How Do I Kickstart Employee Engagement in a 400-Person Company? Seeking Your Advice

I have over 1 year of experience in the HR domain. Currently, I am working with an Engineering Services company with 400 employees. My boss has assigned me the responsibility of handling employee engagement. He has requested me to interact with employees in the workplace to understand their issues. I would appreciate it if you could share your thoughts on how to start this process. Could you also provide details on the implementation process?

Your prompt response would be highly appreciated.

Thanks and Regards,
Anil

What your boss has told you to do is "Management by Walking Around." Though this concept is applicable more to senior management personnel, you may also take a cue from it and implement the concept. Google it, and you will get a lot of articles on the subject.

All the best!

Regards,
Dinesh V Divekar

Employee engagement is a very vast and ongoing process. To start, I would suggest talking to people on the shop floor, creating a feedback kiosk in the workplace, and assessing the happiness of your employees with the food if there is a canteen at the workplace.

The HR and Admin jobs are not very intriguing but become very intriguing if you don't follow very simple rules in day-to-day working life. A few tips that may suit you are:

(a) Go to your office at least 15 minutes in advance, check all the premises, access control, and security-related gadgets, and ensure they are functioning properly. If any gadget is not functioning, it will be your responsibility to get it fixed immediately. In the evening, also, when you have to leave your office, spend at least 15 minutes in and around your office or company premises to check if there are any issues that need your attention.

(b) Learn to remember and recognize all the employees who are reporting for work, and wish them good morning or good evening depending on the time. Mix with all the employees irrespective of rank and structure to get to know them better.

(c) Employee engagement is essentially what I am writing about. You have to get to know each employee and engage with them on a regular basis.

(d) Update each employee's dossier, learn about each employee, and interact with each one of them from time to time to stay abreast of their situation.

More next time.

Regards,
Head HR & Admin

Understanding Employee Engagement

Employee engagement is the level of commitment and involvement an employee has towards their organization and its values. An engaged employee is aware of the business context and works with colleagues to improve performance within the job for the benefit of the organization.

Role of an HR Manager in Employee Engagement

For an HR Manager, it is very important first to develop an image of a well-wisher in the eyes of the employees and a feeling of trust that this HR manager is always there for them. It's a slow process, and it takes time to develop. Meet your employees regularly, share thoughts and ideas with them, and plan some activities so that they start enjoying their work and workplace. Understand why they are not getting comfortable with the values and beliefs of the organization, and consider what you can do to motivate and inspire them to get engaged. Handle grievances, understand their problems, and take up the issues with the concerned authority to solve them. Develop and conduct training and motivation sessions, and plan some activities involving employees with you.

Use respect, reward, and recognition for positive results.