomy and the quality of communication and teamwork. The engaged PM will facilitate and empower the employees and show interest in appreciating and developing them thus creating an aroma around him, which nurtures employee engagement. Economic disruptions or recessions will come and go but the organisation which has a strong employee engagement atmosphere will succeed and survive in spite of outside environmental pressures and depression. The key advantage of employee engagement is that it will reduce attrition, which is a major problem being faced in our construction and infrastructure industry. Further, productivity gets increased manifold as employees clearly know what is expected of them at work and they carry out their tasks effectively and efficiently creating better harmony and safety. This results in better bottom lines contributing to the success of any business. About the author: BNV Ramana, Asst General Manager (HR), Consolidated Construction Consortium Ltd has been associated with the company's HR department for over 23 years. He is also a member of various professional bodies in India including being the HR Panel Member of the FICCI-Tamil Nadu Council. In his current position, Ramana is responsible for compensation management, retention management, talent acquisition and performance appraisal with CCCL, Chennai. To share your HR initiatives, write in at feedback@ASAPPmedia.com

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