October 2010 issue of HR News magazine - IPMA

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■ employee engagement ■ employee engagement ■ employee engagement ■ Ready, Set, Engage: The New Rules for Effective Employee Engagement By Craig Southern, IPMA-CP In a recent Web article in the occupational trade publication Computerworld, it was reported that job satisfaction was considered highly overrated regarding employee performance, citing workplace motivation as the major contributor and influencer of individual and group success. The Web article also advised employers who wanted “employees to be productive, engaged, and excited about coming to work…[to] spend more time thinking about how to motivate them rather than how to satisfy them.” This research begs many questions for organizations to ponder these days about how to best engage, if possible, their unengaged employees, especially amid the backdrop of employees feeling trapped in their current job with a nowhere-to-go mentality because of unrelenting hiring freezes, critical hire mandates and soaring unemployment rates resulting from a slowing or flattening economy. Many valid, reliable and credible tools are available to organizations to assess the current state of employee affairs via climate surveys and workplace satisfaction instruments. These tools can be used by | 6 | OCTOBER 2010 EngagE organizations to garner what is on the minds of its employees, particularly in ascertaining details about job satisfiers and workplace motivators; however, organizations must realize that knowing what will engage employees through job satisfaction and motivation is another part of the journey on the road to engaging employees. In other words, knowing is not doing; therefore, the value of conducting a climate survey is virtually nonexistent for an organization and ultimately for its employees if the results are not used to formulate and implement a plan of action that can benefit all concerned. Although assessment tools can ask many questions of employees in regard to determining what satisfies and motivates them at work, the overarching areas of questions fall across two specific topics: jobs and HR NEWS MAGAZINE
■ employee engagement ■ employee engagement ■ employee engagement ■ careers. Table 1 shows sample questions that could be asked of employees when taking a climate survey or completing a workplace satisfaction instrument. TABLE 1 Climate Survey/Workplace Satisfaction Instrument Questions JOBS ■ How satisfied am I with my job? ■ How heavy is my workload? ■ What’s my job’s motivating potential? ■ Do I want an enriched job? ■ Is my job rewarding? ■ Do I like my job? ■ Do I like my boss? CAREERS ■ How committed am I to my organization? ■ How committed is my organization to me? ■ How committed is my manager to me? ■ How motivated am I by my manager? ■ How motivated is my manager by me? Job Satisfaction Defined In the context of employee engagement, perhaps it is best to define job satisfaction. Simply stated, job satisfaction is “how an employee feels regarding their job, work environment, pay, benefits, etc.” This definition suggests that job satisfaction is not the result of motivators, but rather a preconception, perception or attitude of varying conditions or factors that exist or do not exist during a workplace experience. To that end, a positive perception might lead to job satisfaction, whereas a negative perception could lead to job dissatisfaction. In other words, the absence of either perception does not arbitrarily lead to an opposite conclusion or perception. Such subtleties can be the proverbial thorn in an organization’s flesh when it comes to engaging employees. Enter workplace motivation. Workplace Motivation There are two basic classifications of employee motivators: intrinsic rewards and extrinsic rewards. These motivators function, in essence, as the reasons for influencing employees to behave in a desired manner, ultimately driving group and organizational performance. To wit, employees are more likely to be engaged. Intrinsic and Extrinsic Rewards Intrinsic rewards are considered to be derived internally (i.e., from within) and include fulfillment, actual work performed, personal interests, etc., and may contribute to and influence individual job satisfaction, whereas extrinsic rewards are considered to be derived externally (i.e., from outside us) and include compensation, working conditions, recognition, etc., and may contribute to and influence individual behavior on the job. In knowing these differences, organizations can strengthen developed strategies by incorporating customized rewards programs into engagement plans. Rewarding Behavior Research by renowned American psychologist Frederick Herzberg, notable for his extensive work regarding employee engagement, specifically in the areas of job satisfaction and motivation, concluded that “the same evaluative process can reward one employee with a bonus for good performance or punish another employee by withholding a bonus because of poor performance.” With this in mind, organizations are somewhat challenged to implement an engagement strategy that does not address the multiple nuances that must be negotiated when rewarding behavior. The Job Satisfaction/Employee Motivation Connection The connection of job satisfaction to workplace motivation seems to suggest that the two concepts are often viewed as mechanisms to guarantee productivity, which in turn has been interpreted to mean employees are engaged. Of course, the degree to which an employee is engaged is another consideration organizations must be able to determine in order to prove successful in winning the employee engagement game. As job satisfaction relates to the contentment of employees from within, it does not necessarily indicate that employees are motivated by such contentment to be more productive. Conversely, as motivated employees may be more productive than their contented counterparts, it does not mean employees are content to be more productive as a result of motivation. Research by organizational behavior authors Stephen P. Robbins and Timothy A. Judge indicates that “satisfaction can lead to high levels of performance for some people, while for others, high performance is satisfying.” Organizations must be careful not to become overeager or zealous to implement an “off-the-shelf” engagement solution that promises unrealistic outcomes via a one-size-fits-all approach. Employee engagement is not about quick fixes or cures; rather it is about a long-term investment in and commitment to an organization’s most valuable resource—its human capital. The Survey Says A 2006-2007 survey on employee satisfaction and retention conducted by Salary.com revealed that employee dissatisfaction indicates that the “real surprise is that employers are largely unaware of the real reasons for employee dissatisfaction beyond pay.” This revelation suggests there are other reasons (i.e., motivators) that employers should consider when connecting job satisfaction and employee motivation—especially in the context of engagement. As revealed in the Salary.com survey about employee dissatisfaction, “this disconnect could lead organizations to focus on the wrong issues and as a result, experience high employee turnover and CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 WWW.IPMA-HR.ORG OCTOBER 2010 | 7 |
Page 1 and 2: THE MAGAZINE NOF THE INTERNATIONAL
Page 3 and 4: In this month’s issue of HR News
Page 5 and 6: FEATURES 6 Ready, Set, Engage: The
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Page 21 and 22: D) Anoka County Count (MN) Arapahoe
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October 2010 issue of HR News magazine - IPMA

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