EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT ON EMPLOYER BRANDING

Employee engagement plays a pivotal role in building the employer branding. When employees are engaged, they become invested in their work and the organization's success. This positively affects how they see and represent their employer. Here are some positive views  

1. Alignment of Values: Engaged employees are more likely to align themselves with the mission, vision and value of the organization, contributing positively to its brand image. According to a study by Towers Watson, companies with high levels of employee engagement experience a 19.2% increase in operating income compared to those with low engagement levels (Towers Watson, 2012).

2. Brand Ambassadors: Engaged employees act as brand ambassadors both online and offline, helping to promote the company's brand and culture to potential talent and customers. A Gallup poll found that companies with highly engaged workforces outperform their peers by 147% in earnings per share (Gallup, 2016).

3. Positive Reviews and Testimonials: The employer brand is enhanced by engaged employees leaving positive reviews on employer review websites and sharing their positive experiences on social media platforms. Glassdoor's research shows that 80% of jobseekers are likely to research company reviews and ratings when deciding on where to apply for a job (Glassdoor, 2020).

4. Retention and Recruitment: A strong employer brand, influenced by engaged employees, assists both retention and recruitment efforts. Engaged employees are less likely to leave the organization, which reduces turnover costs and attracts top talent who like positive workplace cultures. A study by LinkedIn found that companies with a strong employer brand experience a 28% reduction in turnover rates (LinkedIn, 2020).

5. Customer Perception:. Engaged employees provide better customer service, which leads to increased customer satisfaction and a positive perception of the company's brand. Research conducted by the Corporate Leadership Council indicates that engaged organizations grow profits as much as three times faster than their competitors (Corporate Leadership Council, 2018).

Employee Engagement was first investigated by Kahn (1990) around 30 years ago. He investigated the psychological factors related to engagement and disengagement while working and concluded that there are multiple factors that respond to different levels. Those levels are interpersonal, individual, group, intergroup and organizational. Those levels consequently shape the engagement of employees. 

One of the initial definitions was provided by Schaufeli et al. (2002), who defined job engagement as a state of mind that is positive, fulfilling, work-related, and characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption. Saks (2006) further elaborated on this model and presented a distinction between job and organizational engagement. He concluded that participants' job engagement scored higher than their organization engagement. As a result, researchers defined job engagement as the passion of an employee towards his/her job. This can help to have more performance in job related tasks.

The environment of an organization is positively affected by the outcome of employee engagement. Scientific research found that more engaged employees have influence on working colleagues by promoting increased effort and self-efficacy at work. Employee engagement can be understood as psychological, physical and emotional enthusiasm monitored in employees who are fully emerged and involved in their jobs. (Sahni 2021)  

INFLUENCING FACTORS OF EMPLOYEES ENGAGEMENT

The following factors influencing employee engagement (Anitha J. 2014)

1. Work Environment:

The work environment is one of the most valuable factors. Employees are helped to improve their thinking and solve work-related problems. The work environment held employees focus on work and their interpersonal harmony is considered a main factor of employee engagement (Deci and Ryan 1987) 

 

2. Leadership: The inspiring leaders will increase employee engagement. Communication is a key responsibility of leaders. Employees work hard to make a company successful. Interest and engagement will rise if employees are considered important and meaningful. (Wallace and Trink 2009)

3. Team and co workers. 

A supportive environment at work makes employees who try new things without worrying about the consequences of failing. Meaningfulness is a component of engagement and is impacted by the relationships at work, following the study conducted by May et al. (2004). Locke and Taylor (1990) believe that workers who have a good relationship with others should also have more meaningful work experience. As a result of this, Anitha. (2014) concluded that teamwork has an effect on employee engagement.

4. Training and career development

Training and development help employees perform better and feel more engaged. This makes employees feel more confident, which makes them more interested in their work. 

5. Compensation

competitive compensation contributes to employees feeling valued, motivated, and engaged in their work and the organization

6. Organizational policies

organizational policies play a critical role in shaping the employee experience and influencing levels of engagement. By implementing policies that promote fairness, support work-life balance, foster open communication, and provide opportunities for growth and development, organizations can create a positive work environment that enhances employee engagement and drives organizational success. SHRM. (2017)

7. Workplace well-being

A positive work environment that prioritizes employee well-being can improve employee engagement levels.

OUTCOME OF EMPLOYMENT ENGAGEMENT

The employee engagement outcome focuses on two aspects- organizational performance and individual performance. The most studied relationship is between the engagement of an employee and overall organizational performance. Employees with greater dedication towards an organization are more active at work, being healthier, and performing better. (Llorens et al. 2007) According to studies by Yang (2005) and Schaufeli et al. (2006) dedicated employees are more satisfied by work, have more commitment to the organization and their intention to leave the company is less, compared to less dedicated employees. In addition, dedicated employees have an exhibited behaviour. 

CONCLUSION

Employee engagement is essential for organizational success and also integral to shaping a strong employer brand. Organizations can unlock the full potential of their workforce and position themselves as employers of choice in today's competitive environment. Ultimately leading to increased competitiveness and sustainable growth in the marketplace. 

REFERENCE

Towers Watson. (2012). Global Workforce Study. Retrieved from https://www.towerswatson.com/en-US/Insights/IC-Types/Survey-Research-Results/2012/07/Global-Workforce-Study

Gallup. (2016). State of the Global Workplace Report. Retrieved from https://www.gallup.com/workplace/238079/state-global-workplace-2017.aspx

Glassdoor. (2020). Mission & Culture Matter: How to build a winning employer brand. Retrieved from https://www.glassdoor.com/employers/resources/mission-culture-matter-how-to-build-a-winning-employer-brand/

LinkedIn. (2020). The Power of the Employer Brand. Retrieved from https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/cx/20/06/power-of-employer-brand

Corporate Leadership Council. (2018). Driving Performance and Retention Through Employee Engagement. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/254196041_Driving_Performance_and_Retention_Through_Employee_Engagement

Schaufeli, Wilmar B.; Bakker, Arnold B.; Salanova, Marisa (2006): The Measurement of Work Engagement With a Short Questionnaire. In Educational and Psychological Measurement 66 (4), pp. 701–716. DOI: 10.1177/0013164405282471.

 Schaufeli, Wilmar B.; Salanova, Marisa; González-romá, Vicente; Bakker, Arnold B. (2002): The measurement of engagement and burnout: a two sample confirmatory factor analytic approach. In Journal of Happiness Studies 3 (1), pp. 71–92. DOI: 10.1023/A:1015630930326. 

Saks, Alan M. (2006): Antecedents and consequences of employee engagement. In Journal of Managerial Psychology 21 (7), pp. 600–619. DOI: 10.1108/02683940610690169.

Sahni, Jolly (2021): Employee Engagement Among Millennial Workforce: Empirical Study on Selected Antecedents and Consequences. In SAGE Open 11 (1), 215824402110022. DOI: 10.1177/21582440211002208. 

SHRM. (2017). Employee Engagement and Commitment. Retrieved from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/employeeengagementandcommitment.aspx

Society for Human Resource Management. (2016). Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement: Revitalizing a Changing Workforce. Retrieved from https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/trends-and-forecasting/research-and-surveys/pages/2016-employee-job-satisfaction-and-engagement-report.aspx

Llorens, Susana; Schaufeli, Wilmar; Bakker, Arnold; Salanova, Marisa (2007): Does a positive gain spiral of resources, efficacy beliefs and engagement exist? In Computers in Human Behavior 23 (1), pp. 825–841. DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2004.11.012.

Schaufeli, Wilmar B.; Bakker, Arnold B.; Salanova, Marisa (2006): The Measurement of Work Engagement With a Short Questionnaire. In Educational and Psychological Measurement 66 (4), pp. 701–716. DOI: 10.1177/0013164405282471. 

Yang, Y. (2005): Yang, Y. (2005). The model of improving employee engagement. In China human resource management development 55 (6), pp. 100–103.