THE BEACON Issue 2: Theme: Employee Engagement: Opportunity or HR Practitioners’ Achilles Heel?
Emily Kamunde-Osoro CEO, Rise & Learn Global
In almost every management or board meeting in which contemporary human resource issues are discussed, the shift in the balance of power between labor and management must feature. There is no denying this feeling of a lack of complete grasp on key talent today. Some in management may deny this fundamental shift and maintain a sense of power but as Tim Ryan (PWC U.S Chairman) once said, “The war for talent is over. Talent won.” Global changes such as the COVID-19 pandemic, Climate change and a shift in the generation entering the workplace call for a fresh look at work practices to ensure that people stay engaged. There is no doubt that managers who bury their heads in the sand are likely to lose talent or at the very least have people who are present but disengaged. This edition of The Beacon explores this important perspective.
FOCUS OF THE MONTH: EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT; LAYING BARE THE PROBLEM
I&M Employees conduct a group exercise during a recent Leadership Workshop facilitated by Rise & Learn Global
A study conducted by Gallup in Kenya and other countries, on the “State of the Global Workplace 2023”, had some shocking revelations. A large proportion of employees are disengaged. Specifically, only 20% of employees are thriving at the workplace. A whooping 60% of them are not engaged at all and are simply “quiet- quitting”, while another 21% are actively disengaged. In fact, 70% of employees polled report to be actively seeking new jobs.
Employee engagement can loosely be described as the level of enthusiasm or passion that an employee feels and projects towards their daily job. It is the fodder for job satisfaction, and by extension a precursor to productivity of the work force.
Based on this study and many others conducted around similar issues, it is important for HR professionals to make employee engagement an issue of strategic concern. It is possible that reading this article right now, you reckon that this is one of the main challenges facing your organization today. One needs to familiarize with the elements of employee engagement. Some of the questions that can guide you in this reflection are: Have you noticed reduced productivity at your workplace? Is there a low level of satisfaction, especially among younger employees? What kind of emotions does the workplace evoke among your teams? How fulfilling do the teams feel about the work they do every day?
While the statistics are damning, with a few changes, you can still win back your priced employees.
Need help designing an employee engagement strategy? Reach out to us on admin@riseandlearn.ke
QUICK UPDATES OF GREAT INTEREST TO YOU:
1. InMySteps – Changing Lives, Impacting Young People
InMySteps Internship & Mentorship program is an initiative by Rise & Learn Global that links young people to internships, mentorship and future-ready training. Youth need access to opportunities that enable them to get practical experience.
This program calls on everyone who has walked the professional journey or is able to influence/ support to
extend their hand and pull young professionals up; it is a call to NURTURE. Two cohorts of interns have successfully graduated. The third of 55 interns are currently at placement and mentorship stage.
Read about InMySteps at: https://inmysteps.riseandlearn.ke/
Watch the program documentary on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTKUcLQq6KE .
Want to be part of this transformational journey by offering your time as a mentor, or donating an internship slot? Please drop an email to Inmysteps@riseandlearn.ke.
2. Rise & Learn Calendar: Read about upcoming events and how to participate!
| Event | Details | How to Participate |
| 5th Annual Regional HR Summit | The biggest, regional HR Summit is happening: Venue: Mestil Hotel Kampala, Uganda Date: 15th – 17th November, 2023 |
Click on this link to register: https://eastafricahrsymposium.ke/register/ |
| InMySteps 2nd Anniversary Event | Bringing together stakeholders to reminisce, raise awareness and build the InMySteps Initiative Venue: Serena Hotel, Nairobi Date: 27th September, 2023 |
Invites Only |
| InMySteps Annual Run | This run is aimed at raising awareness of the initiative | Date, time, venue and how to participate will be shared in due course |
FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH: WE SPEAK TO DEON DE SWARDT ABOUT LIFE IN HR AND THE STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT:
Who is Deon de Swardt?
I am a Managing Partner at a pan-Africa HR Advisory firm called Africa People Advisory Group, I live in the beautiful city of Cape Town, South Africa.
What does employee engagement mean to you as a Human Resource leader?
Employee Engagement is a concept that is often associated with an employee survey which might be conducted on a periodic basis, but the true practice of employee engagement should be defined much wider. And in recent years, employee engagement has made way for a far wider concept called employee experience (EX). If one considers EX to be the design of your employee universe with the employee in mind and at the center, then employee engagement, or the employee engagement score actually becomes the measure of your efforts in employee experience.
From your experience practicing HR for a while, how important is employee engagement in HR and for organizations?
Employee engagement is critical, without having a pulse on employee sentiment one would not be able to address true organisational people-related issues. Running an employee engagement survey provides data for HR to access employee views. Of course, without addressing the issues employees raise, a survey can do more harm than good. I know it sounds confusing, let me explain. If an organization continues to conduct annual surveys but there is no real intent from the leaders to address fundamental issues, employees lose faith in the tool and process, and this can erode trust.
What would you encourage Talent manager, especially HR and business leaders to do about this growing challenge of disengagement?
I think it is key to understand why employees are disengaged. My view is that if you want to know why employees are disengaged, ask them why. Now this sounds simple, but it requires us to get into the data, so as an example use surveys but also conduct focus group conversations, and if you work in an organization with low trust it is advisable to use an external facilitator.
Parting shot?
Indeed, I would encourage HR leaders to read up on employee experience and understand what it is all about, if you understand EX then employee engagement really is the outcome of a robust employee experience program. Good luck with the efforts.
