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Introduction of LCBB5004: Managing People Assignment
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Increasing the quality of life for all employees in an organisation is a key component of the employee engagement strategy, which aims to give the best possibilities for all employees to contribute to the company’s success. It boosts a firm’s chances of success and enhances efficiency, competitiveness, and overall well-being for both the organisation and the individual (Sun and Bunchapattanasakda, 2019). It can be quantified and ranges from low to high. Is there any way to keep it? Is there any way to get rid of it? In this study, the determinants of employee engagement and the methods for assessing employee engagement will be presented.
Concept of Employee Engagement
Conditions and procedures that workers are given show how much they care about their work, which is known as employee engagement. Activities, games, events, and the happiness of employers are all included (Bailey et al., 2017). Employee engagement at Unilever is achieved by ensuring that their employees are physically fit and healthy. They take a comprehensive approach to employee involvement, taking into account aspects such as mental health, physical activity, diet, smoking, and, finally, obesity and other ergonomic concerns (Tsourvakas and Yfantidou, 2018). They use a holistic approach. Leaders are expected to be polite and approachable to their employees at all times. Employees have the option of attending board meetings.
Drivers of Employee Engagement
These are the factors that motivate employees to be enthusiastic about their work. In the workplace, a number of factors have been discovered to have a significant impact on employee productivity (Chandani et al., 2016). Further information about the drivers is provided in the following figure.
Drivers of Employee Engagement
(Source: Stratford Group Ltd., 2022)
- Clarity
Employees should utilise their own viewpoint to judge the significance of their job (Antony, 2018). A significant incentive was provided to the staff when Atwood joined Unilever in 2017. A free training programme was put up for all Unilever employees and the majority of staff participated in this training (Tsourvakas and Yfantidou, 2018). Unilever’s production line manager will also urge employees to question about the status of their work. It’s a barrier between them when they focus on the process, since they work through it fairly painstakingly. After that, Unilever will take the proper steps.
- Dedication
When a person is in good health, it is easier for them to stay focused and motivated at work (Stratford Group Ltd., 2022). In order to learn more about the health of its employees, Unilever should take a more comprehensive approach. Employees at Unilever have a wide range of options at their disposal. Mental and physical well-being are thought to be a benefit if properly cared for. Employees at Unilever might get a weekly evaluation that includes chances for gift and service exchanges (Unilever, 2022).
Employee engagement cannot be achieved with only fair monetary compensation (Shaik and Makhecha, 2019). Board meetings are open to all of Unilever’s workers and each represents a certain department, allowing them to exchange ideas and experiences depending on performance. Employees who have achieved their department’s goal and have performed and achieved more than two appraisals will be given the right to supervise those who have done poorly. This will improve staff productivity and performance.
- Responsibility
Employees deserve greater possibilities and better information from their organisations (Stratford Group Ltd., 2022). In order to ensure accountability, Unilever should implement the chain technique. It will be easier to determine who is in charge of what with this information in hand.
- Standards
In this regard, technology aids in the process of climbing to the top. Workers are entitled to a safe work environment and a set of rules to ensure that they work together harmoniously (Antony, 2018). Maintaining sanitary and Covide-19-safe services at Unilever is a priority. PPE, including protective gloves and goggles, should be provided to every member of the team. It’s also important that they’re kept in a clean, dust-free environment at a controlled temperature.
- Teamwork
Organisations benefit greatly from teamwork. It’s time for a new approach from Unilever when it comes to fostering collaboration. A single individual should not be in charge. Everyone in the department should have some level of authority. In addition, they should have pushed the productive team to collaborate with the less productive one in order to increase output (Shaik and Makhecha, 2019).
Diagnostics Tools to Measure Employee Engagement
A slew of instruments has been developed to gauge how invested an individual is in his or her job (Shrotryia and Dhanda, 2019). There are a few established methods for measuring. The following is a list of some of the more important ones:
- Employee Satisfaction Surveys
Employees at Unilever have done a poll to find out how they feel about their jobs. As the temperature in the office is usually 20 degrees, a survey indicated that some employees suffer from colds (Polman and Bhattacharya, 2016). It’s a common complaint that the chain of command isn’t clearly displayed, and as a result, many people feel as though they’ve done nothing. In addition, they expected improved possibilities and facilities as a result of the COVID-19 scenario (Unilever, 2022).
- Human Resources (HR) Software
It is possible to get input from employees about their satisfaction with the organisation by using HR software. Employee performance is influenced by factors such as education, training, and remuneration (Burnett and Lisk, 2019). The management at Unilever keeps tabs on each employee’s progress. However, there are omissions. Permeance management is a little overwhelming in this case because of a lack of employee accountability.
- Interviews
The corporation might set up an interview programme in order to get to know its workers. It’s critical to ask the appropriate questions. Employers who conduct interviews with programme participants learn more about their motivations and desires. Unilever, on the other hand, has devised a programme called “Coffee time with employees” in which managers meet with workers to discuss issues (Cheng, 2017). Starbucks, on the other hand, has organised a company picnic to meet this condition.
- Employee Life-Cycle
The organisation may learn about an employee’s experience from their various life events. Employee lifecycle tactics include transfer, recognition, and engagement (Shrotryia and Dhanda, 2019). Accordingly, Unilever has attempted to place the appropriate personnel in appropriate positions, which has resulted in much improved levels of production.
- Social Networking
Employees should be able to share ideas and converse with one another over the company’s intranet. Employees’ social media accounts might potentially be accessed by the corporation to learn more about their lives and thoughts (Burnett and Lisk, 2019). Unilever’s social media presence is built and operated by the company’s employees, who share their thoughts and ideas. They offer a variety of viewpoints, as well as their own authored articles and opinions, on the site.
Constructing an Employee Value Proposition
A company’s Employee Value Proposition (EVP) is the collection of benefits and opportunities it provides to its workers in exchange for those workers’ knowledge, skills, and talents (Pawar, 2016). For a firm, developing an employee value proposition is really crucial. EVP has the following components:
Only if an organisation’s workers have reached the organisation’s aims and the organisation’s goals have been met can the organisation be considered flawless and successful (Arasanmi and Krishna, 2019). Getting to both of these markets has long been a goal for Unilever. Outbound employees who are not from the host country might, for example, take use of resident services established specifically for them. Employees not from host countries are eligible for a pay range.
Salary, bonus, and growing compensation are among the benefits. Everything an employee is entitled to get is included in this compensation package (River Software, 2021). As a whole, Unilever’s incentives approach isn’t quite up to snuff, but it’s better than nothing. Employees at Unilever get a fixed salary, and their pay rises occur a long time after an evaluation.
Culture of teamwork is even more critical. Having a positive work environment may be quite beneficial to an individual. To maintain a positive working environment, employers should guarantee that their employees have the freedom to collaborate with one another (Raj, 2020). In a company like Unilever, where the work environment is so dynamic, it is imperative that the employees have a good working environment.
Employers should provide their workers with a wide range of perks. It strengthens the bond between the company’s workers and management. The employee value proposition includes health care advantages like as insurance, protection for their family, and so on (Pawar, 2016). Employees at Unilever are not covered by any form of insurance. Additionally, they don’t offer any health insurance, which deters some of their workers.
Organisations should reward their workers for performing better job by rewarding them with promotions. Training and education should be provided by the firm to all of its employees. When it comes to marketing, Unilever has a slew of options. Seminars and events are organised by these individuals. In addition, Unilever encourages its staff to participate in seminars and training programmes for which the company pays the fees (Jeevan, 2016).
Strategies to Raising Level of Employee Engagement
There are already measures in place to improve employee engagement at Unilever. The measurements are critical to the company’s success in attracting and retaining staff. The following are some of the most significant strategies:
- Work-from-Home
Work-from-home policies have been implemented by Unilever to address this issue (Webber, 2020). All of the staff are claimed to communicate online with customers or co-workers. The general manager must allow any access to the core information system by global employees, who are urged to be detailed in their activities. People in China, on the other hand, have already begun working at their workplaces, making this step unnecessary.
- Flexible Working Hours
From the comfort of own home, employees may wish to submit their work, instead of go outside in Covid-19 pandemic. In the past, employees were urged to work for eight hours straight, but today they have the option to work for a different amount of time each day. It is possible for a worker to work for two hours straight, then take a break for one to two hours, and then return to work for another two hours (Zampetakis, 2022). It has been quite flexible, allowing staff to give themselves adequate time off.
- Restructuring Responsibilities
Restructuring of the Unilever educational programme has already begun. Osborne and Hammoud, (2017) have analysed the ideal compensation to make the job enjoyable for employees. After the lockout, Unilever has reopened its workplace and urged its employees to work harder than ever before (Unilever, 2022). In order to make it simpler for each employee to continue working, the best managers are assigned to them at any given time.
- Creating a “Covid-19-Safe” Workplace
Because of this, Unilever’s COVID-19-free workplace has been made possible. At the front door, personnel are asked to monitor their body temperature and then clean themselves using Unilever’s custom produced mask (one only) (Webber, 2020). Employees have been requested to use the phone in the workplace since there is no room for them to sit together. Employees are prohibited from visiting any Unilever facility without first through a thorough sanitization procedure, and anyone diagnosed with the flu or a cold is subject to a 14-day quarantine (Spurk and Straub, 2020).
For example, numerous organisations have shown that remuneration should be handled holistically. There should be a requirement for employees to work together. It’s always a good idea to provide a helping hand to an organisation. Management at Unilever should remember that they must be honest without being dishonest in a relationship. In addition, Unilever will aid in the clarification of objectives and the promotion of work breaks in order to rejuvenate employees. As a result, higher-ups must interact with and invest more in their staff (Osborne and Hammoud, 2017). Surveys and feedback management are only two of the measures that Unilever plans to implement. An organisation’s value proposition may be maintained with the use of these tactics. In order for a business to fulfil its goals, high employee engagement is necessary.
Conclusion
Employers in a wide range of businesses find workers’ devotion fascinating. When it comes to the way the devotion is sought, it’s a little different. Unilever’s productivity will increase because to a well-organised system for managing its employees. In order to gauge how well their employees are being engaged, some drivers conduct surveys. An organisation’s ability to achieve its goals is enhanced when strategic planning for employee engagement is undertaken.
References
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