One of the significant roles of human resource managers is to maintain high level of employee engagement. However, the scope of human resource management (HRM) covers wide areas in a business organization. It is concerned with recruitment, selection, training and development, preparing payroll, performance appraisal, incentives, productivity and many more (Alfes et al. 2013). HRM is extremely important for managing employees and developing them towards successfully achieving organizational success. Legal framework of HRM binds both the managers and employees of an organization towards maintaining accountability in business operation (Kehoe and Wright 2013). This study will discuss the scope of HRM in employee engagement and provide significant examples. On the other hand, the study will critically describe the ways in which the implementation of employee engagement strategies can create conflicts. Furthermore, the study will also provide resolution strategies towards reducing conflicts.
Participative management is an effective tool for enhancing the employee engagement. According to Bal, Kooij and De Jong (2013), organizations should allow the employees in the organizational decision making process towards enhancing employee engagement. Moreover, allowing employee participation in decision making process enhances their value in their workplace. On the other hand, Albrecht et al. (2015) opined that the employees feel proud and empowered by contributing their innovative ideas in the decision making process. Hence, this strategy can active engage the employees with the success of their organizations. In case of Frishco, it has been found that the organization involves its employees in aspect of organizational decision making. It has ultimately increased their level of employee engagement. On the other hand, while considering example of PlasticCo, it has been found that they also allow their employees in organizational decision making and problem solving process. Moreover, the problems of this organization are identified by the senior managers and solutions to these problems are sought out by different employees including management (Arrowsmith and Parker 2013).
Employee may have to face several complex job tasks towards achieving the success of their organizations. In such case, high level of job complexities may decrease employee morale and hinder the organizational success. According to Shuck and Reio Jr (2014), the organizational leaders should be highly supportive to the employees and help them towards understanding the complexities of the tasks. It can help the employees to complete the complex task more easily. It can definitely motivate the employees and engage them with the success of their organizations. On the other hand, He, Zhu and Zheng (2014) opined that employees should also be cooperative among each other. While considering the example of ScienceCo, it can be found that the organization provide scientific information in the UK. It needs high cooperation among the employees as well as the leaders towards understanding the complexities of researches on natural resources (Menguc et al. 2013). Hence, the organization has formed collaborative working culture for engaging the employee more of the research work through getting support of each other.
It is the natural instinct of human being to seek benefits in their life. The same is applied to the employees in any organization. Employees always prefer to such organization, where they can earn some extra benefits. Hence, organization should initiate such program, which can give some extra value and benefits to the employees. According to Jenkins and Delbridge (2013), employee well being programs can motivate the employees towards working hard for organizational success. It can provide some extra benefits to the employees, which can encourage them towards aligning their own objectives with organizational objectives. Well being programs like free health check up, eye check up, leaves in some special days or flexibility in work scheduling can be best example of employee well being programs. On the other hand, Trépanier et al. (2014) opined that employee well being programs continually drive engagement and positive changes in organizations. For example, ServiceCo provides enough flexibility in their job scheduling, which has ultimately increased their employee engagement.
Employees always look for right assessment of their performance and value for their contribution in organizational success. According to Shantz et al. (2013), the management of organizations should frequently appraise the performance level of the employees as per their true contribution. Moreover, the organizations should also appropriately measure the success of the employees and value their contribution through either reward or recognition. It encourages the employees to work more for the success of their organizations. On the other hand, Pulakos et al. (2015) opined that management can also initiate proper training and development program for the employees, who are performing in their organizations. It can engage the employee with organizational goals with an opportunity to excel their potentials. While considering the example of PlasticCo, it can be seen that the organization offer promotional opportunities to the employees, who get high rank in performance appraisal system. It boosts the engagement level of the employees.
Employees in any organization use to prefer open communication system, where their issues and necessities are actually valued. According to Shuck and Rose (2013), organizations should ensure that the voices of their employees are actually listened and management take proper actions for resolving their issues. Moreover, scope for raising voice against any organizational issues can actually enhance their value in their organization, which can ultimately enhance their engagement with their organizational goals. On the other hand, Barrick et al. (2015) opined that scope for employee voice also demonstrates high level of organizational loyalty to their employees. It can definitely enhance the engagement level of the employees. Frishco always give its employees enough scope to share their issues with the management, so that it can be resolved immediately. Hence, employees are quite satisfied with the organizational process and keep them engaged with organizational success. For example, ConstructionCo, being an international consultancy always give scope for employee voice to the employees, which they face in dealing with global clients (Rayton and Yalabik 2014). Hence, the organization can easily avoid employees issues and engage employees effectively with
Organizational conflict is the state of discord cause by the perceived or actual opposition of values, needs and interests among the employees working in an organization. It usually causes from the disagreement between two or more people regarding any organizational issues. The above mentioned employee engagement strategies can also create organizational conflicts during their implementation. The ways in which the above mentioned employee engagement strategies can create conflicts are described below:
In performance appraisal system, the prime criteria to get high ranking is achievement of job target. It is job of the employees to meet the desired expectation of the managers. According to Ahmed and Ahmed (2015), sometimes, managers become failed to communicate the organizational goals clearly to the employees. Hence, the employees cannot set the goals by their own and do not achieve their own targets. Hence, these employees get low ranking in the performance appraisal process, which ultimately creates conflicts between the managers and employees. On the other hand, Shuck and Rose (2013) opined that sometimes, the organizational managers themselves do not confirm the individual goals of the employees in writing. It ultimately causes clashes between the manager and the employee regarding right appraisal. Furthermore, biasness in performance appraisal can also foster employee conflicts in any organization.
In order to avoid or reduce the managerial expectation related conflict, organizations should clearly communicate the organizational goals among the employees. Moreover, the managers should equally assign the clear task to the employees so that their job roles become clear to them. In this way, they can better meet the expectation level of the mangers and reduce the chance of conflict between managers and employees (Spaho 2013). While considering the example of LittleFish Creative in UK, it can be found that the mangers of the organization arrange frequent meetings with its employees. They effectively discuss the organizational goals and individual targets of the employees in the meetings. Moreover, the management undertakes Employees Act for provision of information and Consultation with employees. They maintain the regulation of performance related pay in appraisal system (Rayton and Yalabik 2014). Hence, the employees are quite effective in achieving their own target of designing logos and other graphic designs. In this way, it has actually organizational conflicts.
Employee frustration is one of the significant sources of employee conflicts. Lack of the accountability from the part of management can create high level of frustration and later employee conflict. According to Trépanier et al. (2014), biasness in performance appraisal system can drive conflict between management and employees of an organization. Sometimes, management promotes the employees in appraisal system based on the personal relationship with the employees. It ultimately creates employee conflicts, when a performing employee does not get promotion and an unperformed employee get promotion. On the other hand, Ahmed and Ahmed (2015) opined that employees are most likely to create conflict, when lack of accountability is found on the part of management. Sometimes, management allows the employees in decision making process, but their decisions are not valued and considered in making organizational decision. This situation can also create employee confliction, as they feel undervalued even after participation in decision making process.
The managers of the organizations should demonstrate high level of accountability during assessing the performance of the employees. They should promote right employees, who are actually eligible for the promotion. On the other hand, the mangers should also value the perspectives of the employees and incorporate the innovative ideas of the employees in decision making process. While considering the example of Edenco Creative, it can be found that the management of the organization highly values the innovative ideas of their employees in developing editorial work or any photography (Spaho 2013). Moreover, this high value actually reduces the chance of employee confliction.
Confliction can also arise from the implementation of collaborative work environment. According to Pulakos et al. (2015), the managers of an organization always try to create interdependency among different organizational departments towards driving collaborative work environment. In such situation, if one department of organization does not respond to the information request of other department, then conflicts can arise. On the other hand, Shuck and Rose (2013) opined that conflicts can also arise among the departments of an organization regarding allocation of resources. In this way, departmental disagreements can trigger a non-responsive attitude of among the employees, which can quickly turn into organizational conflicts.
In order to reduce the interdepartmental conflicts, the managers of an organization should properly communicate the objective of business operation among different department. Proper understanding of the business objectives can help the departments towards understanding the interdependence among them (Menguc et al. 2013). Hence, they will be more willing to share information among each other towards successfully fulfilling the business objectives. Moreover, it will reduce the confliction among different departments of organizations. For example, the managers of NuaDesign usually let the employees clarify their business objectives for effective business operation. It actually reduces employee conflict having clear understanding of business objectives (Pulakos et al. 2013).
According to Ahmed and Ahmed (2015), unresolved issues of the employees can generate frustration among them and ultimately lead to organizational conflicts. More often, the employees of organization highlight issues, which they face in their work process. In such case, when organizational leaders do not take necessary initiatives towards understanding the employee issues, it can causes organizational conflicts. On the other hand, Rayton and Yalabik (2014) opined that aggressive style of leaders towards understanding the employee issues can also causes employee confliction even after the employees raise their voice against their issues.
In order to reduce or avoid such kinds of employee conflicts, the organizational leaders should take promptly analyze the issues of the employees. Moreover, they should take proper actions in consultation with management for mitigating employee issues. The management should also provide enough right to the employees for filing their grievances and get immediate solution to those issues. For example, employee issues are best resolve by the managers of Ikon Images. Moreover, they always try to keep the employees encouraged towards showing their creativity in art designs (Spaho 2013).
Conclusion
While concluding the study, it can be said that employee engagement is the positive state of relationship between management and employees of an organization. From the examples of Frishco Organization and CIPD report, it can be analyzed that there are different ways of engaging employees in organizational success. Employees are highly engaged with the organizational goals, when they are allowed to participate in organizational decision making process. On the other hand, collaborative work environment can also foster high level of employee engagement with supportive work environment. Employees are always motivated to be engaged in such work environment, where there are opportunities for career development. Hence, proper performance appraisal can engage employees with the organizational goals. However, biasness and lack of accountability in performance appraisal process can generate organizational conflicts. This conflict can only be reduced through maintaining the accountability in the performance appraisal process. On the other hand, unresolved issues can also create organizational conflicts. It can be reduced through proper analysis and immediate actions towards mitigating employee issues.
Reference List
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