This report critically reviews and analyses the concept of employee engagement as it occurs in human resource management. The essay critiques the core elements and features of employee engagement and how it relates to motivation. It reviews how employee engagement can help a firm to achieve optimal results. These pointers were applied to Apple and the paper concludes with a series of recommendations on how Apple can improve its status through employee engagement.
The research identifies that employee engagement is about getting workers to focus on organisational tasks by dedication, vigour and absorption in meeting organisational tasks. This is similar to motivation because they both aim at achieving the highest levels of productivity which in turn leads to profitability and growth in organisations. The study identifies that Apple has a system of promoting excellence in its activities and it sets high targets that employees are encouraged to achieve through close monitoring. The research recommends that Apple should improve employee engagement by hiring the best workers and keeping them under observation to identify how they react to employee engagement. Also, employee engagement in Apple should be stretched to cover retail workers who are often excluded in employee engagement drives.
1. INTRODUCTION
Employee engagement is an important and fundamental aspect of human resource management. There is the need for some kind of involvement and inputs to be taken by employers from employees and vice versa. This is builds the relationships between the people in an organisation and strengthens the organisational culture of the organisation.
This report examines practical aspects of employee engagement in three parts. In the first part, the theoretical elements and aspects of employee engagement will be reviewed and analysed. The second part will examine the state of motivation and employee engagement in a selected company, Apple. This will lead to the third part which will involve the presentation of recommendations for the improvement of employee engagement in Apple.
This part will examine the theory of employee relations and how it links to different aspects of organisations. This includes the relationship between employee engagement and motivation, profitability and other aspects of the improvement of organisations.
2. Definition of Employee Engagement
An engaged employee is one who is enthusiastic and committed to the work that s/he does in a company. Where an employee is highly engaged, that employee is able to give off his or her best levels of inputs in order to meet organisational goals and objectives. This implies that employee engagement is a process through which an employee gets a sense of connection and identity in relation to an organisation.
Employee engagement is strongly linked to the move from transactional leadership in human resource management to transformational leadership. Employee engagement is about trying to link the physical, emotional and cognitive elements of an employee in the attainment of organisational objectives.
One definition of employee engagement is that it is “a positive, fulfilling, work-related state of mind that is characterised by vigour, dedication and absorption”. Therefore, employee engagement is about creating a mindset amongst employees that makes them dedicated and ambitious about completing work tasks to the highest levels and standards possible.
Employee engagement is achieved by harnessing workers’ selves and linking it to their work roles and helps people to apply themselves and achieve fulfilment physically, cognitively and emotionally whilst they complete work tasks.
3. Types of Employee Engagement
There are several dimensions through which employee engagement can be categorised. One of such approaches is to examine the extent to which employees are meeting their full potential. On that basis, there are three categories of employees that can be found in the workplace:
