Midterm Assignment

Human Resources Management

Factors affect employee engagement and motivation.

Presented by: Shimaa Abo Sree Abdel Azeem

Presented to: Dr.Nanaries El-Shakankiri

Group 2CC

Date of Submission: 01-09-2021.

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 Contents
1. Abstract………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 3
2. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………..4
3. Literate review…………………………………………………………………………………………….5-12
3.1. Employee engagement definitions………………………………………………………….….5
3.2. Motivation definitions………………………………………………………………………………..6
3.3. The Relationship Between Motivation and Engagement………………………….…6
3.4. Engagement Impact on Organizations.……………………………………………………….7
3.5. Factors that Impact Employee Engagement……………………………………………….7
3.5.1. Job satisfaction………………………………………………………………………………..7
3.5.2. Meaning and purpose………………………………………………………..…………….7
3.5.3. Culture of diversity……………………………………………………………………..……8
3.5.4. The work environment…………………………………………………………….………8
3.5.5. Career development opportunities……………………………………………..…..9
3.5.6. The digital work experience………………………………………………………….….9
3.5.7. Management and leadership………………………………………………………...10
3.6. Motivation Impact on Organizations…………………………………………………………10
3.7. Factors that Impact Employee Motivation…………………………………………….…10
3.7.1. Reward and recognition………………………………………………………..….10-11
3.7.2. Development………………………………………………………………………………...11
3.7.3. Leadership………………………………………………………………………………….….11
3.7.4. Work life balance………………………………………………………………………11-12
3.7.5. Work environment………………………………………………………………………..12

4. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………………………13

5. References……………………………………………………………………………………………………..13

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Abstract:

Engaging employees is one of the top five most important challenges for
management, according to a survey of 656 chief executive officers (CEOs) from
countries around the world (Wah 1999).

Employee engagement has become a hot topic in recent years among consulting
firms and in the popular business press. However, employee engagement has
rarely been studied in the academic literature.

Motivated and committed employees are more innovative and often come up with
creative ideas. Such employees become more engaged and involved and
contribute in growth of organization. They may change the market conditions with
positive actions. This paper was determined to explore the link between employee
motivation, commitment, engagement, and job involvement.
10 Jul 2019 | by Gemma Chadwick
Almost half of the UK population have admitted to not going above and beyond at
work because they think they won’t be acknowledged rewarded for their efforts.

Often, people confuse employee motivation and engagement; Frank Sinatra said it
best in his classic Love and Marriage, “you can’t have one without the
other.” Both are crucial to driving your employees to do big things for your
business.

Employee motivation is the level of enthusiasm an employee brings to the

workplace; whereas, employee engagement is the emotional commitment the
employee has to the organization and its goals.

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Introduction

Employees who have good quality jobs and are managed well, will not only be
happier, healthier, and more fulfilled, but are also more likely to drive productivity,
better products or services, and innovation.
This mutual gain view of motivation and people management lies at the heart of
employee engagement, a concept that’s become increasingly mainstream in
management thinking over the last decade.

Employee engagement is a strategic approach for driving improvement and

encouraging organizational change. High levels of employee engagement occur
when employees are involved with, committed to, enthusiastic, and passionate
about their work. Areas of focus include defining the concept of employee work
engagement, how it is measured, how often it occurs, the business benefits linked
to positive engagement, and how workplaces can be changed to encourage
engagement. Employee engagement has become a widely used and popular term.

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Literature Review
Employee Engagement is about creating opportunities for employees to connect
with their colleagues, managers, and wider organization. It is also about creating
an environment where employees are motivated to want to connect with their
work and really care about doing a good job, definition have been grouped into
four categories:

• Personal role engagement:

Employees’ ability to express their preferred selves in their work, both emotionally
and physically. If they can express themselves, they will be energized, vigilant and
feel connected to others; if they can’t, they will withdraw.

• Work engagement:
Focused specifically on a psychological state experienced by employees. It is
commonly described as having three dimensions:
o Vigour towards work.
o Dedication to work.
o Absorption in work activity.

• Multidimensional engagement:
A rare definition that, like role engagement, incorporates cognitive, emotional and
behavioral aspects, but which distinguishes job-focused engagement from
organization-focused engagement. This expands the question of, with what are
employees engaged?

• Self-engagement with performance:

A very rare definition based on how importantly employees regard high
performance
Employee motivation, motivation requires a different angle, for two reasons: first,
theories of motivation describe processes, rather than focusing on psychological
states; and second, the area of motivation is so well researched and the body of
literature so large, that we could not realistically summarize it using the same rapid
evidence assessment methods.

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Employee Motivation is defined as:

The enthusiasm, energy level, commitment and the amount of creativity that an
employee brings to the organization on a daily basis.
Having motivated employees in your organization is invaluable. Motivated
employees correlate with an organization’s success; motivation is intangible,
difficult to measure and extremely difficult to control as it is affected by multiple
factors, but very easy to facilitate if done correctly. It’s all about intention,
intensity, and particularly in a climate where the majority of the workforce are
working remotely.
Motivation can be contagious. If one employee is actively seen to be happy and
engaged at work, morale will lift and motivation spreads within the team.

The Relationship Between Motivation and Engagement

Typically, engaged employees are intrinsically motivated. They love what they do,
strive to master new skills and are enthusiastic about applying their talents. And
there’s a lot to be said for how an engaged workforce can boost any company’s
bottom line. According to Aberdeen Group, having engaged employees increases
customer loyalty by 233 percent and revenue by 26 percent annually.
Conversely, if your employees are extrinsically motivated, they more than likely
need constant prodding in order to produce. This approach may work for a short
time, but it’s unsustainable in the long run. Not every task or project can be
rewarded with cash or perks. In addition, if employees’ sole source of motivation is
fear-based – like fear of displeasing their manager or losing their jobs – they can
burn out quickly. In that case, what’s left is a group of disillusioned, disengaged
employees who can impact the bottom line, too, but negatively. In fact, Harvard
Business Review reports that just one of them can cost a business approximately
$12,000 per year.

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Engagement is critical for any organization that wants to improve:
 Employee productivity and performance.
 The work environment.
 The workplace culture.
 The employee experience.
 Organizational performance.

Factors that Impact Employee Engagement

Here are 7 of the most important areas to look at when evaluating the state of
employee engagement:

1. Job satisfaction
Job satisfaction can be defined as the sense of contentment one feels as a direct
result of being employed in a particular role. It isn’t only when the employee is
content while in the office/workplace — their job makes them feel content in life,
impacting areas such as security and confidence. Job satisfaction is a must-have if
you want your employees to have a long tenure with your company.

Factors affecting Job Satisfaction:

 Compensation.
 Benefits.
 Work-life balance.
 Recognition.

2. Meaning and purpose

One of the biggest factors that can impact engagement, In other words, people
who find their work meaningful will be more interested, engaged, and satisfied on
the job.
However, there are ways to improve engagement by adding meaning to
employees’ jobs:
 Show how an employee’s job positively impacts the lives of the customers.
 Increase career development opportunities, such as mentorship
opportunities and career counseling.
 Improve on-the-job employee training.

An employee who finds meaning in their work will be far more engaged and far
more likely to stay on board over the long term.
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3. A culture of diversity

To ensure maximum engagement for all individuals, diverse work culture is

essential. This means that the company is open to new ideas from every employee,
proactively prevents bias, and ensures equal opportunity for all. Diversity must be
embedded within the company values, covering every minority group as well as
the generational divide.

Organizational culture also affects engagement in several ways:

 A culture that is energetic, positive, and welcoming will be more likely to
engage its employees than one that is stressful and negative
 Certain traits, such as those that reward and recognize excellent
performance, can stimulate productivity and engagement
 Employees will be more engaged when they fit the company culture
To address and improve these areas, it pays to perform an analysis of the company
culture, then look for ways to improve it.
In some cases, this can involve organizational culture change.
In others, it can mean adjusting talent management strategies or even new digital
tools.

4. The work environment

The work environment itself also affects employee engagement levels.
However, note that the work environment is not restricted to the physical
workspace.
It also includes:
 The digital work environment
 The culture, atmosphere, and climate
 Employees’ attitudes and behavior
 The attitudes and behavior of leadership
All of these factors can work in combination and have either a positive or a
negative effect on workers.

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5. Career development opportunities

In many ways, career development can be better than employee

benefits, LinkedIn’s 2019 Workforce Learning Report found that the No. 1 reason
this segment quits is the lack of learning and career development opportunities.

Today’s employee recognizes, for instance, that the future of work is becoming
more competitive.

At the same time, modern workers are becoming more bored at work, leading
them to look for other jobs.
One solution to this is career development.

This means:
 Providing career counseling advice
 Offering mentorship and apprenticeship opportunities
 Ensuring that new hires have and understand their promotion potentials
 Providing ample training opportunities
When an employee has plenty of opportunity to grow at their current job, in other
words, they are more likely to stay engaged … and stay with the organization.

6. The digital work experience

Today’s organizations are becoming more and more digital, which means that the
digital work experience is playing an increasingly important role in the overall
employee experience.

To improve the digital workplace experience, organizations should start by

assessing employees’ digital engagement levels, pinpoint problem areas, then find
fixes, starting with low-hanging fruit and low-investment solutions.

There are many ways to improve the digital employee experience, such as:
 Modernizing the organization’s IT tools and infrastructure
 Creating a business function dedicated to managing and improving the
employee experience – and the digital experience
 Improving digital onboarding and training functions

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7. Management and leadership
Leadership and management have a large influence on the climate of a workplace.

When employees respect their leaders, then they are more likely to listen to and
follow them.

Poor management, however, can have a negative impact on:

 Employee engagement.
 Productivity and performance.
 Retention.
 The workplace culture.
Among other things.

Fixing poor management takes time and effort, but the rewards make such an
investment well worth the effort.

Employees will be more engaged, there will be less friction at work, and the
organization will be more effective as a result.

The best way to improve poor management is by implementing leadership

development programs, then continuing to optimize that program over time.

Motivation is critical for any organization that wants to:

 Increase innovation.
 Increase employee engagement.
 Increase productivity.
 Higher retention rate.

Factors that Impact Employee Motivation

1. Reward and recognition

Reward and recognition come hand in hand. Recognition for good work has a
limited shelf life; praise begins to lose its impact if not accompanied by
reward. Exceptional work deserves reward and while recognition is sufficient

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in certain cases, employees begin to lose motivation if they are not rewarded
for extra effort.
There are many ways to reward employees. Rewards can vary in both cost
and impact and it is best to offer a portfolio of rewards, examples include
once in a lifetime trips and experiences, vouchers or something as simple as
an extra day off. The aim of rewarding and recognizing employees is to
encourage and motivate them to exceed within their roles and promote
positive behaviors.

2. Development

Development is very important for motivating employees; studies have

shown that 20% of employees prefer career development opportunities and
training to monetary reward. Development makes an employee self-
dependent and allows them to contribute more effectively in the workplace,
it also helps employees to enhance their input to your business.
When an organization invests in their employees, it breeds loyalty, retention,
and motivation. A study in the Harvard Business Review found that employees
are appreciate and value when managers take a genuine interest in their
development; it demonstrates to the employee that the organization believes
in them and wants them to progress within the company. Development
inspires employees to work harder so as not to let down the company that
has invested in them

3. Leadership

A study by Gallup found that, only 2 in 10 employees strongly agree that their
performance is managed in a way that motivates them to do outstanding
work – this clearly displays how much a good leader motivates employees. A
good leader has the knowledge of what truly inspires loyal and motivated
humans to perform at a high level. It is important that a good leader has
reasonable expectations, gives credit where credit is due and appreciates
their staff.

4. Work life balance

Providing a good work life balance nurtures employee. Motivated employees

are less likely to take sick days, leave the organization and will be more

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prepared to work longer hours. Equally these same employees are more likely
to ‘burn out’ and will feel less motivated if there is not a healthy work life
balance. Whilst motivated employees will go above and beyond for the
company, wanting to do their best, if exhaustion strikes, they may start to
lose the passion for their job. As an organization, it is important to ensure
that employees are working reasonable hours and are combining work with
activities that promote health and wellbeing.

5. Work environment

Motivated employees thrive in a positive work environment. This refers to

the physical and non-physical environment – the physical environment is the
office space and surrounding areas. Employees work better in open spaces
that stimulate the senses, look at Google, they are known for their
extraordinary office spaces that focus on employee wellbeing – with green
spaces, quiet areas, beach volleyball, to name but a few! Google spare no
expense on the employee environment believing that the space you work in
greatly affects employee motivation. Google’s philosophy is that “life at
Google is not all work”, therefore they promote casual collusion between
employees, demonstrating how collaboration promotes creativity, drives
production and increases motivation.
Regarding the intangible environment, motivated employees value
engagement and communication. Engagement is achieved through many
different factors such as, giving regular feedback, development and daily
challenges. Effective communication is created through a continuous open
dialogue, dependent on trust. Honest and open communication throughout
the business is the foundation of creating a workplace where all employees
can thrive.
To conclude, motivated employees can aid in increasing productivity,
engagement and even profit among other benefits! It is important not to take
motivated employees for granted and continue to nurture them and ensure
that they feel motivated and valued to do their best work for the
organization.

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Conclusion

The objective of this research was to build the understanding regarding the
relationship among Employee motivation, Employee commitment and factors
affect both, also their impact on organization.

Finally, a holistic view of employee engagement can be helpful to determine what

is working and what is not. Predictors offers HR a way to better understand what
practices and policies in their organization effectively promote employee
motivation, attendance, retention, and productivity. By using a matrix of
engagement predictors (organizational process, values, management, role
challenge, work/life balance, information, reward/recognition, work environment
and products/services), HR can help the organization better manage engagement
and ultimately foster motivation, productivity and retention. The level of
engagement determines whether people are productive and stay with the
organization—or quit and perhaps join the competitors. The extent to which
employees are connected to the organizational strategy and goals,
acknowledgment for work well done, and a culture of learning and development
foster high levels of engagement. Without a workplace environment for employee
engagement, turnover will increase, and efficiency will decline, leading to low
customer loyalty and decreased stakeholder value. Ultimately, because the cost of
poor employee engagement will be detrimental to organizational success, it is vital
for top management to foster positive, effective people managers along with
workplace policies and practices that focus on employee well-being, health and
work/life balance.

References
 Professor Katie Truss ) C (2009) Employee engagement in context. London: Chartered Institute of
Personnel and Development
 Christopher Smith, The Change blog to create a source for news, discussion, challenges, and ideas
relating to Change Management.
 Robinson, D. (2008) ‘Employee engagement: an IES perspective’, Presentation to the IES HR
Network. New.

 Puja Lawani Toolbox HR and covers the latest in HR technology through a range of articles.

 LinkedIn

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