Are Birthday Parties and Games True Employee Engagement or Just Time Fillers?

Hi all,

What is your understanding of employee engagement activities? B'day Celebration, Games, Party, etc. Is it really employee engagement activities or just passing time? Sorry for being rude, but I really want to know your thoughts on it.

Regards,
PD

I think the activities you have mentioned are sub-parts of the main agenda of Employee Engagement. Below are a few points related to employee engagement:

1. Getting the Healthcare and Wellness Program in Order
2. Emphasizing Work-Life Balance
3. Promoting perks that boost mental and physical well-being
4. Opening consistent lines of communication
5. Making sure new hires get to know the whole team
6. Giving your employees more responsibility, not just more tasks to do
7. Creating a roadmap to achieve professional goals

Celebrating birthdays, going on a picnic, office or departmental parties are outcomes to celebrate an event or loosen up the environment in the office. They are not directly related to Employee Engagement.

Thank you.

Dear Prakash,

Understanding Employee Engagement

The list of activities that you have given is superficial engagement activities. Ashutosh has gone a little further. However, this is also not complete engagement. Real engagement happens when an employee is mentally engaged with the company. I have seen a good number of IT companies wherein these companies do everything, but their employees continue to remain disconnected from their managers or organization. Notwithstanding reasonable spending on employee engagement activities, the attrition rate does not come down in these companies.

The Importance of Company Philosophy

Engagement starts when employees understand the philosophy, vision, and mission of the company. Employees are able to define the culture of their company, and if more than a dozen employees are told to write about culture, their replies are uniform. Unfortunately, in many companies, business leaders themselves are not clear about the vision or mission of their business. Then how come employees will understand it? Many business leaders just go with the flow and put plaques of vision or mission statements on the walls of the front office. They do it because everybody does it.

Recommended Reading

I recommend you go through the following book on Employee Engagement. It is one of the best books that I have ever read on this subject. The details are as below:

The Essential Guide to Employee Engagement
By Sarah Cook
Published by Kogan Page

All the best!

Regards,
Dinesh Divekar
[Phone Number Removed For Privacy Reasons]

Appreciate your view, Mr. Dinesh. I have one simple question: How many companies actually do this in reality?

Regards,
PD

Dear Prakash, If you look around, you will find that a huge gap exists in management theory and practice. It is not just restricted to Employee Engagement activities as such. Go to the shop floor of an average manufacturing company. How many companies use techniques of Operations Research (OR) in their day-to-day life? Hardly any. Recently, I conducted a training program on "Time and Task Management." Few participants were from a very prominent automotive company. This Indian automotive company has been in the market for the last 50-60 years. However, one of the participants from this company mentioned that there is a huge scope to measure the cycle time of a large number of processes. Now tell me, how come nobody thought in the last 50-60 years that we should measure the cycle time of every single process? Unless we measure, how can we think of reducing the cycle time and taking care of time management?

Lastly, about your views on the subject. What Mr. Nathrao has written is correct. You had been a little negative in your first post. You could have been evaluative instead.

Gentlemen, between theory and practice, a gap exists in our personal life as well. So many things we are supposed to do, but we do not do them. As an individual, who would be held responsible for this?

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Appreciate your view, Mr. Dinesh. I have one simple question: How many companies actually do this in reality?

Regards,

PD

Without going into the details which have been ably covered by Ashutosh Thakre, Dinesh Divekar, and Nathrao, just note that Employee Engagement is a CONTINUOUS process and NOT a collection of one-time affairs or activities like those you mentioned. This also encompasses the entire range of interactions between the organization and employees as well as among the employees themselves.

I hope you do not misinterpret 'continuous process' as 'continuously partying'. If you had a specific situation in mind, kindly provide THOSE details to enable the members to offer suitable and focused suggestions. Otherwise, discussing such topics repeatedly may not have a significant impact on the ground.

Regards,
TS

Wonderful contributions from learned members above. If you ask two construction workers what they are doing and one replies that he is laying bricks and mortar, while the second one replies that he is building a wonderful home, then the second one is an engaged employee. His reply demonstrates a streak of passion about what he is doing. Therefore, employee engagement is all about the efforts that make the employee feel that his work matters to the organization and he is part of the larger picture.

Understanding Employee Engagement

If you believe that celebrating birthdays can engage an employee, it oversimplifies your understanding of employee engagement. Similarly, if you consider these functions as mere 'time-pass,' then you are too cynical, as Nathrao said, to dismiss their collateral value to total employee engagement. An employee needs to be engaged not only in his work but also socially engaged to generate feelings of bonding and belonging as a social unit, which translates into team spirit to engage employees as a team in the actual work. As Asutosh said, these are subplots of the main engagement script.

The Gap in Engagement

Now, the reasons many feel cynical, sometimes justifiably, about employee engagement, as read in an article, is due to the gap in engagement. When senior executives are asked about employee engagement, they claim to believe in it, boast about their wonderful culture, and praise their employees' performance. However, when employees are asked, most of them express that the culture is dysfunctional, and they feel disconnected from the goals. The gap lies between the belief and behavior of the top executives. They perceive employee engagement as solely for employees and do not engage in it themselves. This gap needs to be closed for engagement activities to bear fruit.

Regards,
B. Saikumar

HR & Labour Law Consultant

Open, honest, and transparent communication at all times, walk the talk by the corporate leaders coupled with a high level of trust at all levels will lead to total employee engagement. Work while you play and play while you work culture is essential.

Anand

Employee engagement refers to the level of emotional commitment and dedication an employee has towards their organization. It involves creating a positive work environment where employees are motivated to perform their best and are invested in the company's success.

Grievances
Grievances, on the other hand, refer to complaints or concerns that employees may have regarding their work conditions, treatment, or other workplace issues. Handling grievances effectively is important in maintaining a healthy work environment and addressing employee concerns in a timely and fair manner.

Employee engagement is the emotional attachment that employees have for their organization. It is a psychic factor that shows the integration of the employee with the organization they work for.

Grievance
Grievance is the irritation or uneasiness an employee feels towards any aspect of the functioning of an enterprise. For example, it may be a low salary, denial of promotion, or anything that gives rise to a feeling of dissatisfaction. While employee engagement is a positive feeling, grievances evoke negative feelings towards the organization.

I would like to know how corporate or employee engagement programs work?

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Corporate or Employee Engagement Programs

Sure! Corporate or employee engagement programs are designed to enhance the connection and commitment of employees to their organization. These programs often include initiatives such as team-building activities, recognition programs, professional development opportunities, and wellness initiatives. The goal is to boost employee morale, productivity, and overall satisfaction in the workplace. Companies implement these programs to create a positive work environment, improve retention rates, and increase employee motivation. The specific details and effectiveness of these programs can vary depending on the organization and its goals.