Employee Engagement

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LITERATURE REVIEW

Employee engagement

According to Shuck, Reio Jr., and Rocco (2011), employee engagement is a term that refers to the extent to which an employee is involved and committed to the task and job in the organisation. It has been analyzed by Biswas, Varma, and Ramaswami (2013) that this is an approach that is used by the firm in order to increase the motivation among all the workers so that overall performance can be improved. It is directly related to job satisfaction and the sense of belongingness of the worker with the enterprise. As per the viewpoint of Welch (2011), the business organisation is related to their growth, profits, low turnover, high retention, productivity, brand recognition, and so on. They can improve their brand image at a global level and along with this, they will be able to achieve a competitive advantage in the market compared to any other market leader. Gruman and Saks (2011) believe that every staff member has their own attitude, behaviour, and beliefs. On the basis of these, their engagement can be measured in an efficient manner. Some are committed to their work and some are focusing on their customers so that they will be able to get quality services (What Is Employee Engagement?, 2016). Employee engagement is related to the communication, trust, and integrity between the organisation and workers. Through this approach, an organisation will be able to achieve success in the market and that will lead to a high productivity level. When staff members are highly motivated, then they get involved in the goals of the firm and contribute to the success so that their overall performance can be improved.

Leadership in Relation to Engagement

Leadership can be defined as the particular action that helps in leading a people or group in an organisation. It can also be defined as the direction, guidance, and control that is being applied to the group of people working (Abraham, 2012). It is the responsibility of the manager to retain their employees in the enterprise so that their motivation level increases and they will be able to accomplish their specified goals.

There are some issues that are related to the leadership in the firm, such as trust, communication, transparency, team building, motivation, and so on. Leadership styles are not only used to improve the growth of the company, but they are also used to maintain relations among a leader and their followers. If this relationship improves, trust and effective communication can be built among the workers and their superiors (Brad Shuck, Rocco, and Albornoz, 2011).

Leaders should know their staff or followers, which is key for employee engagement; there should be clarity of goals and actions so that the workload will not hinder employees and they can get engaged in their work. In this way, leadership can be helpful for employee engagement in an organisation that will increase productivity as well.

It has been argued by Shuck (2011) that leadership is another factor that may affect employee engagement, and due to this disengagement of workers, it is increased in the industry. Employee engagement is based on salary, rewards, proper guidance from the leader, and so on.

According to Brad Shuck, Rocco, and Albornoz (2011), in every organisation, there are different types of people, such as engaged, not engaged, and actively disengaged. Engaged workers are more highly involved or committed to the objectives of the firm, and they don't want to leave their job. On the other hand, actively disengaged workers are highly negative people in the entity, and they increase the cost of the company due to their low-quality work. Employee engagement is directly related to the productivity of the organisation. If engagement increases, then the quality of work is also increased.

There is a relationship between employee engagement and the overall productivity and profitability of the organisation. If employee engagement is high at the workplace, then their job satisfaction is high. When all workers perform well, then their overall productivity is increased, and that will lead to high profits. When high profits are achieved by an enterprise, then the higher authority can share their benefits among all the people. So, in this manner, their overall satisfaction level can be enhanced at the workplace.

According to Mone and London (2014), he said that line managers have to play an important role in the firm so that their day-to-day activities and operations can be managed in an efficient manner. They have to make the strategies, set the targets, and make decisions and implement the policies so that overall goals can be accomplished. On the other hand, all managers are actively involved in the teamwork of their department so that the morale of group members can be enhanced and they get the right direction in order to accomplish the task (Fairlie, 2011). Along with these, the manager has to face many challenges while working in an enterprise, such as poor relations among all the co-workers.

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It is the responsibility of the leader to provide the proper guidance to their group members so that they can increase employee engagement at the workplace. As per the views of Slack, Corlett, and Morris (2015), the satisfaction level of the workers depends upon the direction and guidance of the leaders. For this, they have to adopt some of the styles, such as autocratic and democratic so that they can enhance their performance. On the contrary, through these approaches, overall employee satisfaction can be improved.
Motivation in relation to engagement

Motivation can be defined as a particular way of behaving or a set of facts that are used in support of any activity or proposal. It can also be defined as the external or internal factor that creates energy and desire in people and motivates them to do a job with full energy and positive vibes.

According to Shuck and Herd (2012), trust is a factor that can build a strong relationship among all employees so that problems get reduced and overall performance can be improved. Trust is related to the beliefs, values, and attitudes of the workforce towards the company and their culture. role of leadership is also important for the engagement of employees, Leaders should maintain proper communication with employees; a good culture should be maintained. Proper coaching to the managers should be provided and good relationships must be maintained for the engagement of employees (Anitha, 2014). Along with this, it is related to the intrinsic motivation of the members. So, the industry focuses on the trust factor in order to improve the relationship among all the people who are working as a team at the workplace. If this type of environment is created, then all staff members will feel comfortable performing their work, and they will be able to accomplish their pre-specified goals. Mishra, Boynton, and Mishra (2014) suggest that workers' engagement can be increased on the basis of proper and clear communication among all the employees. It is a kind of tool that is used by the enterprise so that all managers can communicate with their internal stakeholders.

As per the given case of industry, they are also conducting some of the strategies in the firm in order to improve their overall growth and their position in the UK market (Wollard and Shuck, 2011). They proposed a plan such as pulling people first that explains that if an employee feels comfortable with his own in the organisation, then they can deal with the different kinds of people. The manager of the entity also believes in two-way communication because this can provide an opportunity for the people to place their own ideas in front of the top management. Through this campaign, the company will be able to get the reviews of their customers and change the policies as per the needs of the service users (Mone and London, 2014). Along with this, a sense of belongingness can be enhanced among all the users of the company, and due to the self-esteem, trust can be built that will remove all the communication gap.

Shuck and Reio Jr. (2011) stated that it is the responsibility of the leader to develop the core competencies of the employees so that they can achieve their own objectives. There are many employees who are leaving the job due to a lack of motivation. The company provides training and development programmes to their workers so that they will be able to enhance their knowledge, experience, and attitude towards the work. Managers can motivate their staff so as to engage employees in work; they can increase pay, raise pay increase 30% of performance, redesign jobs to raise 17% performance, set of goals to raise 16% performance, and participate in employees setting goals to improve 1% of performance. As per the viewpoint of Bal, Kooij, and De Jong (2013), organisations should provide an opportunity to their workforce so that they can develop their own learning abilities.

According to the viewpoint of Sonenshein and Dholakia (2012), the enterprise can use these models and theories in order to increase the motivation of the workers. Apart from theories and models, organisations can also conduct training and development in their business environment. Through this, all employees will be able to perform their tasks in an efficient manner so that their overall objectives can be improved (Brad Shuck, Rocco, and Albornoz, 2011). In order to provide training and development, the industry has to plan its budget so that it can generate more revenues.

FINDINGS

Employee Engagement at British Airways

The manager of British Airways uses some of the models and theories such as Herzberg (1983), vroom expectancy (1964), and Maslow's hierarchy (1943). Through this, the motivation level of the employees will get increased so their productivity also gets enhanced. The employees of the airline industry focus on their employees so that their satisfaction level can be increased and they will be able to get committed to the objectives of the company (Mirvis, 2012). Through effective leadership and motivation, employee engagement can be improved in the workplace.

Wollard and Shuck (2011) say that leaders should be there in the organisation because they can lead an enterprise towards success. Along with this, the manager has to provide a healthy and safe environment to their staff members then only they will feel comfortable while doing their work. For this, they have to follow health and safety laws that are made by the government so that they can ensure smooth functioning at the workplace. So, in this manner, employee engagement can be improved in an enterprise.

Feedback should be given to the people who are working at British Airways so that their performance can be improved and they will be able to get positive reinforcement from their manager. Wang and Hsieh (2013) say that British Airways can use this approach in order to increase motivation among all the staff members by identifying their personal and professional demands. By identifying these requirements, managers of the airline industry will be able to enhance the overall satisfaction level of the workers.

The leader should communicate well with their employees to increase trust between them and to discuss their problems. Employees of British Airways should also be given motivation so that they can work effectively and efficiently (Saks and Gruman, 2014). Time-to-time training programmes, performance appraisals, and involvement of employees in decision-making should be there so that the employees get motivated and can engage in their work, Employees can also be motivated when benefits are given to them that may include medical, home, etc. Further, through training and development, the satisfaction level among the workforce can be increased and that will lead to success. When satisfaction level is enhanced, then they contribute towards the objectives and goals of the firm.

The significance of employee engagement can be measured on the basis of their performance in the organisation so that they can achieve their objectives. There is higher competition in the environment, so it is a challenge for the firm to get success in the country. When this communication gap gets reduced, then the level of satisfaction will be enhanced in the people who are working in the company. As per the viewpoint of Anitha (2014), he said that through employee engagement, the industry will be able to improve its quality services and they can offer these quality services to the customers so that their satisfaction level can be increased.

Motivation Effect in Relation to Engagement at British Airways

According to the viewpoint of Shuck and Reio Jr (2011), he said that if the motivation level is get increased of the employees, then turnover and absenteeism can be decreased. They can improve their growth in the market and they can retain their excellent workers in the enterprise. Further, they can increase employee engagement in the company.

According to the viewpoint of Mirvis (2012), there are many models and theories that are used by the organisation so that employee motivation levels can be increased. Some of the theories are Vroom's expectancy theory (1964), Herzberg's two-factor theory (1983), Maslow's motivational theory (1943), and so on.

The Vroom theory is based on maximising profits and minimising the issues that employees have in the firm. This theory also states that the performance of an employee is based on some factors such as knowledge, experience, skills, and so on. This is based on three elements such as valance, expectancy, and instrumentality. Valence is related to the emotional needs of the worker, such as rewards and incentives. The manager should identify these needs and wants of their staff members so that their motivation level can be increased. It is critically argued by Abraham (2012) that this theory will take time as they are individually focused on the motivational factors. It is not beneficial for those who have to make long-term patterns in order to identify the needs of the people who are working in the company.

Another theory is Herzberg's two-factor motivational theory, which is based on the two elements such as motivation and hygiene. Hygiene factors are important for increasing motivation among all the employees. If these factors are not present in the firm, then it will lead to dissatisfaction among all the employees. Some of these factors are job security, policies, salary, fringe benefits, and relationships among all the co-workers. On the other hand, motivators are related to rewards, recognition, a promotion at the workplace, and so on. Through this, positive satisfaction can be increased among all the staff members. It has been argued by Wang and Hsieh (2013) that this theory doesn't focus on the situational factors and the blue-collar workers.

The theory of Maslow is based on the needs and wants of the employees at five different levels. He stated that these needs are divided into five stages, such as physiological, safety, belongingness, self-esteem, and self-actualization. It is Physiological needs are the basic needs of the employee that can be related to the salary and safety needs are related to job security and medical insurance in the enterprise. Belongingness is based on trust and acceptance among all the co-workers. Self-esteem is related to self-respect, independence, and so on (James, McKechnie, and Swanberg, 2011). Self-actualization is related to the potential of the employees that can improve the growth of an individual. By identifying these needs of an employee, British Airways can increase the satisfaction level of their staff members. Through this approach, employee engagement can be increased so that the overall performance of the industry can be improved.

Leadership Effect in Relation to Engagement at British Airways

It is stated in the case study of British Airways that the company is sharing their profits with their staff members in order to motivate them so they will be able to offer quality services to their employees (Fairlie, 2011). Along with this, the airline industry also provides an opportunity for their workers; they place their creative and innovative ideas in front of the management. The enterprise can implement these ideas in order to increase the morale of the people. Robertson, Jansen Birch, and Cooper (2012) stated that rewards and incentives can be given to employees so that satisfaction can be increased. The manager can provide rewards to the workers for the ideas that they are given to the top management and their performance. Along with this, incentives can be given to the people who do overtime or work harder than any other employees in the organisation.

Mone and London (2014) argue that transformational leadership is a type of style that is followed by the leaders of the industry. This is highly linked with the job satisfaction and motivation of the employees, and it also increases the engagement of workers in the firm. As per the given case, when management follows a bureaucratic style in the organisation, then it will lead to poor relations among employees and their relations with their superiors. Through this, they will not be able to provide quality services to their customers so their brand image also decreases. Along with this, British Airways will not be able to gain a competitive advantage on the basis of their cost-cutting strategy because some of the cost cannot be controlled by the firm, such as fuel and airport charges (Bal, Kooij and De Jong, 2013). So, by improving the overall leadership styles, leaders of the airline industry have to adopt the situational style so that they can enhance the overall performance of the firm. When all staff members are satisfied, then their employment engagement can be improved.

Leadership and motivation are very necessary in British Airways so as to increase employee engagement in the company. Leaders of the company should clearly define objectives and goals so that employees have a clear image regarding their description of the job, which will eventually engage them in their work if the job description is clear. As noted by James, McKechnie, and Swanberg (2011), a leader should focus on these issues; then only they can increase employee engagement in the firm. So, effective employee relations and leadership styles can improve the overall performance of British Airways.

Conclusion

From the above-mentioned report, it has been concluded that employee engagement can be measured through their performance. Shuck and Reio Jr. (2011) say that employee engagement is related to the involvement and commitment of the workers towards the company's goals. Engaged staff members can help the enterprise accomplish its objectives, and disengaged people are less productive. As per the viewpoint of Wollard and Shuck (2011), leadership plays an important factor in increasing motivation among the workforce. Leaders are the ones who can lead the company towards success, and they have to adopt a style as per their capability so the overall performance of British Airways can be improved. On the basis of the finding, it can be concluded that some of the theories, such as Malow and Herzberg, are used by the organisation so that their overall motivation level can be increased. Along with this, rewards and incentives should be given to the workers by British Airways so that turnover and absenteeism can be decreased in the firm. Through this, the manager can retain their employees in the firm so that they can sustain their competitive advantage. Motivation and leadership affect the engagement of the employees in the organisation. British Airways focuses on leadership styles so that all employee's satisfaction can be enhanced, and that will lead to success.

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References

• Abraham, S. (2012), 'Development of employee engagement programs on the basis of employee satisfaction surveys', Journal of Economic Development, Management, IT, Finance, and Marketing, 4(1), p. 27.
• Abraham, S. (2012), 'Job satisfaction as an antecedent to employee engagement', SIES Journal of Management, 8(2), p. 27.
• Anitha, J. (2014), 'Determinants of employee engagement and their impact on employee performance', International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management.
• Bal, P.M., Kooij, D.T., and De Jong, S.B. (2013). 'How do developmental and accommodative HRM enhance employee engagement and commitment? The role of psychological contract and SOC strategies', Journal of Management Studies, 50(4), pp. 545-572.
• Biswas, S., Varma, A., and Ramaswami, A. (2013), 'Linking distributive and procedural justice to employee engagement through the social exchange: a field study in India', The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 24(8), pp. 1570-1587.
• Brad Shuck, M., Rocco, T.S., and Albornoz, C.A. (2011), 'Exploring employee engagement from the employee perspective: Implications for HRD', Journal of European Industrial Training, 35(4), pp. 300-325.
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