Immersive employee engagement in the era of transformation

It is given that 2018 will be a year of increasingly transformative and disruptive technology advancements. An expected outcome out of this is that HR professionals would be required to lookout for up-to-date trends and adapt them quickly to keep their organizations at the forefront of innovation and stay relevant in an increasingly volatile market. In my opinion, employee engagement is bound to be subjected to new performance management paradigms, new approaches to learning, new ways to reduce favoritism, and new methods to recruit and train people. I keep reading about various technology trends such as people analytics, the role of AI and data in recruitment, wellness apps, and modern corporate learning tools among others that will enable organizations to cater to their workforce with all the attention they deserve, especially during the time of transformation. 

There are plenty of wise words on the subject matter of transformation and adaptability on the Internet. My personal favorite quotes include the oft-cited “Change is the only constant” by Greek philosopher Heraclitus and Stephen Hawking’s prudent words “Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.” In the present context of the ever-changing industry ecosystem and its impact on the relationships between companies and their employees, all these evergreen advisories become sacrosanct for organizations and their HR divisions.

EY defines employee engagement as, “An emotional and intellectual state that motivates employees, stimulates and inspires them to do their work with maximum commitment regardless of their age, gender, and work conditions at a company.” Deloitte states that business enterprises are increasingly becoming social enterprises and are assessed by their relationship with the internal and external stakeholders matters apart from their financial performance or product/ service quality. This means how companies treat their employees is essential to their overall success at present and in the long run. 

A `Culture of Engagement' begets an `Ecosystem of Accomplishment' 

Let me use a simple example to depict the impact of ‘change’. In the recently concluded IPL, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) became champions for the third time under skipper MS Dhoni. The CSK captain had two forgettable years with the now-defunct Pune team prior to this edition. The difference between his performance for Pune and CSK is in stark contrast. During IPL 2016, he scored only 284 runs in 14 matches and Pune finished second last. While, during IPL 2018, Dhoni scored 455 runs in 16 matches and led from the front. As a seasoned HR professional, I could clearly understand that MS Dhoni was much more in sync with the CSK management team and this rapport translated into his brilliant performance throughout the season. This, according to me, is a prime example of effective employee engagement. 

Fortunately, what differentiates L&T Technology Services from its peers as well as organizations across other domains is our ability to comprehend changes and adapt to them especially for our employees. Being a nimble new age technology company founded in 2009, we operate in the age of disruption which makes us adept in efficiently navigating through industrial transformations. This is exactly what makes us so good at understanding the pulse of modern-day employees and their expectations. 

I firmly believe that a ‘Culture of Engagement’ begets an ‘Ecosystem of Accomplishment’. A research by Aon indicates that employee engagement is driven, especially during the time of change, by the level of involvement that employees have in the decision-making process. From skill enhancement and recognition of their efforts to jointly celebrating professional and personal achievements, employees should always be at the epicenter of any development pursuits. From youngsters at the onset of their careers to seasoned professionals, companies should ensure that their work culture always fosters an ecosystem of constant learning.  The new recruits should be exposed to the finest training so that their academia to industry transition happens smoothly and they get equipped & ready with requisite corporate etiquettes, work ethics & domain knowledge to step up when the need arises. On the other hand, the experienced employees must be encouraged to upgrade their knowledge and capabilities constantly through advanced level hands-on trainings. For this approach to really take off and materialize in a meaningful way, the employees must be regularly trained in big-ticket technologies such AI, VR, IoT, Big Data Analytics, 3D Printing, Robotics and Social & Mobile apps to name a few.

In technology organizations, innovation is always at a premium. Hence, HR departments should work hand in hand with the CTO’s organization to scrutinize top technologies that are likely to and are presently impacting the company’s business and its customers’ business. The efforts of HR division should be dedicated to stabilizing progression with sustainability to build an innovation engine that can guarantee RoI in the long-term. For example, technology organizations can conduct annual event across all their delivery centers which engage employees at all levels and showcase the best concepts from their talented engineers or employees in general. It is also crucial to get an ‘outside-in’ approach by establishing a connect with academia and the industry to facilitate out of the box thinking and the quest to unearth the immense engineering potential in India. This can be done through conducting ER&D fixtures such as ‘hackathons’ and invite students from engineering colleges across the country to participate in developing Proof of Concepts (PoCs) that can potentially solve many of the problems faced by the industry.

Employee engagement is driven, especially during times of change, by the level of involvement employees have in the decision-making process

We understand that in today’s digital workplaces, employees within and outside teams collaborate through various forms of networking to get their work done. These networks are collectively called the Social Capital of an organization and they lie outside the formal hierarchy of the company. Various researches also show that high potential employees are those that demonstrate high human capital (performance) and high social capital (behavior). For this, organizations can bring their workforce together on a common platform and motivate them by recognizing their talents and contributions through team motivational activities. One classic way to accomplish this objective is to organize annual awards to honor the employees who have made an exceptional contribution to the overall growth of the company. Not only do these events promote professional camaraderie but also boost the morale of the members of the workforce. 

Lastly, I want to emphasize that companies should also be quite familiar with the health and well-being of their employees. The HR division should ensure facilitation of regular medical check-up, yoga sessions, celebrations, sports and cultural activities that form part of a vibrant work life at the office premises and even beyond that. I wouldn’t stand corrected if I proclaim a balanced work-life culture is a prime indicator of how traditionally modern an organization is and how it keeps all employees bonded together for inclusive growth.     

In conclusion, I would like to quote the great Jack Welsh on employee engagement, “There are only three measurements that tell you nearly everything you need to know about your organization’s overall performance: employee engagement, customer satisfaction, and cash flow… It goes without saying that no company, small or large, can win over the long run without energized employees who believe in the mission and understand how to achieve it.” 

References

Employee engagement methodology

The rise of the social enterprise 2018 Deloitte Global Human Capital Trends

Managing Employee Engagement During Times of Change