BARRIERS TO EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT AND HOW TO OVERCOME THOSE BARRIERS
There are five possible barriers to employee engagement, these are;
1. Unclear understanding among workers or managers about what engagement is
2. Management or employee cynicism about engagement
3. Bureaucratic work rules
4. Lack of work-life balance, and
5. Inconsistent management practices.
1. UNCLEAR UNDERSTANDING AMONG WORKERS OR MANAGERS ABOUT WHAT ENGAGEMENT IS
The first hurdle to effective employee engagement practice is a lack of clarity or understanding of the concept by both the managers and employees. This is why managers themselves must first know what employee engagement is and prove this practice to other members of staff through the show of appreciation for work done, putting in place a conducive environment to work also make sure that the entire system is designed in such a way as to guarantee employee job satisfaction, boost their morale and happiness. Therefore, to surmount this challenge of unclear understanding of what employee engagement is, managers and employees must be taught to appreciate the importance of the concept to the progress of the organisation. This sort of enlightenment and/or discussion can be done during meetings, even a special training programme can be designed where facilitators are invited to speak to the managers and employees on every aspect of employee engagement detailing the roles of managers and employees.
Such a training programme especially from external consultant/facilitator will go a long way to put in place a better working relationship between the managers and employees on one hand and among the employees on the other. In the end, engaged workers are satisfied with their jobs, motivated to do their best, satisfied with the organization and show that by being loyal to the organization. They (employees) are willing to say good things to others about their jobs and their organization; this will automatically improve the level of productivity and organisational profitability.
2. MANAGEMENT OR EMPLOYEE CYNICISM ABOUT ENGAGEMENT
A barrier to employee engagement can also be as a result of management and employee cynicism about the concept. Cynicism or skepticism is an inclination to believe that people are motivated purely by self-interest. Managers and employees who are cynical see engagement as a surreptitious strategy of the management to make them work more for less compensation. This lack of trust most times made them build walls around themselves which will invariably affect their level of productivity. To overcome this, management must be able to demonstrate their genuineness in driving employee engagement. This can be done by letting every member of the organisation know the advantages of employee engagement, and incorporating the practice into the overall corporate strategy of the organisation so that both the management and employee can be truly committed to it.
3. BUREAUCRATIC WORK RULES
Bureaucracy has the potential to be another barrier to engagement because, in bureaucratic organizations, rules and procedures must be followed regardless of how appropriate they may be to a situation. Control, not results, is prized above all. In these settings, workers may lose hope and grow alienated because they have to work hard to have their ideas heard or get approval to make common-sense changes. To overcome this, the management should simplify the entire business operations/processes.
Process Simplification involves; systematically and thoroughly studying each business process, uncovering hidden sources of complexity (people, functions, procedures), and permanently eliminating them. Simplification should be driven by the need to add value to the customers, either internal or external. Management should prioritize by figuring out what’s important (and what’s not), and continually reassess the priority list as new things are added. They (Management) should root out the extra steps in the core processes, extraneous loops, redundancies, and opportunities to make the processes as lean as possible. It is also important to avoid unnecessary meetings, unclear assignments, unnecessary emails, over-analysis, or other bad managerial habits, and develop a formidable Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that will detail the seamless operations within the organisation’s system. The management can also take advantage of the remote working system. Use technology to enhance a better, faster, and efficient system.
4. LACK OF WORK-LIFE BALANCE
Another barrier to employee engagement is a lack of work-life balance. Many leaders hardly allow their employees to have a breathing space. They want them to work if possible twenty hours a day. They do not have proper human resources structure and even when they do, those policies are only good on paper. They (leaders) frown at their staff going on leave; all they want is for the employees to put their lives on hold to satisfy the needs of the organisation. Even with the work from home strategy in vogue now, many employees have to work long hours; they are bombarded by their managers with different assignments tied to deadlines. Many employees are beginning to complain that the work from home rule is choking their lives as they rarely have time for any other thing aside work.
Lack of work-life balance may also be a result of employees trying to work harder and for longer hours to please their employers and/or managers to guarantee their jobs especially in difficult economic situations. Though working harder and staying longer on a job do not translate to more productivity also job security as employers are looking for employees who can work smarter and achieve more within a limited period. To overcome the lack of work-life balance; managers need to point out to employees that they do not need to work till they drop dead. Adequate and effective human resources policies must be put in place and in practice to ensure that employees go on leave, and maintain a work-life balance. Relaxation programmes can also be organised for employees to have fun and enjoy themselves. In short, organisation policies must be designed in such a way as to accept the reality that there is more to life than work.
5. INCONSISTENT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
Managers who are not consistent in taking decisions can frustrate their employees. Some managers find it difficult to take responsibility for their actions and/or defend their staff. They are quick to make decisions without digging the facts, therefore, when they get to know the fact, they change their minds. They are never reliable. Employees with such managers can never be engaged. They (employees) always feel insecure and less valued. To overcome such inconsistent management practices, such managers should be put on the spot by the management; they should be made to explain the rationale behind their actions and made to take responsibility for their decisions. This will put them on the check to always look before they leap.
All that a manager needs to do to improve employee engagement and productivity is captured in the acronym “SHARED VISION”.
What is that?
Join us next week for the concluding part.
Sunday Ade Bello is a multi-talented, analytical and highly qualified Management Trainer, Inspired Writer, Examiner and Education Specialist. He is the CEO of WorkLife Training Professionals, Lagos. (sab@worklifeprofessionals.com)
