The first three weeks of this course have been productive, for I have learned many important concepts concerning human resource management. The idea that resonated with me is employee engagement. I look forward to starting a business after school, and I have learned that its success will depend entirely on my employees’ attitude towards their work. I was wrong to assume that only customers matter in business because they buy goods and services. I have now learned that employees are responsible for creating the image or reputation that attracts customers. Therefore, I am committed to researching this concept to identify how it will help me to establish my successful dream company in the future.
Employee engagement concerns the employees’ commitment to their roles in facilitating the organization’s goals. Parent and Lovelace (7) defined this term as the situation where the employees are passionate about their job. This passion enables them to use their skills and talents diligently to build the company by performing highly. It is worth noting that employee engagement shapes an organizational culture that attracts customers and makes them want to be associated with the company. For my case, I have decided that I will be super careful when recruiting employees, especially because my company will be a startup. I would wish to have workers who will commit to the business and ensure that we stabilize in the competitive markets.
However, I understand that it is my responsibility as the employer to ensure my employees’ engagement. One factor that affects employee engagement is wages (Parent & Lovelace 8). I can motivate my workers by paying them well based on their qualifications of work and education experiences. I understand that good salaries reduce socioeconomic-related stress; thus, the workers can perform well. Other than salary, I have learned that leadership also influences employee engagement. From the class discussions, I have observed that workers feel uncomfortable with mean and authoritative leaders. I plan to make my workers my friends through servant leadership, which entails a leader sharing power with his juniors by serving them. In an article with Forbes, Laker explained that service leadership allows effective collaboration between employees and management. I believe such a working environment would boost our performance as a company through effective innovation.
Another crucial factor that affects employee engagement is organizational culture. It constitutes the rules, values, and schedules under which an organization operates (Parent & Lovelace 7). I think a complicated organizational culture that consists of many restrictions can tire the employees and make them not perform. I will be intentional about creating an accommodating organizational culture for my employees. For instance, I have seen many cultures discriminating against pregnant women by denying them paid maternity leave. I will ensure that my company’s organizational culture allows pregnant women to work without stress and pressure. In summary, I have learned that I must set a working environment that will boost my employees’ job involvement.
Sometimes it can be difficult to know if the employees are happy. I have learned that the best way to measures my employees’ contentment is by conducting satisfaction surveys. These surveys include questions that seek to understand the employees’ commitment and ways to improve it. I think I will conduct these surveys often to ensure that I maintain my workers’ satisfaction. In summary, I have learned that it is a good idea to invest in my workers’ satisfaction for them to be involved in achieving my company’s vision.
Works Cited
Laker, Benjamin. “How Service Leadership is Saving the World.” Forbes. 2020, March 9, retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/benjaminlaker/2020/03/09/service-leadership-is-the-new-servant-leadership/?sh=4175d37d5f1c Accessed 21 September 2021.
Parent, D. Jane & Lovelace, J. Kathy. “The Impact of Employee Engagement and a Positive Organizational Culture on an Individual’s Ability to Adapt to Organization Change. Organization Studies and Analytics Faculty, 2015, retrieved from https://scholarworks.merrimack.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1009&context=mgt_facpub
